Day 18 : It's Friday , Friday!

Date : October 18th, Friday
Day : 18


Keeping with the Restorative theme of the week, I gave my body a break from two classes yesterday and I am glad I did. I got home early and cooked a nice meal, tried a new recipe and feel very well rested today. When I woke up this morning, i wasn't groggy and sleepy, but up and bright. Of course, Friday's always make me happy :)

I did two classes today both with Daphne : Hatha in the morning and Flow in the evening. Well, to be honest, I wanted to go for an easier class in the evening.  I was planning to catch June's Hom at 500pm. But something came up at work and I got delayed. So flow it was for me. Evening flow classes are always tough. I've said this before. After a full day's work, it is really tiring to go into vinyasas and asanas you don't know. As with everything in life, it is always easy to stick to what you already know. :)

My morning class was usual, no big surprises with the body. The final savasana however was a HUGE surprise. I over"slept". Haha. So after the 8:00 class. I slept on the mat until 8:30 AM. And woke up with a start and ran to the shower ! I left the studio by 8:50 and ran to office. By the time I reached the elevator, I was seating. Profusely. Got to my desk and took a breath. Had two glasses of water and was starving so got myself breakfast. It was Friday and i was wearing my new earrings :)



So work got done by 5:15 and I left office for the studio.

The flow class was a little awesome, like all of Daphne's classes. But I was feeling a little suffocated with people to my right, left and in the front. And lost focus in some of the balancing asanas. And Daphne's classes are balancing on top of balancing on top of balancing. So you go from one balancing pose to the other to the third without putting your foot down. It can get quite tiring, but more than that, if you lose you focus in the first one, then the second and third ones eventually give way. But I fortunately gained my drishti and calm back when we started on the other side, and that went pretty went. The class was unusually hot, maybe it was the crowd, or maybe it was my tired body.

Today, I am going to talk about a balancing pose : Garudasana or the  Eagle Pose.



Image Courtesy: here

I have strengthened my balancing by getting better at this asana. I believe it is the baby of all balancing asanas. But it is very easy to get your alignment in this one wrong. Lets start with the name. Garudasana broken down is garuda + asana. Garuda means eagle and asana is pose/posture. Garuda in Hindu mythology is the kind of birds and is also the vahana or the vehicle of the Hindu God Vishnu. Vishnu is one of the 3 Hindu trinities : Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Protector), Shiva (Destroyer)



The above picture shows Vishnu on Garuda, the Eagle. Garuda, like the divine being he carries, is also eager to help humanity fight demons. The asana focuses on hips, thighs, ankles, calves and shoulders. It requires immense focus, strength and peace of mind. As with any other pose in yoga, you need to have a very strong drishti. It is known to be very good for people with asthama and because you need to balance, it also protects your knees from further injuries, though when you are in it, sometimes it makes you feel like your knees are going to break. Haha. But of course if you have knee problem already then, it's a pose you should avoid. Because technically the entire weight of your body is on one foot. The key to the posture as most of my teachers keep repeating in class is to squeeze your upper and lower body, sit down low, lean back and have a straight spine.

I am going to briefly describe the steps to get into this asana:

1. Begin by standing in tadasana. Extend your arms in front of you, drop your left arm under your right. Bend your elbows and raise your forearms perpendicular to the floor. Wrap you arms and hands and bring your palms together.
2. Bending your knees, balance on your right foot and cross your left thigh over the right. Fix your drishti at one point in front of you.
3. Hook the top of your left foot behind your right calf.
4. Lift your elbows and reach your fingertips towards the ceiling.Keep your shoulder blades pressing down  your back, towards your waist
5. Square your hips and chest to the front wall.
6. Sit down deeper and bring you body back.
7. Gaze at the tips of your thumbs and keep breathing evenly.
8. Hold for one minute. Gently unwind your arms and legs and stand back in tadasana.

I'm telling you if you want to get better at balancing, you need to get better at doing this pose. It gives you great stability and balance. The flow class today was focused on balancing and Daphne started her balancing from garudasana. They say that this asana is also good for the reproductive organs. Supposedly it supplies fresh blood to the sex organs and also the kidneys that helps sexual vitality.

They say it also leads to grace, poise and  strength when practiced with the correct alignment. The important thing is to remember to squeeze your arms and legs together. And also to keep your elbows and knees in one line. You need to sit down deeper and squeeze more as you sit down and keep pressing your thighs against each other. 

Sometimes, i practice just the arms of the pose when at work. It is a great way to open your shoulder. And additionally also relieves the strain and stress from sitting at a desk and staring at a computer the whole day.

Of course, Daphne's class was much more than just the garudasana. I just need to get better at focusing. Let's try better focus in her Monday morning flow!

And tomorrow, I have the 108 sun salutations coming up. I am scared but excited. I hope I can do it!

Namaste