Wednesday 16 January 2013

Practice Surprise

Well, I know some say you are not supposed to blog about practice, but I think that once in a while it's OK. Plus, I like doing things others tell me I shouldn't.

Front and centre this morning, and by the time I got to backbends I was in a nice little row of my friends: Karen, Doug, me, Ben. Some totally badass woman on the stage in front of me doing part of Advanced A.

Backbends were good, I had Sharath for the second day running, grabbing knees. Yesterday he said 'very good!'. Today nothing, but after he gave me a squish I got a shock:

'Next week you do handstands and viparita chakrasana' (makes flip-flop motion with hand). My eyes must have widened in terror. 'I teach you,' he added, and walked away.

*gulp*

I'd anticipated a challenge this trip, which in my mind took one of two forms:
- he would pile 3s postures on me till I collapse on the mat
- he wouldn't give me any postures and I would just have to suck it up (mental challenge)

Nowhere in my thinking had my pose nemesis, the tictoc, figured!

(For the uninitiated, this is about dropping over from handstand into a backbend (easy part); then jumping back up to handstand and coming back over (hard part). Basically kind of a back flip.)

I remembered someone quoting him as saying he only gives handstands to people with big egos.... hmmm. He might have been joking, but still....? Anyway, I'm unlikely to have a big ego after attempting this. If I don't fall all over the place and knock him over, I'll consider it a success....

Kino and Cary have been trying to get me to crack this for ages. I only work on them intermittently though. I've been practicing at home a lot. I got to the point of jumping up with a mighty effort and kicking myself in the head, at best. Or I can do them in headstand off of my coffee table. I need the help of being on my head AND the coffee table, not just one or the other. There seems to be a weak link somewhere, and if I'm not careful I strain my back. I need to be able to control the action, the way I can control a dropback all the way down. Doing them with assistance can be OK, but it kind of sucks to always need help. Especially since everyone seems to think I should just be able to do it.

Vrshchikasana is nice, though (on a good balance day).

I pondered it in the changing room.

- he thinks I have a big ego?
- he thinks that because of my bendy back and because I'm strong, I should be able to do them with relative ease, so I get to do them before starting 3s when maybe not everyone does?
- he KNOWS I can't do them.... he sees that weakness in me?
- A + C ??

It's scary, but of course I'm also excited to get the attention, and to actually work on something with his help, rather than just do as I'm told.

I don't want to disappoint, though. I've just been in a little spell of basking in the glory of my teacher's approval.

On the other hand, wouldn't it be AMAZING to nail it here for the first time ever??

I may need some good fairies to sprinkle pixie dust on me in my sleep, though.

However.... if there's a place where anything can happen... it is here.

In any case.... I have five days to think about it!!

19 comments:

Globie said...

Mysore magic will happen, you will do it .

Why is he waiting to next week, rather than tomorrow?

Megan said...

For what it's worth, Sharath had another friend of mine work tic tocs before giving her any of third, and that's how we do it at my home shala without exception (or at least none that I've seen), so I don't think you need to take it as a criticism of your ego! I thought it was pretty standard procedure. Either that or my friend just has a huge ego ;)

It seems like Sharath is great at giving those special moments where you have no idea what he did differently but it leads to a little breakthrough; I think the shala here is perfect for that. Yay! I will send good vibes your way!

Anonymous said...

Hey Susan, That's great that you get to work on tick tocks with Sharath. I love all the wondering you do in this post about why he is giving them to you, only because it reminds me of myself. I suspect he just wants to challenge you, but who am I kidding I have no idea what he is thinking! Good luck!

Claudia said...

I am sprinkling pixie dust in your sleep..... You are ready :-)

susananda said...

Kevin - to play with my mind? Or he might not backbend me tomorrow and therefore forget to say? Or he thought it was Thursday? ;)

susananda said...

Megan, Helen, Claudia, THANK YOU :)

He doesn't seem to give them to everybody, though?? Or maybe I'm wrong... I practice so late that I don't see a lot of 3s going on. And I finished before badass lady on the stage got to backbend sequence, so I didn't see. Of course it doesn't matter, and I am FULLY AWARE that I'm over-analysing it and playing mind games with myself and that all this thinking is completely unnecessary. But to pretend it doesn't go on would be insincere :)

susananda said...

PS Claudia.... you actually make a pretty decent good fairy ;)

susananda said...

Anyway, YAY! I wanted to be taken to my edge this time, and now I know that this will surely happen.

Boodiba said...

OMG! I can't wait to hear about it.

(0v0) said...

You can do it.

susananda said...

Thanks :)
Yesp.... whether I can do the tictoc is open to question, but I CAN calm down and engage in the practice with him.

I don't know how much I'll report on the details, Linda... It's the panic-stricken, over-analysing monkey mind that's more interesting to me ;)

Boodiba said...

Whatever you choose to write will be interesting to me! I'm living vicariously in many ways, but reading about your & Karen's adventures makes me remember... The good parts!

Grimmly said...

Ganbatte!!
Less gravity in Mysore than at home too, there's your pixie dust.

susananda said...

Linda, I love that you are remembering the good parts.

Grimm - gambarimashoo!! :-D

ashtangayogaeast said...

Ah yes, the teacher knows what the student needs! How did it go? xxx

ashtangayogaeast said...

oh, it's next week! I will be thinking of you and sending you ooomph. xxxc

susananda said...

C.... is that you, C?! Or is the C a typo for an x and it's S ??

LOL. The oomph is much appreciated, in any case xxx

ashtangayogaeast said...

It is me , C! I think it's brilliant that he's asked you to do that. Went to sleep smiling last night. xx

susananda said...

OMG!! I had no idea you read here. Thank you so much for the comments, now I am smiling too :-D

(Actually, I am always smiling all the time here!)

I'm just going to go and shoot you a quick email now x

<3