And PUSH, and PUSH, and PUSH... (or not!)

So much for blogging twice a week!! Time just seems to be getting away from me. Between work, practicing yoga daily, and studying, finding the time to write has gotton low on my priority list. BUT.. the studying is going well. I'm getting thru one pose a week, which I think is awesome. I am now in the middle of Standing Head to Knee pose - and should have it down by tomorrow. Hooray!

What is funny is that I have the postures down pretty well, I can go thru them by myself in my car, no problemo! But when I get to the studio to get some feedback, I get all blotchy and red and shakey. It is crazy. I think it is pretty funny, but at the same time it is frustrating. I'm planning on going to the yoga studio on Mondays and going thru my dialogue with a couple of instructors. We did it Monday, and it was great to get feedback. Just to get some practice in is so beneficial to me. (I blamed the blotchy chest on my itchy sweater... but they knew otherwise!)

It makes me feel good that I am preparing as much as I am. I'd like to prepare even more, but I'm quite the busy chicquita, so it is atually hard to get in that one hour per night. So I'm doing what I can, and I am happy with that.

My yoga practice has been going great for the last week. About 5 or 6 weeks ago, I went to Kripalu in the Birkshires, where Rajashree Choudry held a 4-day session of "Exploring Optimal Health Thru Bikram Yoga." It was amazing, however, I pushed myself harder than I should have, and I really screwed up my body. It is amazing how she was able to push further into postures than I normally would have gone. But at the same time, I should have listened to my body a little bit better. Ever since I've been back, I haven't been able to straighten my legs in Hands to Feet Pose, which I have been able to do for a long, long time. And it has been very frustrating. Other postures: Triangle, Standing Bow, Standing Separate leg Stretching, and even some floor posters, have all been killing me the same. It was like I took 5 steps back in my practice.

I seem to have worked thru it though, and this week, things are finally feeling back to normal. With that being said, I guess that I am glad this happened. It is a hard lesson learned, but I've learned nonetheless. I don't need to push myself harder to impress instructors. It is not about that at all. But I'm pretty sure that is what I was doing (whether it was conciously or not). I know where I am in my practice, and I know the extent I should push myself and when to get out of my "comfort zone". They say in class "leave your ego at the door". If I go into training with an ego, I think I'll be in trouble. To learn this 3 months prior to diving into training... although it hurt at the time... it will be a valuable lesson to keep with me.

I feel good and strong again in the hot room. I just love the way that feeling transforms me.