I have to swallow my words in my last post. I said I wasn’t ready for marichyasana B and I got marichyasana B. Shows you how an experienced teacher can tell, better than yourself, when you’re ready for a new pose and when you’re not.

It’s much more challenging than I initially thought. I don’t have much problem putting my leg in half lotus, and bending the other leg up to my chest. I didn’t feel any strain in the ankles or legs so I thought I was doing ok. But when I went to bend forward after binding, it didn’t feel right at all. Maybe I had my half lotus knee or foot in the wrong position, but I couldn’t fold forward very far before I felt “something” in the way.

I’ll go read the yoga books in my collection and experiment in the next practice to see what I’m doing wrong, if I’m doing something wrong! It possible that it feels strange just because it’s a new pose.

On another note, I finally got my chest to my thighs unassisted in paschimattanasana. It happened during the counter pose for urdhva dhanurasana, which is strange since I’m usually pretty stiff in the hamstrings at that point. I’m not a fan of paschimattanasana after urdhva dhanurasana, but on this occasion it was unusually good.

I also got the chest to the thigh in janu A on the second side with the right leg extended and left foot into the left groin, which was surprising as well.

It’s been almost a month since I was given a “new” asana and just when I thought I won’t be getting one for a while longer, I got janu shirsasana C, a seated asana from the primary series.

I’ve been waiting to get this pose for a couple of weeks now. I was feeling impatient (how naughty is that?!) because I felt my body was ready for the challenge. I thought I was going to get the pose at the end of last week, because C was hovering near me in janu shirsasana A, but then she went to adjust another student and by the time she came back, I was well into marichyasana A.

So yesterday C specifically told me to wait for her after janu shirsasana B, just as I was entering Marichyasana A, and I secretly said to myself, “Yay!”. I was happy that I was getting a new pose. That joy went away pretty quickly once I actually tried the asana!

Janu C really put quite a bit of strain on my outer knees, something I’m not use to feeling! Which is good I suppose, I just have to be extra careful not to push this one.

On another note, the student next to me got Marichyasana B, now that’s an asana I know I’m not quite ready for!