One thing I like most about my yoga practice is that it helps me understand my body better; though, I have yet to learn how not to judge it. Today, I took an inversion class and, again, I felt my tight hips, shoulders and hamstrings ... and this imbalance of my body. Now, I've known about the imbalance between the left and right side of my body for years now but in today's class, I realised just how loose my left hip is as opposed to my right hip; left hamstrings are also less tight. Which is interesting.
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| Note: the lifted leg, the heel should be facing skyward |
When I was preparing for the headstand (see left), after I placed my head on the ground and cupped its back with both hands, I walked my legs towards my head, then lifted my right leg up. Now, cos of tight hip and hamstrings, the right leg didn't go very far (i.e.heels supposed to face the ceiling and not the back wall) ... and even with strong-ish core, I just couldn't quite keep my right leg straight and lift left leg off the ground. But when I tried the other side. And the experience was very different.
This time, because of a more loose left hip and less tight hamstrings on the left leg, my left leg just shot up and I was able to keep it reasonably straight, then I lifted up my right leg with ease. The only thing that stopped me from doing the full pose I still lack Core strength and the psychological fear that I'd flip over and fall. Actually, when I am doing this pose next to a wall, I don't have any problems at all.
So I think I need to take private classes to address the issues of tight hips/shoulders/hamstrings and build up my Core strength ... before then, I will have another crack at Clayton Horton's (intensive) Ashtanga workshop (the same one I took about a year ago that gave me a swollen knee cos it was too, well, intensive!) This time, I'm just taking one session and I will continue the progress (or the lack of which) of my body.
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