I am not a fan of winter; it makes me grumpy. I do not like the cold temperatures or the short days. I think blankets of snow are beautiful from afar, but I do not want to interact with snow in any way other than visually. And I am greatly averse to the ways it interrupts and interferes with "normal" life -- the travel and traffic hazards, the schedule changes and cancellations, and the forced confinements.
This week, like lots of other folks I'm sure, I found myself with extra time on my hands because the winter weather prevented me from adhering to my regular schedule of events. While I couldn't go to work or the yoga studio, was I able to take advantage of the situation and find other ways to be productive? ::sigh:: Nope. I would have loved to use the unexpected unoccupied time to practice yoga, to write, to read, to do chores. But I never unrolled my mat, never picked up a pen, and my house is a mess. Instead I did what winter often causes me to do: I neurotically paced from room to room incapable of any effective attentiveness, obsessively looking out the windows hoping to see something different with each peek, and then being inexplicably disappointed when it was exactly the same as it was six minutes earlier. I mean, what did I think I was going to see: a blizzard at 10:23 and the first buds of spring at 10:29? Yet some irrational part of me can't stop watching it happen, and while I am fixated on wishing it away, I'm not doing...well, anything else.
I finally got out of the house (and out of my head) for a while last night just before Arctic Blast 2015 Round 2 struck, and, even though I am frustrated that it has yet again interfered with the events I desired for this weekend, I do feel a little bit recharged and refocused today. It was like a cabin fever cure, and I can feel my wintry blues starting to thaw. Enough so to prepare this post to share with you at least, and maybe to get the vacuum out later.
My sticky mat is calling my name; perhaps yours is, too. If getting to the studio for class isn't an option for you either, then finding a spot in the house to practice could be just what this frosty day needs most. The following is a modified version of the 16th and 17th Weeks sequence we have been working on. A few extra poses have been added and a few others omitted. If there is anything in the sequence that you aren't familiar with or can't do or just don't want to do, then leave it out. It's your cabin fever; heal it anyway you see fit.
Sanskrit names are in bold.
(English names are in parentheses.)
[Numbers in brackets correspond with illustrations in Light on Yoga.]
Balasana (Child's pose)
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-facing Dog pose) [110]
Down-dog lunge
Anjaneyasana (Kneeling lunge)
Lizard lunge
3-5 rounds of Surya Namaskar A (Sun Salutations)
3-5 rounds of Surya Namaskar B (Sun Salutations)
Salamba Sirsasana I (Supported Headstand first variation) for 1-3 minutes [184]
Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle pose) [4 and 5]
Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle pose) [6 and 7]
Utthita Parsvakonasna (Extended Side-angle pose) [8 and 9]
Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side-angle pose) [10 and 11]
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior pose first variation) [14]
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior pose second variation) [15]
Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon pose) [19]
Prasarita Padottanasana I (Standing Wide-angle forward bend first variation) [33 and 34]
Padangusthasana (Standing Big-toe pose) [44] into Uttanasana (Standing forward bend) [48]
Utkatasana (Fierce pose) [42]
Parighasana (Gate pose) [39]
Ustrasana (Camel pose) [41]
Salabhasana (Locust pose) and Makarasana (Crocodile pose) [60 and 62]
Dhanurasana (Bow pose) [63]
Bhujangasana I (Cobra pose first variation) [73]
Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-facing Dog pose) [109]
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-facing Dog pose) [110]
Virasana (Hero pose) [86]
Salamba Sarvangasana I (Supported Shoulderstand first variation) for 5-8 minutes [223]
Halasana (Plow pose) [244]
Supta Konasana (Reclined Angle pose) [247]
Ekapada Sarvangasana (One-legged Shoulderstand) [250]
Jathara Parivartanasana (Revolved Abdomen pose) [274 and 275] or another reclined twist of your choice
3-10 rounds of Urdhva Prasarita Padasana (Upward Extended Legs pose, aka UPP) [276 to 279]
Janu Sirsasana (Head-toward-Knee pose) [127]
Paschimottanasana (Seated forward fold) [160]
Purvottanasana (Upward Plank pose) [171]
Sit comfortably and practice Ujjayi Pranayama for 1-5 minutes (Section 203)
Savasana (Corpse pose) for 5-15 minutes [592]
Let's hope we can practice together again soon and often, and maybe in the meantime you can work on mastering your snow angel-asana.
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