Comments on: Clearing vrttis, Invasion of the mesomorphs

By: Liz

Liz — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:10:43 +0000

Karen,
It doesn’t surprise me that your super strong legs (I can just tell by looking) can do Laghu all day long! I fought with that pose for a long, long time. Now I can do it, but I don’t love it.

What a fun post to read, I’ve missed your blog!

Fatou nailed it- it’s so easy to forget what we’re good at doing and fixate on what’s missing. I have a special someone in my life who is like the guys you described- handstands? arm balances? no prob. Twisting hulky shoulders? That’s when the “you’re lucky you’re so flexible and have long arms” starts to come out of his mouth. I have to remind him how hard I work on the things that come easily to him. (he still thinks I have it better- ha ha!).

Grim, I love 2nd! It’s hard, though. Challenging in a way that makes me love it.

By: patrick

patrick — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:18:45 +0000

Hahaha! Karen, that’s AWESOME. I’m glad I got in early for the mis-type.

YES, you and Laghu-ing all day, now that makes sense with some of your prior descriptions of your practice and muscular history. And yes, also, the mesomorph’s envy, totally fits now.

I was once doing a knees-under-weight-bench Supta V with my mat rolled up under my sacrum, in the Y of all places, and binding it, and this dude said, “Man, that just LOOKS painful.” In between ujjayi’s with my head back, I said, “It’s not…as…painful…as it looks…like it…should be,” and went on with it.

By: arturo

arturo — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:37:13 +0000

hi Karen
funny stuff about the guys practicing. i don’t know, we have have different bodies, but i’ll take Intermediate any time over Primary, which give me backackes. A teacher once said to me that i took more naturally to forward bending in Primary than chest opening in Intermediate. hence, i need intermediate.
hugs,
Arturo

By: Carol

Carol — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:34:55 +0000

Laghu Vajrasana is HARD. So hard to touch the head without collapsing. Looking forward to seeing you in Mpls for Sweeney. Are you here for the weekend as well as the mysore?

By: karen

karen — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:50:06 +0000

Oh God, you guys. LAGHU vajrasana. I meant laghu vajrasana. Duh! Gonna go back and edit my post now….

By: grimmly

grimmly — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:16:33 +0000

‘ intermediate practice is tough for me, and it takes some oomph to go in and work through it day after day.’
Yes , hard, bloody hard work. Something about it too, it’s like the hilly section of the tour de france. Some asana in it I love, really love, but the series taken as a whole, don’t think I’ll ever love it. I Love Primary and think I might love 3rd, but Intermediate, think it takes a lot of discipline to force yourself through it every day. That said I feel like I’ve achieved something afterwards even if it wasn’t pretty in places. Maybe Ice climbing is a better metaphor, that dogged step by step up the side of a mountain, digging your feet into the snow to make steps. We can do this! it’ll get easier right, right? anybody, RIGHT?

By: Fatou

Fatou — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:39:13 +0000

What is it with us humans that we tend to think that if something comes easy to us, then it must not be all that hard. I do that all the time. Instead of taking some joy and pride out of doing some asanas really well, I beat myself up about the ones that I struggle with.

By: patrick

patrick — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:32:05 +0000

Hah! Attack of the mesomorphs! That was great.

Indeed, down with all this flexibility, hah! Marvelous posting here Karen. Can you SERIOUSLY just Supta V all day long? Dude, you’ve got weird flexibility (as we all do).

By: joy

joy — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:59:01 +0000

How nice to have your Gift near you again! And what a good maman you are to wait for the cable guy with her.

Yeah, down with the bendy! ha ha