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This morning I tried out Matthew Sweeney’s Chandra Krama sequence (scroll down a bit on this page to see it). What a terrific sequence! I sent away for the poster when I realized I was going to be having some time off, and would need to do a slow reentry. Apparently this series was developed for practitioners to use on Moon Days. It has softer vinyasas, and (obviously) different poses in a different sequence, but any Ashtangi will feel it’s familiar: the structure is reminiscent of Ashtanga. A kinder, gentler Ashtanga

I suppose I might as well also mention that I love Matthew’s book. If I were to compare it to Gregor Maehle’s book (which is also terrific), I’d say Gregor’s book is detailed about specific poses, while Matthew’s book offers perspective on the practice as a whole. There is something very generous and forgiving in Matthew’s take on practice, despite the fact (because of the fact?) that he seems to be a traditional practitioner. The tone is very compassionate, very drama-free, and also very humorous, which goes a long way in my view.

Anyhow, practice was great — I threw in a couple of extra trikonasanas, because I so needed to crack my sacrum a few times. Mmmmmmmm!

Now that asana practice is back on the morning horizon, I am trying to figure out what to do with pranayama practice. Honestly, after asana practice, I feel kind of pooped, and like I want to get on with the day. I know there is direction to do pranayama in the early morning, or in the early evening. How early, though? Is it madness to do pranayama before bed? If anyone has any experience with this, help me out here. I don’t want to disturb my sleep with spontaneous, pranayama-induced levitation or anything…