Cement traps & Chicken wings
Posted in Uncategorized on 08/26/2009 09:16 am by karen
Con call at 5 AM. Not my favorite way to start the day. I got up even earlier than usual (4 instead of 4:30) so I could be ready to dash out the door & head to the shala as soon as the call ended.
Despite my best intentions, I got entangled in a follow-up chat with a co-worker as I drove to the shala, then spent 20 minutes standing outside on the phone, pacing barefoot over some smooth stones in the back parking lot.
So I got off to a late start. Not a huge deal, as today is a telework day, and my boss is super flexible about my yoga schedule. But still, I am a creature of habit, so it was a little stressful to be off schedule.
Standing poses. Hmmm, what shall I do for practice today — perhaps something a little shorter than usual since I’m starting late? My lower back feels great. Whatever that glitch was on Monday is gone. But hmmm, what’s this I feel? Oh, I know. My traps are tight as a drum! Argh. They feel like they’re make of cement. Is this the result of my add-more-primary-on-a-daily-basis experiment? Or maybe the I-have-a-job experiment? 
Transitioned from parsvottanasana into pasasana. Decision made.
The Poetess assisted MM this morning. She mentioned yesterday that she wanted to practice the kapo assist this morning. So both she and MM showed up at my mat as I was finishing up laghu vajrasana.
It is decided that MM will do the assist first, then The Poetess will give it a go. Fine. So I’m on my knees, dropped back, and MM is supporting my lower back and talking to The Poetess about something. I’m hanging there, when I see a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the wall. Hey, my feet look pretty close… and without thinking, I reach and grab my foot. Of course, since I was doing this on impulse, I forgot about protocol and just chicken winged my right arm to grab the foot. And yes, foot — not toes. Interesting. I start to reach for the other and realize MM and The Poetess are watching. And kind of horrified, apparently.
“Does that hurt?” MM asks.
“Not at all.”
“It looks really freaky,” he says, and The Poetess murmurs her agreement.
Then I get to do it all over again with The Poetess assisting.
“Thank you SO much for doing it twice,” she says.
“It’s good for me,” I say. “Extra practice.”
“That’s a great way to look at it!” she says, seeming rather surprised.
Okay, so I know we’re not supposed to chicken wing this entry, but come on! I can barely get my hands behind my head when I do prayer-hands over the top of my head. Side arm, I’m grabbing my feet.
As I was driving home, I recalled the time I did rotator cuff rehab years ago (for a climbing injury), and how the techs always noted the weird mobility of my shoulders.
I’m gonna have to think about this. I’m pretty sure I’ve read about people transitioning from a side arm to a correct kapo entry…
***
And from this Massachusetts girl: RIP Teddy Kennedy. You did good work.
08/26/2009 at 10:03 am
My son can do the chicken wing thing and it freaks me out every time. My shoulder blades, on the other hand, are firmly plastered to my upper back.
08/26/2009 at 12:11 pm
I do the chicken wing entry quite often. It’s not what I would recommend, in general, but my shoulders are freakingly bendy and so far I’ve never hurt myself.
Bet I’ve jinxed myself now
08/26/2009 at 12:35 pm
I’m shocked at the whole thing. Given how UNbendy my up-and-over entry is, it was like being in some weird dream to have hyper flexibility in the side-arm entry.
And it’s hilarious to stumble upon a surprise like that in a body I’ve actively inhabited for so many years.
Here, V — I’ll wish your jinx away. See? No problem.
08/26/2009 at 8:30 pm
Hilarious pic for the entry- always love to see what you come up with!
I accidentally did the chicken wing entry once and then it was so stuck in my mind it’s been work to stop doing it. I don’t like it, but only because I fear injury. There are about 24 things I fear in Kapo, so might as well not do the chicken wing and temp fate (see, I’m with Vanessa).
I only do it on the right side- and first, do you do both sides?
Heck, you did it, chicken wing or not, so that’s great!!!
08/26/2009 at 8:41 pm
I did it for the first time today, and by mistake, so I’m not really sure HOW I did it. One hand, then the other. Chicken winged on both sides for a moment there (that was probably when people said “Euwwww!” ’cause it looks freaky). We’ll see what happens tomorrow.
08/26/2009 at 10:56 pm
I say, go for the double chicken wing- at the same time. That’ll really freak people out!
08/26/2009 at 11:37 pm
Sorry, but what it is a chicken wing on a human?
Do you have a photo, or do you think I can google one, I am not sure what you are talking about:-)
08/28/2009 at 7:04 am
hi Karen
i understand the chicken wing entry into Kapo (and like your naming of it). Ironman used to do it next to me in SF. if i recall all of this, i think i asked several teachers if i should attempt getting to the toes that way, then straighten the arms out, for the same reasons that you mention- that you hands are closer to the feet when you do so then. frankly i don’t remember exactly what the teachers said; probably that it was not correct and that Ironman had a lot of mobility and a body that allowed him to do a lot of things. it’s not orthodox to say it, but if it works for you, why not do it that way until you can do it from the hands over the head way? i have not yet reached my toes by myself unassisted. you have developed more mobility.
hugs
Arturo
08/29/2009 at 4:46 am
I don’t have anything against chicken-winging — I do know there’s potential stress on the rotator cuffs in the transition between the chicken-wing catch of the foot and the bringing-elbows-back-to-front.