Day 19 : 108 Surya Namaskars with Deborah & Daphne!

Date : 19th October, 2013. Saturday
Day: 19

O.K. The day has come. When I signed up for 108 surya namaskars, I didn't realise that I will also be doing the hot journey. But what a coincidence!

So I woke up at 7:30 AM this morning. Wanted to get some coffee and breakfast and settle my sleepy head getting rid of it's heaviness before I stepped onto the mat! The alarm rang, I woke up, played a nice song on my speaker and got up and made coffee. Chilled and watched the news and got ready and left for class. 

When I reached the studio, I saw Daphne and Deb's smiling faces. Went and changed into my yoga clothes and filled my water bottle and entered the room. Picked a mat right next to the big window overlooking orchard road, if I die, at least I'll die looking at the the big baby blue sky! Haha.

I lay down, stretched my arms and thighs. There was a weird pain on my left upper thigh. It was tight and I wanted to loosen it before we started the vinyasas. Daphne and Deb entered the room and greeted everyone. They were going to take turns doing 5 surya namaskars each. Deb was going to lead Suryanamaskar A :


(Image Courtesy : yogalifestyle.com)

And Daphne was going to lead Surya Namaskar B: 


(Image Courtesy : chellisying.wordpress.com)

Hom yoga was doing this 108 surya namaskars for Equality, promoting equal rights regardless of gender and sexual preferences. Traditionally 108 is done to celebrate or promote a cause. 108 also has a lot of meanings in various cultures: 

• 108 is the number of "Upanishads" comprising Hindu philosophy's "Vedic texts"
• 108 is the number of names for Shiva.
• 108 is the umber of names for Buddha
• 108 is the Chinese number representing "man"
• 108 is the number of beads on a Catholic rosary and a Tibetan mala.
• 108 is twice the number 54. Which is the number of letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. One set ,asculine (Shiva) and one set feminine (shakti)
• 108 is twevle times the number 9, which is the number of vinyasas (movements linked to breath) in a surya namasar.
• 108 is the number of sutras in Yoga Sutras
• 108 connects the sun, moon and earth as the average distance of the sun and the moon to earth is 108 times their respective diameters.

It's a donation based class : $20. And all proceeds will go towards a non-profit organisation, Pink Dot, which is dedicated to an open, inclusive society where sexual orientation is a feature not a barrier. Hom was going to match each dollar :) 

So our practice was not just for our own body and mind but for a greater cause and I am so proud to be a part of it.

There was music in the class. Not yoga music, but regular music that we all listen to. All English numbers of course, but peppy. And Daphne and Deb kept saying throughout the class, that we could just flow with the music. We had 2 hours to complete 108 surya namaskars. Deborah and Daphne were to lead 5 sets of each kind of surya namaskar to give us some variety and rest as well, since surya namaskar B was a little more strenuous than surya namaskar A. 

And so we started with Deb leading us. And then Daphne. And then Deb and then Daphne. We finished 20 like that. There was a small A4 size sheet stuck to one of the mirrors in front that had small squares each square representing 5 sets. Every time Deborah and Daphne finished 5, they would cross the square. Haha. Dude you gotta see the light at the end of this very long tunnel. Otherwise you'll die thinking you're never going to make it out alive. Haha.

After the first 20, I was like, O.K., not bad at all. It was a not hot class, but of course there was heat generating from inside your body, so you were still sweating. But after the first 20, I thought it's not that bad after all. I'm done with 20, and I have 4 more sets of 20 and then 8 more after that, so it's all cool. But, it only got tougher. You're body is of course not how fresh and strong it was with the first 20, one slight fact i missed out  there :)

The music helped, definitely. I don't know folks did in the olden days, without a YouTube playlist. Haha.

You got time to breathe after every 5 sets. You could stand in tadasana and calm you heart rate down and drink some water and wipe off some sweat. By the way, I'm speaking with personal experience, this wiping off sweat business never helps. When you're going to sweat again anyway, why bother wiping I say! Unless of course, it's bothering you in your practice.

After 50 surya namaskars, we got a slightly longer break and i ran out to fill my water bottle. Came back just in time when Deb started. And so we did 5 more and then 5 more and then 5 more. 

It wasn't easy. In surya namaskar when you go into the plank pose and then lower down towards the mat, you can do it two ways either the chaturanga dandasana :

 

(Image courtesy : bandhayoga.com)

Or you could do a variation and an easier version: knees-chest-chin



(Image Courtesy : emzr.com)

The second variation, is easier because you don't have to use the strength of your arms, to lower your body down. The minute you lower down your knees to the ground, you get that extra support and your arms are not doing all the work. We did the knees-chest-chin version for the first 20. And then we had to choice to do the full chaturanga dandasana or if tired take the knees-chest-chin option. I tried doing the chaturanga whenever I could, especially in Deb's sequences, but I did resort to using knees-chest-chin towards the end for most of the surya namaskars.

Loads of folks, sat down and skipped a few surya namaskars, rested in child's pose and stopped to breathe in downward facing dog. I tried my best to catch my breath and rest only when the transfer happened between Deb and Daphne. 

After a point in time, I was lost. I went into a trance and just flowed with the music. And like Daphne and Deb said, after the first couple of rounds, you body gets used to the flow and the movement and then you don't even have to consciously will it to go up and down. All you have to do it is breathe : inhale and exhale : and the body will move on it's own!

And finally more and more of those square boxes on that sheet on the mirror started getting crossed, we were nearing the end. When we reached 105, Deb announced and everyone who was resting and got up rearing to go! And Daphne started playing : Eye of the Tiger . Everyone laughed and there was a small celebratory cheer in the crowd. We were ~ 30 I think and it is true that the energy of the class and that of your neighbor especially added to your strength. Daphne and Deb kept repeating to move with the class, because that gives you more energy. It really does. I mean of course visually it is much more appealing, but it did help in the practice. 

The last three vinyasas after 105 felt like a year! But when I inhaled and exhaled for my last one, I was in 7th heaven! Everyone had a smile on their faces when they were doing the vinyasa. And finally it was like OMG, I have DONE it!!! We all stood up in Tadasana and clapped, looked at each other and smiled. We did it in 1 hour 45 minutes. With 15 minutes to spare. Daphne and Deb, then made us do a few relaxing Yin asanas and stretches to work our limbs in the opposite direction. Opposite of the 108 movements that we had just done.

And finally we were on our backs in our final savasana. Deb and Daphne went around giving everyone small small massages on their feet and temples and we relaxed into our bodies. Peaceful and victorious :)

We came out and Hom had organised Bananas, Plums and Apples. I sat down on the floor. Filled my water bottle, had two bananas and one apple and went to take a shower. Let the water fall on my hair and body and got ready! Daphne came running into the locker room and asked me if I had done all the 108. And I said yes! Apparently only me and another yogi called Rod had completed all 108 without resting and so they wanted to click a picture with us. 

stupid of me, but I should have given my phone for a picture as well!

And when I walked out of the studio. I was had a bounce in my step and was singing.I am home now and it does hurt a little to be frank. Especially my knees and my back. My arms are not hurting too much. I slept for 3 hours after lunch and that helped with relaxing.  Fortunately the class was early in the morning. Ok not early, but 9:30-11:30 was good enough time to come back and still have the day to yourself to relax. 

So that was it, my lovely 108 surya namaskars. Will I do it again? Yes. I will. Not anytime soon though. Hom has this every year, so maybe next year. Haha.

I have Anton's Yin tomorrow. Looking forward to relaxing :)

For tonight. I am victorious and happppppppy ! 

Namaste.