5 days Till Mysore...

Practice went well this morning. My studio is not doing Mysore classes right now but my teacher is letting a few of us in to practice. There was actually music this morning (we felt naughty). Someone had done a mix that started with Guruji doing the opening chant and then various quiet songs like "Blackbird." Then, suddenly, in the middle of all that there was Lulu in her mod 1967 voice singing "To Sir with Love" at which point I exclaimed, "to sir with love!" and everyone laughed. I feel like music can make the practice do-able when my mind is unable to focus... but of course it is an escape rather than a support for deepening the moving meditation...etc etc.

As usual I was able to bind in supta kurmasana but I needed help (from a helpful mat neighbor who kindly offered) with getting the feet behind the head - which once there I can hold for 5 breaths - and on a good day push up from it and jump back. This is the last sticky wicket of primary for me. I use to not care. But for a few years now I have thought, 'well, I will go to Mysore when I can do the whole primary without help.' So, since I am going in 5 days... I am going.... unprepared (horrors)! There are certain things I could do as a teenager (headstand, split, dropbacks, tic-tocs...). I have gotten these again except I still only come up after doing a dropback on a... good day. But - because everything I have done in my youth seems do-able - I feel it will come in time.

However, I could not do supta kurmasana at 13. My best friend could (funny how the 13 year old mind works). I remember trying in yoga class to do yoganidrasana for a few weeks and I could bind but could not get that right leg behind the head. So - I could not do it at that most young and limber age. So getting it now without help would be a major step... at 46 years old. I have heard that technically you can cross your feet in front of your head and bind to "do" the primary series. So technically I can do primary... but I got stuck on dwi pada when I was moved onto second so I have to deal with it. My right hip is not open enough to do it without really pushing back on my leg. Bizarrely, I have gotten into yoganidrasana - in the evening - without help 0nce about 6 months ago. I was a little thinner around the belly....

Which brings me to my short arms and legs issue. I am 5' 2". All of the shortness is in my arms and legs. So, for example, I will sit and talk with people who are 5'8" and they do not know I am short until we stand up. So most other people have the distance from the hip to the knee be 3 to 3 inches longer in relation to the length of their spine. While I do bind in Marichyasana D, if I extend my back upwards before the twist, my arm will come off the top of the knee of my short leg. Also, I am told I should have my hip down in D. Once again I could do this if my leg were longer but my arm comes off the bind at the top when I put my hip down. Also, when I jump back my foot always hits the floor as I try to fit my body in the area that my short arms allow. Is this going to really go away with more highly evolved bandhas? Is there an advanced teacher with a long body and short arms and legs?