Day 17--Sunday, July 29
4:30 PM class

Today's class went great. Chloe was teaching, and I really like her teaching. She is calm, clear, and she takes time to explain things that we aren't getting.

I am really concentrating on locking my knee and it is hard work! In pranayama breathing, you are supposed to keep your knees locked and your chest lifted and spine straight. I am trying to do that better. In forehead to knee forward fold, I can lock my knees for the slightest few seconds. One time Michael yelled over to me, "Tina, you are almost there! Lock your knees!" while I was in that posture, and I did it, and I literally sang out a weird sound. Michael said, "That was the sound of her hamstrings singing." He is so funny.

In Awkward, I am trying to stay higher in the second part where you are on your toes. I tend to sink too low in the "chair" which is too easy. Michael called me out on it the other day. The teachers are starting to correct me more often; I don't know if it is because I am getting better and need to puch myself more, or if they just know my name because I am the weirdo who comes every day. (They don't know that I officially challenged myself yet.)

In Eagle, I am working on getting my toes and ankle to touch on my standing leg, and also getting my upper body to lean back more and more weight in the heel.

In standing forehead to knee...my nemesis...I am still just standing there trying to lock my standing knee an suck in my belly. It is HARD. All around me I see people kicking out on a wobbly or bent leg, and I am just standing there, hardly wobbling, hardly bending, but NOT locked for a full minute. I have to continually un-wobble and re-lock my knee (and, honestly, ankle, too). Oh well, I hope that this gives a solid foundation for later. I hope it is worth it, because it is hard and boring.

In standing bow pulling posture, I am also working on locking the standing leg. I can balance waay better than I used to, though.

In standing separate leg stretching, I can get my forehead to touch the floor. I am working on getting it back BETWEEN my heels and rolling the body weight forward into my toes. Chloe showed us the difference between rolling the weight forward and keeping it in your whole foot, and the spine cannot straighten downward if you don't roll forward. It was amazing to see the difference in her posture, with her super-flexible body.

In triangle, I am working on locking the straight knee and really stretching up with the upper arm. I can almost feel something moving in my lower back, and it is going to feel awesome one day when that part of my life opens up. It takes work, though, to get to those places that are not open, and to work them open.

I hate standing separate leg head to knee pose. I think that most folks like it, and it is like a little relief to them after triangle, but not me. I always seem to get sweat in my nose for one. It feels like when you get water up your nose while swimming. Eww. Plus I cannot get my hands to stay in prayer. I can lock both knees, albeit briefly. I don't know why exactly I hate this posture. I am just always glad when it's ovaah!

In tree, I am working on my shoulders and hips being in one line, especially when standing on my left leg. And in toe stand, I am working on balancing on my toes. Duh. Isn't that the posture? :)

In savasana, I am working on meditating. I find my mind wandering more often than not. It helps to focus on a spot halfway between my head and the ceiling. But it takes so much concentration to maintain that gaze that I get bored.

One last thing. In the second-to-last posture, where you are stretching out one leg at an angle and the other one is bent in and you put your forehead to your knee that is out and lock that knee and roll in towards that side, Chloe called me out and said, "Tina, don't try to roll in any more. Work on squeezing your elbows to your calf muscle now." I guess I am there in the rolling in department. Now if I can just get there in the locked knee department. Of course, I read a quote from Bikram somewhere that said, "When you die, I will be on your grave jumping up and down, screaming, 'Lock the knee'!" So I guess it is a life-long pursuit. Sigh.

Today I am going to class at 4:30 or 6:30 depending on when this guy shows up to fix our oven.

Only 84 more days to go!