Stocktake - 2 months gone, 1 to go

I’ve just paid for my last month in the shala - too fast!   Even though I don’t usually do much in Mysore ... I thought I’d try and quantify some milestones, accomplishments (or lack of).

• I have survived  2 months of No Cheating (ok, much less cheating) practice in the shala.  Some days were tough  (you feel tired, sore, heavy etc but you have to practice anyway) but as Sharath says, Mind is stiff (not the body) and you come out of every practice feeling good.
  
• It’s always interesting to compare how your practice has changed each time you come.  The gauge is always the quality of your breath.  I’m finding my breath is stronger and deeper which translates into an ‘easier’ practice.  Poses which I dreaded last time are less intimidating, my backbends are deeper and there is a little more flow to the practice (mostly).
  
• Led Intermediate class isn’t as scary as it used to be; I have been enjoying it actually ... lots of space because most people do Led Primary.  The only bummer is that you have to wait till everyone else completes the full sequence before joining them for backbends.  This means 3 backbends (standing up from the last) and then 3 dropbacks when you’re cold ... yucks! 
  NB. There are 2 days in the week where we do a Led class (versus Mysore ie self-practice style).  Friday (the last day of the week), everyone practices the Primary series.  Sunday (the 1^st day of the week) is Led Intermediate for people who practice only the Intermediate series (or more) the other days of the week.  The objective of the Led class is to reinforce the correct vinyasa (breath-movement count).  You can forget / lose the proper vinyasa very easily in a Mysore class, ending up taking extra breaths, breathing too fast in poses you don’t like etc ... ie Cheating :o)
  
• It’s different for everyone but I usually get a new pose every 3 weeks or so.  This trip though, I got a new pose the 2^nd week I was here ... but nothing since then.  People have been known to be held at this pose for a while (some people up to 2 years!).  Once you put away any expectations of moving on however, you find that you can really get to know a pose very well (figuring it out in your head, trying out different things every day etc).  I am enjoying that process too plus, it’s great from a teaching perspective.
  
• I’ve nursed a nagging right shoulder injury for the last year (got it adjusting in class).  Good news is - that’s gone.  Bad news is - I’ve got the same pain in my left shoulder.  This feels more like something’s shifting versus an injury but it’s now at a stage where I have no strength on my left side so jumping through & back is really difficult.  Sharath said that when there’s an opening, you lose strength – hopefully that’s true for me too.
  
• I’ve done a 45-60 minute Pranayama session every morning before going to the Shala.  The Pranayama has been very good because I get enough sleep so I don’t spend most of my time dozing off!  The deep breathing practices result in a calmer mind and a more relaxed body; perfect prep before getting on my mat.  I love it.
  
• I have taken Zero naps!  Still not sure if that's an achievement or a failure ...
  
• I have watched 4 seasons of Mad Men (13 episodes per season), 28 episodes of The Good Wife and some live Tennis (US Open, Cincinnati and Toronto Masters).  For someone who doesn’t watch TV at home (except for tennis and American Idol 2010), I’d say I’ve achieved Champion status!
  
• I have completed 2 Christmas stockings and am now embarking on the last.  This project has definitely taken a lot more time than I expected but the stockings are beautiful.  I hope my nephews, Daniel, Christian and Michael are informed (on a regular basis) of the effort I have put into this!
  
• Sewing and watching TV go very well together
  
• I have drunk so much chai that my name has been changed to Denise Chai.  I will not even begin to quantify the number of cups I have had.  Let’s just say .. pots would be a better unit of measurement ... enough said! :o)
  
• Sewing, watching TV and drinking chai is an even better combination!
  
• I have drunk about 100 coconuts so far ... and aim to drink another 50 before I leave
  
• Mum and dad came to visit me here for a week.  Their stay here deserves its own post but suffice to say they had a great time.
• Sharath has given me his blessing to teach. My objective in coming here is not to get authorisation to teach.  l come because Sharath is my teacher and here, I learn firsthand from the source of Ashtanga yoga.  However, authorisation is meaningful because it is a recognition of my dedication to the practice and its lineage (I started coming here 2004 and have practice with him every year since then, either in Mysore or around Asia).  It was funny though because when we were talking about authorisation, the 1^st thing he said to me was, “You’re not authorised?” haha