Tuesday, August 13, 2013

mysore musings

Lately I have been thinking (again) about going to mysore, despite the difficulty of getting time off, losing income, etc. I just can't get the idea of going out of my head, even though it rather terrifies me. 2 led classes a week, the big shala, traveling there by myself, working around my feldenkrais training program obligations, etc. I am such a fraidy cat about trying new things or making changes if they require a lot of work. Will it be too hot there for me if I try to go in February? A full shala seems like it would be awfully warm/hot no matter how it is outside. Even at my shala, I can really feel the heat coming off some people on days like today. My idea about going in December is now moot as I read today that the shala is full through the end of the year.

Meanwhile, I am assembling the required items to apply for a new passport, and I should probably start looking at what is required to get a visa for India.

No progress in standing up today..no surprise as it was again very humid in the shala. The humidity just kills me every time. UHP was a travesty on the second side- my stamina was gone and I could not balance at all. I did manage the tri-fecta in the middle..all binds and exits (go me!)..bhuja through kukkutasana. The hamstring/hip thing was a little better today too. I am sure it is the hip, I have added a hip opener stretch to my warm up-not pigeon, but the modified version you can do on your back, because I can control the stretch much more easily. Mari A seems to be the most affected pose right now, with ubhaya padangusthasana a close second. Most everything I can just go into slowly or do less deeply or work around the sore area. It is tricky since I don;t always feel sore in an asana, but I might feel the soreness afterwards, in the vinyasa. This whole doing less thing..is still very hard for me.

In the mean time, I am thinking about the Kino workshop this fall in Montclair. I would have to find a place to stay there, as it's too far by train to commute. And I have never really considered myself a good - workshop person. I tend to injure myself or become disillusioned with the style of yoga a result of taking workshops. I really don't want to have that happen with ashtanga.






11 comments:

  1. Someone told me that once you give voice to that thought of going to Mysore you are on the road to making it happen, it took me 2 years from coming out with it to unrolling my mat at that Shala. I gave up a safe job to go and I don't regret the decision for a second,it was an amazing experience.

    Kino is great, I always learn something from her workshops (I'm actually doing one this Sunday afternoon), she has a way of making things accessible, she is definitely worth the trip.

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  2. thanks. i am in the same boat..safe job here *so to speak*, am pretty sure it will happen, but not sure if it will be this coming winter..or the next.

    lucky you..that kino workshop looks great. i would like to do a primary series workshop/mysore week with her..the one near me is into to 2nd, mostly, so not really what i want right now...but considering.

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    1. If I can't get another job by the time my arm starts working again I may go again in the new year or possibly in August.

      I'm only doing the "Twists" workshop with Kino on Sunday, I can't do the "Arm balance" or strength ones . You should do her 2nd series one if you get the chance now you will soon be doing those postures. The Mysore week with her and Tim in Copenhagen will be good for me.

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    2. you should definitely go back to mysore. though i hope you can find a job soon too. i will look into it again, as it is not til october..there was a headstand workshop that i wanted to skip (the headstands from 2nd i dont feel at all ready to try) - she is doing the twisting workshop here too.

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    3. Will let you know how the "Twist" one goes.
      She's never done the headstand one here as far as I know. Though knowing her she won't just have you doing headstands, she will have you doing all kinds of stuff in preparation first and weeks later you suddenly realise how much some of the seemingly little things have helped the practice you are doing, go for it...

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  3. Hello Suzanne,
    as you probably know, I have been talking about going to Mysore for what seems like an eternity now; I even got as far as getting an India visa. But I have yet to make it there. But I agree with Kevin that once you put it out there, you are on the road to making it happen; whether it happens next year or ten years down the road is, in a sense, immaterial. So don't give up. Keep working on making it happen!

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    1. hi nobel,
      thanks for the encouragement! you will get there too someday, i am sure :)

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  4. If Mysore doesn't work out, you could consider Richard Freeman's weeklong in Boulder next January, i'm hoping to go...again...:)

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  5. Kino won't disappoint. She has excellent teaching skills, What we in the teaching profession sometimes call a natural. Those type of teachers can sometimes guide you through stuff they have yet to master themselves. You do sound Mysore bound :) eventually, good!

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    1. i really want to do a mysore style week for primary series with her..someday, probably after my training is over.

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