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I usually do led on Saturday, so it was nice to have a Mysore practice. Instead of 6:45, practice starts at 8 AM. There were already people started by the time I got in at 8:05, and the sliding door kept opening and bringing more practitioners until the room was almost full. Good turnout!

The thing that’s hard in a new studio is that you never know if you are in someone’s space.

CL didn’t show up until I was into sitting poses, so there was no huge crankfest for Prasarita C. Kinda sad.

I had the “foot hold-down” for Marichyasana D, and she circled back around as I lazed out of Bhujapidasana. “Let’s do it again, Karen,” she said. But first a nice explanation of how my hands needed to be the width of my lats (I usually set up with my hands closer together), and that when I come out of the pose, I need to work the lats for the “up,” then squeeze HARD with the legs on the arms into Bakasana, then shoot the legs out into Chaturanga. CL is very big on not being tense except where you have to be (in this case, the lats, then the abs). Me, I tend to be kind of tense all over. This is the big learning from this mini-study I’ve had with her.

So I did Bhujapidasana again, trying to work the way she suggested. Then I try again. I’m hugely uncoordinated, as is generally true when I try to do new things. It is all in my head, my body spazzes out, and then slowly I repeat and repeat until it can move from my head into my body. I wish I were one of those kinesthetic learners who can just look at something and know how to do it.

Okay, so the transition out of Bhujapidasana is something to work on. Instead of tense and lazy, and I can practice being “soft” and motivated.

Supta Padangusthasana went nicely, with the kidneys picking up some of what I usually relegate solely to my abs. As I started to so my usual post-Supta Padangusthasana vinyasa, CL said, “You don’t do Chakrasana, Karen? Why?” Well, because I am tense and lazy, of course! I didn’t say that, just kind of looked up and shrugged.

“Do you want to try?” she asked. Well, no… but yes, I will.

Chakrasana instruction was very interesting. Again, about not being tense. NOT tensing the legs and abs, but rather, getting a kind of fluid motion in the hips/back, a kind of rolling back and forth motion, with the groins NOT tense (ack, CL’s instruction makes me so aware of how freaking TENSE I am!) and then a little push back into chakrasana. She had me practice with my legs wide apart to make it easier. I still really suck at it, but this kind of took away my ability to pretend the transition doesn’t exist. Okay. More practice is necessary.

By the time I was finished, I felt like I really need to take some time to work out what I think of as the “detail” work of primary: the transitions, the Chakrasanas. Perhaps that should be my focus for a bit.

I have noticed that she doesn’t do assisted dropbacks. Interesting. Perhaps because she is so tiny? I can’t imagine that’s it, though, because she is clearly very strong.

Okay, enough documentation for now. I have a last chance to practice with her tomorrow morning before we go hop on a plane back to the states. I’m looking forward to it.