Way too Brief: Seattle, 1.

This place is like a mix of Maine and San Francisco.

Currently it’s heat wave central: 85 yesterday, 89 today.

Unlike Indiana’s economy, in which businesses grow slowly and only with great determination, like succulents in sand, here it’s a free for all. The economic flora is in a freakin’ terrarium!

Mysore, day 1, just as planned. Kid and I awake at 4:48 am local (that’s 7:48 Indy time, which is reasonable) and the sun’s just coming up then. Yeah, we’re north!

TL’s adjustments–for this body, anyway–are anatomically precise and informative, and designed to maximize energy flow. The toes in standing poses are prana; the heels, apana. Fascinating lessons in Vira 2. The classical exit from Utkatasana must have NO jumping from the feet, not even a hint of it. Same in take-it-ups from Intermediate backbends. Taken to the ramp for Purvottanasana. Press the solar plexus up. UP! Higher! THEN plant the feet. Now that turns it into a backbend–felt that in my shoulder blades!

Navasana handstands: contrary to EVERYTHING I know and teach (!), extend up OUT of the shoulders; that’s stability; you don’t muscle it with the lats the way you do EVERYWHERE else. GET TALL.

Primary and Intermediate to Ardha Matsyendrasana. The backbends and twists (and even Bakasana) are all about the psoas, the outer hips, and so are fair game before backbending, whereas Eka Pada Sirsasana is something different.

Now, confronted with this practice, my ego says, “but but but this doesn’t let me touch PRECISELY the parts of Intermediate that I’m finally any GOOD AT!!!”

Pffft, too bad, sucker.

How’d it go ,you’re asking? THE pose? The nemesis of my asana career? Let’s just say I did not do the full expression, not even with help. And that’s ok, that was OK’d officially. Pressing up from the teacher’s feet in the B version is freakin SWEET. Just that little ramp is soooooooo much delicious help.

“Fancy”: TL recommended jumping both into and out of Marichyasanas (esp. A and C) with the bent leg. I said, some of my teachers call that the ‘fancy exit.’ He said, ‘Fancy’s cool.’ Fancy is now a sort of running joke we will have for my whole time here. Tomorrow maybe I’ll hit the official Eka Pada Bakasana from Mari A and C, simply because that’s the full expression of the “fancy exit” and this studio’s fun and non-traditional enough to allow it.

Backbends were good from the floor and good dropping back, but utter garbage coming up. I stood up from the first one and not from FIVE after that, not even with assistance. Head up too soon, hips not up far enough, crash and burn. So be it. Recommended to come up to knees. Hah! That’s safe, and reduces the anxiety and rush, but man, that’s what I was doing a fucking YEAR AGO. So be it. In April before I fucked up my right shoulder, I was getting good results on all fronts.

Doing two hours of hard yoga and then nine hours of hard kid care is fucking dumb, back to back. Just for the record. But I won’t give up the one, and I can’t give up the other, so onward!

TL said that it’s funny that we do this opening chant to escape conditioning, and then we condition ourselves to mindlessly repeat the same thing. This, I understand, is central to his thinking on teaching this stuff.

A lot of generosity for a visitor’s first day. Good stuff.

And I have coastline.