I started folding forward in ardha baddha padmottanasana four months ago. I initially found it very difficult with the balance, strength and flexibility required to even get my hand on the floor. Just when I thought I was making some progress with this asana, it was pointed out to me that I was not correctly aligned.

The problem is mostly on the first side of this asana, where the left leg is straight and the right leg is in half lotus. When folded forward, I’m dropping the right hip and twisting it to the back of the mat. When I try to square the hip by lifting and removing the twist, it feels very odd on my left leg, particularly in the hip and buttock area. Balance is a real struggle at this stage and I’ve had to release the bound arm to steady myself.

On a positive note, navasana with straight legs is coming along nicely. In the last practice, I managed to get four navasanas with straight legs and only the fifth one had bent knees. Mind you, the fourth one was sagging pretty badly, but I held onto it.

It’s been quite some time since my last update so there’s a little bit to catch up on.

The numbness in my left leg has completely gone and the physio declared that I was pretty much back to full health at the end of March. He reminded me to really take care and take it easy when I’m given a new pose and to analyse the pose and respect my limits.

Speaking of new poses, C has given me marichyasana D. It was the week after I told her I was back to full health, so I think she’s been waiting to give me marich D for a while. She said I’d find it easy, but I still insisted on taking it easy for the first time around. I didn’t bind but just had my arm up in “high five” while I twisted around.

At the next practice, I tried to bind. C was right (as usual) and I didn’t find it as challenging as I first thought. I’m not saying it was totally easy, far from it, I do find marichyasana D challenging, but I thought I’d need help to bind and it turns out I didn’t need help. It still takes some work to get myself in the twist, but at least I can do it unassisted.

My sister in law and her husband (B & M) have gone back to Austria, that was sad because I got use to having them around. They were here for 18 months and B was learning Ashtanga with me. She had progressed to morning “intensive” classes, which is pretty much a 2 hour practice in the mornings, Monday to Friday. I’ll make it to that time slot one day! For now, I’m quite happy and content with the 5:30 pm practice.

I do practice some mornings, mostly on Saturdays at 8:00 am. I try to make it to the front of my mat at the shala whenever I can get myself up at that time. I have a different teacher that time, L.

It’s interesting to note how morning practices energize and invigorate me, and evening practices energize but tire me out! It must be because I’ve had a full day of work, which tires my mind, then an evening of yoga, which tires my body and relaxes my mind. It’s a good feeling.
I’ve also practiced during an even later evening class at 7:15 pm once, with yet another teacher, D. I don’t know whether I’ll practice at that time again because it really felt too late for me. D’s adjustments were also much more intense than C or L’s, could that be because D’s a guy?

C has commented before about my response to adjustments. The first time she said I needed to relax and not tense up when she adjusts me. The second time she said she noticed that when she adjusts me, I tend to shake. She asked why and the only think I can think of is that I already push myself so far and when she adjusts me, it’s almost a little too much. We’re working on having me relax more in poses and I’ve been telling myself to “soften into the pose” during practice. It seems to be working, I notice I’m more relaxed and therefore more flexible ever since I’ve been more mindful of it.