Like Words Together Reflections from the deep end of Practice.

Tough Practice Earns Documentary

I am just utterly worn out from over 2 and half hours of asana technique and critique during the longer teacher training program I'm doing. Each of the 9 of us taught nadi sodhana (alternate nostril breathing pranayama) and two asana. For at least two student teachers you would be an assistant, doing corrections. That meant doing 6 rounds as a student, repeating two of the same sequences.

Let me break that down, everyone started with nadi sodhana.

• Yogini A taught intense side stretch and revolved triangle (I assisted)
• Yogini B taught figure 4 and pigeon
• I taught warrior 1 and 2
• Yogini C taught figure 4 and pigeon
• Yogini D taught warrior 1 and 2
• Yogini E taught intense side stretch and revolved triangle
• Yogini F taught figure 4 and pigeon
• Yogini G taught intense side stretch and revolved triangle
• Yogi H (the one guy in the class) taught warrior 1 and 2 (I assisted)

All of the poses in red are hard for my the chronic pain I get in my lower back and hips due to the herniated disc I have at the base of my spine. The revolved triangle pose is a particularly challenging asana. I kept coming down to child's pose, resting my head on the ground. I felt very weak and upset by the pain to day. It was a really difficult and my dedication to yoga, to desiring to go more deeply into teaching yoga is what held me in my practice.

When I got home I was so delighted by the scent of roasted delicata squash hinting at dinner well under way I thought I'd cry with gratitude! the winter squash was served with some sauteed zuchinni, quinoa and mixed legumes. I noted afterward that I was still feeling rather burned out from class so CK and I decided to watch the first episode of the BBC documentary last year, The Story of India. A well done culture/history show sounded like just the thing to unwind.

I am really enjoying this documentary so far. It is beautifully filmed and just fascinating after the first episode (there are 5). I appreciate the interviews and the gorgeously shot scenes of ancient excavations of the earliest of Indus and Aryan civilizations!