Salabhasana

Class Nineteen of Thirty

(5.00pm, 20th June, taught by Rachel)

Hallelujah... hallelujah, hallelujah! You guessed it... a blinding class! I am still enjoying a wee bit of a buzz from it now six hours later! I was a touch worried that I had not prepared myself enough - I had spent the afternoon weeding up the allotment and had really hydrated properly. However the Zen-like effect of slowly weeding rows of onions and beans clearly had a very soothing effect of the brain and I was suitably chilled for class. (Maybe the quick shot of the vitamin C thing they sell at reception just before class also helped!) I seemed to flow through the postures without thinking about what was coming next for most of the class. Bizarrely I got into Cobra and felt great then started to think about yesterday's post about the perils of thinking about what was coming next and managed to 'think myself out' of worrying about Locust! I even managed two very respectable Camels and gave myself a cheeky smile in the mirror as a 'reward' as I came back up before relaxing into Savasana.

Today is about Locust - now this is one hell of a posture. The dialogue suggests that there might be some discomfort in your elbows as you regain flexibility... I should like to know just how long that takes as I have been practicing for almost 6 months now and it still can hurt like hell - I am hoping that I am doing it wrong and that I will learn how to correct my mistakes at next weeks Posture Clinic (ask at Reception for details). The first part of the posture (right then left leg) sounds easy enough but can actually be quite tricky, especially when you know that you need to keep the relevant hip down! Then there is the madness of the second part. I remember the first time I saw pictures of people doing this (remember your face is down so you don't get to see it in class) I couldn't a) believe that people could do this or b) believe that I would ever be able to do this. As it currently stands it is a very hit and miss posture for me. There are days when I can get a grip of this and get my legs up fairly high (though I am never quite sure how high), then there are other days when I just can't do it. It is rather like the game of Pool - I get what I m meant to be doing in theory, it is just tricky turing that into reality... however if it is anything like my Pool playing it may get better with practice (though unlike my Pool playing I doubt it gets better the more I drink!).

Now for the Science:

• Apparently it has similar effects to Cobra but is more potent for back or spinal problems
• It cures tennis elbow
• It firms hips and buttocks

Well I am off for some Savasana now and to enjoy the last of my Yoga-buzz... Hopefully I will get some more tomorrow!