Kneepoints & Shoulder Myths

Posted in ashtanga, ashtanga yoga on 07/20/2009 10:11 am by karen

Main sensation in practice today was burny pain on my kneepoints. Kneepoints? You know when you do ustrasana or kapotasana, there’s that perfect point where you balance on your kneecaps? Yeah, well, that’s the same place where you blister and tear off your skin when you decide to wash all the tile floors in your house by hand on Saturday. Meaning: on your hands and knees with a bucket and a cloth.

Duh, right? I didn’t even think about it. But at the end of my chore I had gleaming floors and torn up knees.

So that was fun. Ustrasana and kapotasana. Ow. Bakasana. Surprise! Now JUMP into bakasana! LOL. The left knee blister broke and the skin came off yesterday. This morning, the right knee skin came loose after kapotasana. I tore the flap off and looked at it. Thought about setting it next to my mat, so as not to disturb the flow of my meditation (I’m laughing as I write this, BTW) but decided it was worth a trip out of the room and to the trash bucket.

Oh, and did I mention that I used the hedge clippers, too, on Saturday? And that the result is crazy tight forearms and claw hands? Great for all the extra handstand work MM wants me to do lately.

Okay, so myths. The myth for today is that handstands adversely impact backbending. As you know, from all my whining, I am not a natural backbender. I’ve worked for every millimeter of bend that I get. I’ve avoided handstands like the plague for years. Still, MM put me on a handstand and dropback regimen, and Ana Forrest sessions go right there, too.

Of course I figured kapotasana would suck suck suck this morning, due to faulty knees and overworked shoulders. But no! There is actual real progress. (Imagine!!) MM can now reliably guide my hands past my toes and onto the soles (just a little bit of the soles, but still!) and I can pretty much keep them there when he shifts his hands to press down on my elbows. Previously, he’s gotten me to my toes and let go, at which point my hands flew away from my feet and my elbows sprang into the air.

“Progress!” he said today, after kapo. Indeed. I really appreciate his patience. And I wonder if he’s secretly thinking, “God, about time!”

 

8 Comments

  1. Ouch…….ewww, KAREN!!!!!! Horrid post! Well the first half anyway. Glad the kapo is going well though.
    Do they say that? That handstands are bad for back bends? I do a LOT of handstands and never found that. LBH perhaps but then if something is bad for something doesn’t that suggest that it’s a actually a good counterpose.

  2. wow, this sounds so painful. I can imagine your blisters so perfectly well that it is almost too much, yikes!

  3. Oh, sorry! I didn’t realize how sensitive you guys are. I like to whine, but I’m actually pretty okay about blisters because of all the blisters I had and skin I lost when I did lots of rock climbing. We used to bring nail clippers to cut off the skin flaps that couldn’t be super-glued back into place. Because even if all your skin comes off, you have to finish the climb! Haha! How’s that for gross? :-)

  4. I always prick the blister with a pin to let the water out, and that usually settle it down to heal quickly. Course, I have never experienced a “wash the floors then do Second Series” blister…

  5. Yeah Karen, this was super graphic but it was pretty fabulous too.

  6. Lol!

    Lauren, I am a super googling geek & look up EVERYTHING, so of course I did some research about whether to pop blisters or leave them. There’s no definitive answer! Arguments both ways, and by reputable sources. It may be the one question the Internet can’t answer… :-)

  7. I say pop it!
    I mean, it’s going to pop anyway, why not let it ooze out instead of blasting apart during your practice? Obviously the graphic nature of your post did not bother me. I like the thought of super gluing skin together.

    I like the description of your claw hands too. oh, and I think that handstand business is a myth.

    Congrats on Kapo- sounds like you don’t experience the panic, fear and anger that I went through to get in closer! Now I just slightly dread it and force myself to think of all the good things it will benefit (backbends, scorpion, etc).

  8. hi Karen
    :) funny about the skin shed. no, i didn’t realize handstands work against backbends. and i’ve being doing handstands 6 days a week. hmm. gosh, Patrick and you both have surpassed your earlier difficulties with Kapo, reaching toes (sometimes). my teacher has me concentrating right now on extending the arms as much as possible and not worrying about reaching the toes. when i do LBH the head poses i really, really want to do dropbacks.
    hugs
    Arturo

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