Day 29

We were lucky here in London yesterday as we had a small preview of what summer has in store. The temperature was amazing, so I spent good part of my afternoon on our local swimming pool. It was pretty busy and the braver amongst us enjoyed water and swimming, I however stuck to the edge of the pool and sunbathing trying to top up my UK winter depleted vitamin D reserves. I went to the 7pm class with one of my favourite teachers, after whose class I always feel worked out to the maximum, and last night was no different. While some of them occasionally swing the studio door open for a couple of seconds to let a bit of air in and help students through the more challenging postures, this is not his ethos. No doors opened, not even for a nanosecond last night and it was hot! hot! hot! Overall a good class, my legs are stiff this morning and ache from all the stretching at the back. These past 29 days have flown by. Ok, admittedly there were days where I thought this will never end and 9 months of pregnancy comparably seemed to have passed a lot quicker, but these were only moments. Relativity of time, eh? 

Finally, I can't round up my blog tomorrow without saying a couple of things about the one and only - Ustrasana or Camel posture - the deepest backward bend of the bikram series. This has always been one of the most revealing, surprising and more than anything else - emotional postures for me. Very often I get strange pulsating waves all over the front of my abdomen and on some occasions a strange swelling feeling in my throat, similar to the the one you get when holding back floods of tears. I never quite know how I'll feel after I come out of it, sometimes I want to sob and cry, sometimes laugh and sometimes I am awash with waves of calmness. Something happens every time, without warning so I'm always cautious when this one approaches. Quite a number of people told me they feel super nauseous while attempting to hang in there and I remember this being the case with me a couple of year ago too but this has now gone. Powerful stuff. The following are some benefits of Camel: 

- stimulates the nervous system

- compresses the spine and relieves back problems

- flushes blood through kidneys and improves the elimination of toxins

- opens shoulders, rib cage, creates space for lungs and digestive system

- strengthens back and shoulder muscles

- improves flexibility of neck and spine

- extends throat, thyroid gland and parathyroid glands

- slims abdomen and waistline

Now about those emotional outbursts, and promise my practice is not an exception, they happen to most of people especially in the beginning. I am no expert, as a matter of fact I know very little about chakras and all that stuff but here is what they say:

Known as a “heart opening” yoga pose, Ustrasana stimulates and balances both the fourth and fifth chakras located at the heart and throat centers, respectively. In many practitioners, the heart and throat centers are often closed off and protected, as evidenced by slouching, lowered chins, and poor posture. For this reason, practicing Ustrasana can sometimes stir up emotions in the practitioner more than other poses. It is important to keep a calm awareness of your feelings when practicing this pose; fear of your emotions can create stiffness in the body and may lead to injury....Ustrasana can be an emotionally moving and energizing yoga posture. It is vital to listen to your body throughout the pose. If your breath becomes short and strained, ease up a bit. Keep your thoughts calm and steady by returning your awareness to your breath and the present moment. Like a camel, Ustrasana can take you on a journey to new and foreign parts of yourself. Take the path slowly, stay in the moment, and allow these new parts of yourself to open wide.

(www.yogaoutlet.com)

Therefore, if you would like to 'Let it go' just bend back and open up your heart! Namaste!


BALKAN FLOOD RELIEF - just in case you missed yesterday's post
http://novakdjokovicfoundation.org/news/news/2014.734.html