Intercostal highway

The Practice of a Practice.

  Pranayama Breathing. Standing Deep Breathing.  The musings on this blog are on the practice of  Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class-

a series of 26 breathing and asanas designed to be complete workout of your entire body in 90 minutes.  This is a beginners class and all are welcome. Follow along as best you can and pay attention to two things, what is being said to you  in class and what your body is telling you.   For my first year I tried to pay attention to my feet and my fingertips in every pose.  I know where my feet and hands should start and end up in every pose. I know where they go and I know where they are supposed to go for the perfect posture. And that is why I try and practive as often as possible to bridge the gap between what is possible today and what is possible tomorrow. Slowly working my way up to and my ankles and wrists, and now these parts are beginning to strengthen and become more flexible. This year I hope that my joints  will join the party and become stronger and more flexible, along with my lungs. When people ask me how long it takes to perfect a single pose, I know they do not get it, not yet.  The best part of yoga practice is the practice. 

Bikram Yoga Tip of the day:Pranayama Breathing Standing Deep Breathing.  The first thing you will do Warm up from the inside out with yhis deep breathing exercise designed to stretch your lungs, and oxygenate your blood, waking you up for  good work out and stretch. Your wrists, shoulders and neck get a good  run for the money, too.   Pay attention with your mind and pay attention with your body. Focus 110% and the time will fly by. 

Back in the saddle again

 Ears hurt

The big cosmic Joke is on me. I joined the BYSC studio because the instructors did not use the headset. Day after the clinic, first class back, formerly non headset wearing instructor has on a headset.  The universe and I are not aligned 


Bikram Yoga Tip of  the Day:  Kapalbhati in Vajtasana Blowing in Firm Pose. 

Marilyn has great intercostal muscles.

The very last asana of Bikram Yoga Beginners Yoga Practice.   Do not worry about breathing in, only concentrate on breathing out. Visualize your abdominal muscles bouncing or snapping off of your spine like an old paddle ball toy.

Expiration:
1) The intercostal and diaphragm muscles relax.
2) The ribcage moves downwards and inwards and the diaphragm becomes relaxed.
3) The thorax volume decreases, causing the air pressure to increase to above atmospheric pressure, so air is forced out of the lungs.
4) Expiration is a passive process- it doesn’t require energy.

All Day Old Bitch Yoga

Left at 8 am came home at 8 pm. Posture clinic at BYDC with the director of Bikram Yoga San Diego - Jim,  and help from a Bikram yoga champion,
name forgotten. My practice changed enormously this day.

Yet this all day posture clinic left me deeply depressed. 

Quite the opposite of  the Bill Graham Posture Clinic in San Carlos. This posture clinic has lecture the evening before.  I was not expecting 50% of the all Day Posture Clinic to be devoted to sitting and listening to stories.  I was not planning on sitting at all.  

 I was nearly naked and the room was not the least bit heated. San Carlos kept the studio warm at 85  degrees, so it was not hot but you were not getting cold. 

And we did not do many, hardly any, postures in the first three hours.  

Jim, who led the clinic, seemed to be an angry guy.

Most of the attendees were Bikram instructors, (people who have already drank the koolaid).  By the time we had a break, I was so offended by some things that were said in the room that I was ready to leave and go home.  When the break happened and everyone left the studio for the lobby, I hung back,di not want to open mycranky  mouth, I mgight  get be stoned to death, or drowned like a Salem witch.  

Here are some things that got me riled up at the posture clinic-

The biggest thing to get me angry was the Dr. Story.

1. A story about doctors- Jim said,"Doctors consider an operation a success if the patient dies, as long as the insurance company pays, and Doctors get to go out on their yachts".  I found this story highly, wildly offensive.

2. One of the instructors asked about a move that some students make in Pacshimitthanasa of grabbing their butt cheeks and moving excess flesh out of the way before wiggling backwards. Jim said this is wrong- just do the dialog.   I raised my hand and attributed this adjustment to The Hot Yoga Doctor.  (I have this book and refer to it often.) Anger from Jim, "I remember her from teacher training, she did not pay attention, She is no Dr,  she is a Dentist) Not advocating anything just trying to provide context.  Today in looking at this book carefully, I did not find this correction in her Hot Yoga Master Class Book.  This is a correction I and many others have read somewhere for people who are obese.  I need to retract the Hot Yoga Master Class book as the source of this correction.It must have come for a yoga forum.

3.   The dialog.  I am not fan of the dialog. What the hell is Japanese Ham Sandwich? It has meaning for Bikram, who spent time in Japan, but I have no idea what a Japanese ham sandwich is supposed to look like and I don't want to make my body into a ham anything. I am pink and round. Nuff said. Why not say Panini? That is squished sandwich I understand.  Plus, I hate sandwiches, ( exceot paninis because they are warm) Sandwiches are a ruinous invention that took away civility and heat from lunchtime.  The Ear of Sandwich reduced the lunchtime from 3 hours to 45 minutes, if you are lucky.

Jim was emphasizing that you must must must stick to the dialog, and not give any one specific person an option of adapting these beginning yoga asanas, not to allow the student to strive from some thing less than optimum form.
As soon as you give an student a modification, they will no longer try to do the correct posture. 

4. I am that person. I was shown a modification for final spinal twist, and I have been doing the posture in a modified postiion way ever since. At the clinic the Yoga Champion came over and helped me do it the right way, it was simple. I was embarrassed at how much time I wasted doing this incorrectly because I had been given an OK to cheat.

5. There were 22 people in the room and Jim had a headset on.  I hate HATE HATE headsets. When I read the clinic was at daly city, which has a large studio,  I almost elected not to attend because it would mean amplification.  Ican talk to 20 peole and not need a headset. The amplification which gives me a headache. Headsets are the instructors crutch. If there is only one person speaking, there is no need to amplification unless you intend for your message to be processes  as shouting. It is a mental assault,  psychological yoga warfare. Est-like training approach.  

I stayed after for a class, even though there was headset and the teacher,  Jim, when correcting people  over a headset, (why not just stick to the dialog,  as we are all being shouted at, at least shout at us with the same instruction) he  
called all the women sweetheart--( SH in the blue, in SH the yellow)
 but he did not call the men youngfella or boy..... 

The young champion kept saying have fun, it's only yoga, and then I realized, I was not having fun.  I was mad.  It's only Yoga,  I was hoping it could be something more.

I was hoping it would change me.  It has changed me, but not in the way that I planned.  This clinic changed me.  No matter what has changed, I am, and remain, one old bitch.

Bikram Yoga Tip of the Day: Embrace you inner bitch, if that is who you truly are.  Painting of me  as a young girl, killing a kitten.

Unattached to the outcome

It was raining. Ipad2 erases my posts.   Too lazy to drive to BYSC, went to BYC instead.

rainy spring day SF

There is synchronicity here and it's a smaller quieter studio. Maybe the folks who come come here are different. After year away. I noticed old regulars with greatly improved practices, nice to see after all this time away, good things happening to those who remained. Deal fell part today. Will I make to the all day posture clinic tomorrow?  Listen to your body-mind connection. My body mind connection is revolting.

the twist

Bikram yoga tip of the day: Ardha-Matsyendrasana. Spine twisting pose. What is lumbago anyway? Here is a cheat for this posture from a yoga teacher at San Carlos-  I can't set up my legs for this posture. Knees won't bend, hips won't both be on the floor with both legs bent. I still give my spine a helluva twist. I put one leg out in front of me. My knees are toast, so I extend one leg out in front of the body, and cross the other leg at the knee. This keeps my hips correctly aligned. Lift the spine up. If you have a a big belly make sure to lift it up and over your hips which could impede your twist, if your fat apron hits your bones, move the fat.


 Spoil sport alert.. do not believe everything you read. Or these days most anything you read.

I am so tired

Bikram yoga tip of the day: Janushirasana with paschimotthanasana head to knee pose with stretching pose. Once more time we are confront the concept of failure as the first option, not the last or final option. If you are big bottomed sweep the excess flesh away form your sitz bones, ( note this is not a bikram advice, this piece of advice comes from  the internet and I can not find the cource.)  Feel your bones grounding you. Use the pressure of the bent leg against the extended leg. Make your spine as tall as possible. Kee your feet straight, all 5 toes even to the mirror. Rotate your leg musles to flatten the feet. The rest of this posture is beyond me.

You two are an inspiration

Day 17 l 83 Days to go

I am suspicious of people. Especially when they open their mouths. Amazing words spill forth. One of my neighbors' little girl was singing a song to us this afternoon. We had no idea what, if any, language, she was using. It was musical. We loved it, called her clever and danced around in a hokey-pokey. 

It is always surprising the words that erupt from people's mouths.  Pot kettle black alert.  After class, I generally sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until I have stopped sweating, before throwing on my super hero costume and climbing into the getaway car.

Yesterday, some unknown (to me) person pointed at me and one another unknown (to me) person, both of us that cretin age  - and said, "You two are such inspiration".  We breathe. Whoop dee doo.

The only that could have made it worse would have been if they followed up with a presentation of some Kelly Ripa or Granny Klampett award.  Why were were we two an inspiration?Two unknown particles clumped together like random elements in a large synchrotron - whirling around - a particle nascar bumper car race. Generating momentary inspiration and flaring out like a Chinese new year sparkler. Huh? Way? Fat? Boy!

I want to be the anonymous person in the class, the anonymous person on line.  A random person with goodbones.

Bikram Yoga tip of the day: Sasangasana Rabbit Pose. Part of the spine strengthening series. Can't do this. I have a very strong back, and my lower back rocks the casbash, but upper back is taughter than the E string on harpo Marx's violin. My head does not touch my knees. My hips do not rise up.  I  tuck under and grab my heels. I think the bomb is coming the bomb is coming until it is over. Remember believing Soviets were not MADmen. Waiting under my desk for the silly duck and cover drill to all be over.

You talking to me? You are the only one talking...

Day 16  l 84 days left
BYSC had the instructor with the headset so I left before the audio assault began and went to Yoga Health Center in San Carlos instead. I know I am supposed to be open. Maybe next year. This year I choose to be small minded about amplification. It's old Opera house training. If Kathleen Battle could get her voice over an entire orchestra and clearly magnificently up to the patrons in the balcony, anyone with a diaphram and decent lungs in small room should be able to do talk at a whisper and be heard. No one else is talking. Why do you think we can't hear you? You talking to me? You talking to me?  Bobby D. rescue me. 

 People at the San Carlos are nice. Some are chatty and too busy inside the studio, They leave bottles of smelly stuff and people get up in the beginning, middle or worst of all, at the final savasana and spray, spray spray agent orange all over the place with no concern for those who are meditating. You spraying at me?  You spraying at me?  Sometimes I leave the studio and take my final asanana in the lobby and lose the heat, but skip the smell.

 Not quite the same thing. Why cant people clean their matts at home? Why provide distractions inside a studio? The studio here is  very narrow. There was a big puddle of sweat on the floor when I am in, yuk.  Luckily  there  was no one in front of me so I could position myself in front of Lake Ewie.   I do like this studio.  It keeps the students on their matt and has them turn rather than straddle their matts. This is much more hygienic.  I am surprised at how many people leave their feet off their matt. The floors are not cleaned between classes and if you sweat, you should keep sweat,and your feet, on your towel and your matt.  This class was not as hot as I would have liked. Instructor turned off the heat before we hit the floor. I am old and crave the heat to move my weary joints.  Instructor was soft spoken, and gave great instructions.

Yoga Tip of the Day: Utrasana Camel's Pose. Why  they call this pose Camel I do not know. 

 A stretch of the front of the body. It can bring up dizziness, nausea is common and emotional feelings. Don't worry, just see it and let it go.   This pose is good for what ails you, flushes blood to the kidneys, stretches your front, which never gets stretched in the world of computers, driving and couch potatoing.  Start kneeling with your knees and feet 6 inches apart. Place your hands on your lower back, push your hips towards the mirror, past your knees. Elongate your spine and neck, allow your head to release all the way back so you see where the wall meets the floor. Drop your hands to heels,  one and a time and open your chest to the ceiling. Breath and stay here. 

International Womens Day

Attended the 2012 International Women' Day Summit And Awards Luncheon. Inspirational people doing amazing things. Its good to get in a roomful of amazing people from time to time and see what the clever people are wearing. Man of the year went to San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. Best speaker was Zoe Dunning, Retired Navy Commander of DADT Fame - very funny.

9:30 BYSC Class was amplified so I left. What a waste of an hour, to and fro-ing.  As far as I can tell there is only one who uses the microphone and speakers to "shout" at quiet students in a completely silent room. 

Amplification in such small spaces is an overly aggressive  teaching tool. And it hurts the ears, its good to avoid as much artificial sound as possible -  no stereo, no ipod, no  ear buds, no concerts or shows with any amplification.   

 Maybe sabotage is in order.

Yoga tip of the day: Ardha-Khurmasana Half Tortoise pose   It takes a minute to get heels to hips and  the back straight. Stretch your spine from hips to fingertips. Keeps your palms strong, squeeze our arms to your head, forehead  then  pinkies fingers touch the floor.  Work your palms forward and your hips back. Keep your shoulders away from your ears. Don't round. Keep your back arms and chin straight. Childs pose on steriods.

glamour puss vs. glamour pussy

What a difference one letter can make.

I forgot I was a registered Republican until I received a letter today from Anthony W. Parker,  Treasurer of the Republican National Committee.  Some Republicans (not me), insist on inserting themselves where they just do not belong. Maybe the want to put the Pope up there, too. So many scary,wrinkly old white men, trying to control the gateway of life.   If you google Popes' vagina something comes up. Who knew?

Republicans believe in the right to life, up until you take your first breath.

           After that, you are fair game.

 No one shoot treat killing human beings as sport. How horrifying to pose with a dead person as if people are safari trophies.

  

Yoga Tip of the day: Supta-Vajrasana, fixed firm pose:  During the set up, it is most important to get your heels to touch your hips. This will keep your knees from twisting.  Trying to go past the set up, without correct alignment of hips knees and feet, may cause injury. 

Dimples of Venus

 8 l 92  days left.

 BYSC.  No heart in the class.  Worry on the mind.  Did the late night class  make me fretful about a daytime class?  Work weighs on me and I was not focused. The mind interrupted the practice mentally. Not in room, not in moment. Each posture was a struggle to come back to center. I rested mostly, doing one set and attempting to quiet the mind. Kept losing my balance, my place  in the class, in the body,  in the mind.  Each class is very different
Went through the motions. Kept the breath active. Stayed in the room (!) and walked out alive. Felt like a newbie.

I am not a Baptist and that is not me on you tube.

I have very pronounced Dimples of Venus. I thought everyone had big  dents in their lower back.
 I was in an ER. The ER Baby Doc on duty asked if the dents in my back were due to damage from a beating. 

I began to think someone dented my back with their boots.  It was just my pronouced Dimples of Venus.
 I read somewhere recently,  if you have Dimples of Venus, you are at higher risk for obesity.

Who knows what is true. Republicans? Scientologists? (holy crap, Batman!)  Muslims? Me? I don't believe in Newt Gingrich or Tom Cruise, ( vote Newtie he is a cutie! Open marriage, line up if you want to love him madly) Plus-  I don't claim to know anything about birthing any babies.

 I think Doctors don't know what they are talking about 50% of the time. (or more if they are over 45.)  I 100% love Doctors  50% of the time.

Life is a coin toss. Eat vegan, if you can learn to, lots of greens, nothing from a box and nothing delivered to you to eat through a car window is really food,  it is really poison. Meditate a lot. You are going to die anyway. You are what you eat. I's rather be kale than than a cow,  yes I would, if I could,  I surely would. Hopefully it might be less painful  to die if you are healthy, but that to is a coin toss, too,   A good heart attack will  take you on it's first try.  So maybe eating cows and dairy is the  best way to go. Karma is bitch.   Bitches are purposeful creatures that create life and are super tough. Life is all about Dogs and Bitches to me. Too  mcuh time spent with breeders.

Yoga tip of the day:Dhanurasa Bow pose. Why teachers use the image of wheel  when talking about legs is beyond me. The last of the floor spine strengthening series. Reach back and grab the outside of each foot, two inches below the toes. Keep the knees and feet as close together as possible and make sure that the wrists are falt and straight. Kick back- pushing the legs up and into the hands. Keep lifting and roll so all you weight balances on your stomach. Keep the knees about hip width (6") distance apart.

 doing something I shouldnt in the dark

Day 7 l 93 classes to go

Late class.  8:15 pm!  I am usually asleep, or doing something I really shouldn't, by then. A nice way to end the day. BYSC. My main objection to this studio  is that is is a tad too dark,  Not as bad at night, as you dont crave the few silvery rays of natural light that make it 10 feet into the studio.  Lighting could be a tad brighter.  Ana's class.  She is a great teacher.  

I never met a locust and I  never hope to see one.  But I can tell you anyhow, I'd rather meet than be one. Locust pose is the one pose that still feels really bad. The dreaded floors series, designed for alien bodies, or if  these poses are for people, the next question becomes: where did I really come from? I can't get my hands flat on the floor, my wrist scream in pain. Yet from time to time, I can get both my legs way up, as long as I am not tired. It is easy, if you set up correctly and don't mind wrist pain,  form is everything and there is little mirror help from here on out. The locust pose improves the most with daily practice. During the floor series you can not see and copy the advanced students. Poses are shorter and you really work deep.


Yoga tip of the day: Salabhasana Locust pose.  Get your shoulders down,  really tighten your legs,  knees quads, abs and gluts,  tilt your pelvis, so it is easier to lock your knees and move the leg as one component.  Push down and forward on your arms and shoulders, at the same time use your back strength to lit your leg, up and back lifting in a straight line from the hip joint.   Make sure your quads abs, and gluts are fully engaged. Don't break your wrists.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Why?

Day  6 l  94 to go
I did Hatha yoga back in the 70's. When I was living on the farm I tried to maintain my practice from memory. Cobra  pose I practiced often as it was easy to remember. A cousin has photo of me giving yoga lessons to my young nephew outside on bright English August afternoon.

My lower back is probably the strongest part of my entire body.  Could be why.

Yoga tip of the day: Bhujangasana  Cobra pose. Lie on your stomach, arms relaxed at your sides.  Place the palms down on the floor, fingertips beneath your shoulders. Keep your arms close to your body.  Inhale as you start to slowly arch your back. Arch your neck back, look up and back wit hyour eyes. Open you chest with your lower back muscles.  Keep pelvis, quads tight, legs locked one solid structure from pelvis to the top of  the toes, flat on the floor. Lift your palms one inch of the floor. The cobra needs  no hands.  Use your lower spine muscles, not your arm strength,  to raise your self up and down like the Queen of de Nile.

Teacher training

41 year old married high school teacher   leaves wife and kids

 for 18 year old student.

Its hard  to tell who is the bigger fool in this photo.

Day 5  l   95 to go

Another assistant bites the dust, leaving the company to become a Bikram Yoga Instructor -Studio Owner.  She is a funky door fan. So I made her promise to try as many different studios/instructors as possible in town before she goes to teacher training.  We went to BYC my  favorite **  studio (and the BYC is the part of the name of this blog)  in town for the 4:30 pm. 

To sum it up neatly Funky door is Bikram  as BYC is Yoga. Great, great, great  class.  I have always been a fan of Lamotts' teaching style, but this class was A-MAZ-ING. Not too crowded, not too hot, just right.  Everyone  settled into the right spot, there was no jostling or shuffling to to get a piece of the mirror, an excellent tool for form.  Everyone just naturally made room for each other.  I think this is what I enjoy about this studio above all the other Bikram classes.  The student this day here synced up and practiced as one class, one group.  The instruction was terrific.   I discovered the instruction has gotten even better than when I practiced here last, about a year ago.  A very detailed class, and the whole class was in unison for the entire class.  The class was great as students brought a sharing mindfulness in the studio.  Rare in bikram,
 great in yoga classes.

(** allergies to fragrances.  This was a one hive class.)

Yoga tip of the Day: Pavana Muktasana Wind Removing Pose. Release The Old Farts!  Supine spine, eyes  gazing down your chest pull the cervical spine flat against the  floor.  Pull in you abdominal muscles,  tilt your pelvic floor  to press your tailbone flat against the floor.  Pull on your legs using as much bicep and coracobrachialis muscle strength as you can muster.  Keep your shoulders down and your elbows by your side. Let your hip joint release as your pull your leg. This  action strengthens the spine and compresses the colon. 

 where ere ye be, let yer wind gang free.. .