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Yesterday must have been “visit a Mysore room” day for the current crop of teacher-trainees at Starbucks of Yoga. Lots of young women giggling and chatting with each other and consulting cheat sheets. MM was very busy with so many people, but managed to be standing on hand to assist in all the places I really need help (i.e., kapotasana, karandavasana, assisted dropbacks and dropovers). I was on my own for bhekasana, which is okay by me. He likes to do that adjustment, and it’s an adjustment I love, but it’s interesting to go without every so often.

Shoulder’s getting better — woohoo! I always wonder if I’m stupid to practice through pain, but then it always heals and I wonder if I’m stupid to wonder.

Kapo’s on the move — getting past toes with MM’s assist. Interestingly, I am feeling the pose most in my lower lats. That’s something entirely new.

Skipping a few poses due to shoulder issue:

Why is it that when I’m injured, I feel like it will never get better? It’s been proven, over and over, that these things resolve, but when I’m in the experience, I can’t seem to ever remember that. Candice says it’s a stuck spot very high up on the pec muscle and a stuck spot in the trapezius. A matching set.

High points yesterday: left side of eka pada sirsasana was easy and felt great. Right side still kinda sticky, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

In urdhva dhanurasana I actually felt a *stretch* in the upper pecs! Yay! Something must be happening after all these years. Obviously, this has to do with the kapo work (did I mention MM keeps me in kapo for about 15 breaths at a go?!) and the dropovers.

This week, three things helped me feel better about the psychological hurdles of intermediate (and I stand behind my assessment that transitioning from primary to intermediate is like zooming down a superhighway onto a dirt road. As Grimmly wisely noted: “my negativity towards the series was coming from an insecurity about the practice itself.” Is this part of the nadi challenge — confronting your own insecurities?)

1. Muscle Man gave me a two sentence pep talk that can be paraphrased thusly: “You don’t suck. You’re getting there.”

2. In a probably (from a yogic standpoint) shameful instance of comparision, it felt good to see a whole bunch of people (the teacher trainees) struggling with primary. I’m sorry that it made me feel better about my practice, but it did and I’m happy for the boost.

3. Urdhva dhanurasana and kapotasana are starting to be poses I really look forward to doing. They are turning into favorites. Who’d a thunk? It’s like baddha konasana; took me years and a six-month phase of piriformis hell to get my chin on the ground, but now it’s an enormously satisfying favorite pose.

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Forrest yoga. Hey, you guys, it’s really fun and horrifying at the same time. The long holds? I want to scream. The balancing poses and arm balances? What fun! The abs work? Yeah, in just two sessions, it’s made a difference to my regular practice.

I’ll be doing a Forrest practice tomorrow. Usually Sunday is my day off, but I’m going to rest today, then practice tomorrow. Mostly ’cause Monday Mysore is usually awfully stiff after a day off. If I practice tomorrow, maybe I can avoid the Monday blues.

AF sounds formidable, and I am a fan of formidable women. Kali. Definitely Kali. I keep having dreams of a big Kali tattoo between my shoulderblades. Something about an energetic convergence. We’ll see…