chaturanga - I need to take it carefully!

I've started a tentative yoga practice again - just at lunchtime at work at the moment, but will go back to class soon. I wanted to have the freedom to just do a few poses and not feel pushed (or caught up in the class energy) and do too much too soon.

And actually, last night and today I've been feeling it a bit. I had been reading this discussion on chaturanga on the Ashtanga discussion board and realised I've been doing it wrong all this time. My hands have been definitely under my shoulders, not further down my body. So was trying to do it more correctly, and of course it makes for a much deeper 'up-dog' section of the pose, which in turn stretches your abdomen more. So I think that's why I was feeling a few twinges and aches on the side of the missing ovary last night! I'll have to back off a bit on that pose for a while longer.

Perth trip is getting very close - in fact this time next week I'll be in the air! I'm not going to be blogging from there (well, it's only for 5 days, and I'm not even posting once a week, so ... :) ) but I will be taking lots of photos, so prepare to see some of them when I get back!

And rehearsals for The Messiah have started again - last night was the 2nd week of them. Performance is at the end of November in St Johns Cathedral in Brisbane. I do love singing this so much - but I've got a lot of work to do on it. I've got very rusty on a lot of what I did know, and there's still a few choruses that I've never got on top of - eg the Amen chorus! ! I'm going to take my iPod loaded up with the Alto part of the choruses with me, plus a photocopy of the music. I'll have to hope I don't start singing out loud on the plane while listening to it!

Flowering pots

This is a picture of pots on my front deck - gardenia in the background and New Guinea Impatiens in the front. Look so pretty, and the gardenia perfume is to die for!

Went to see my 'surgeon' today. All is well (well, I knew that!) and she said I can start doing yoga again. And just to do what feels OK. So tomorrow hopefully I'll start again. Was going to be today at lunchtime but I took too long going to the doctor.

This time 2 weeks I'll be in the air flying to Perth - yippee! Really looking forward to that. Am starting to think about what to take (not too much as it'll be 4 people's bags in the back of the car!)

A new look

Decided to use a different Blogger template. I rather like it - nice and clean! One of these days I'll get myself together and do my own template, but in the meantime ...

I was off work last week - had to have minor surgery done last Monday, and although it was minor (ovarian cysts - benign) the anaesthetic was more than I'd bargained for! I ended up having to stay in hospital overnight as I couldn't keep anything down. But apart from that, I didn't feel any pain and very little discomfort. Does take it out of you though! I was pretty tired, and although I've gone back to work this week I'm leaving early and taking it easy.

Of course no yoga. I read the leaflet about keyhole surgery (laparoscopy) and it said 'no strong exercise for 4 weeks' - yikes! I think I'll start trying a modified practice next week, which will be 2 weeks. okrgr - a doctor from the Ashtanga noticeboard, gave me some suggestions on what to do and what not to do, and I'll follow that ... thanks :)

Still holding the magic from Maharaji's event. I feel so lucky.

And in 3 weeks time I'm flying across to the other side of Australia to meet up with my sister and hubbie from London, plus my Mum, and indulge in a spot of wine-tasting (more than a spot!!), wild flower admiring and maybe even whale-watching!! Might be a bit late for the whale-watching, not sure! But whatever, it should be great fun - haven't been to Western Australia at all really - just passed through Perth a couple of times.

5 days in heaven

That was just the most wonderful 5 days ... 5 days of leaving 'everyday life' behind and just diving into that peace inside which was somehow manifested externally. 5 days of sitting and listening to Maharaji remind us all of that peace that is inside each person. 5 days of hearing others express their joy and gratitude. 5 days of being reminded that it is all just a breath away.

We heard some of the beautiful comments that have been made on Maharaji's website and in guestbooks at public events from people who had just come across this possibility. And a question from someone who had just been shown how to go inside - "I feel like there is light dripping from every part of my body. Is this how I'm supposed to feel?" !!

And now it's the week after and I'm back at work, but I'm still feeling it inside and I just hope I'll continue to be in this place ... Can't say any more right now :)

This and that!

Went to a big multi-choir rehearsal this morning (Sunday) for the Brisbane Sing for Water concert, which is next Sunday. It's wonderful to be singing with 450 or so other people - sounds great! There are about 50+ primary school children too, and they sound angelic!

And the 5-day event with Maharaji is flying towards us ... Just can't wait! T and L, friends from England are arriving in a couple of weeks (with my new eco yoga mat!) to stay for it, and then it's just a week after that. I've got a week and a half off.

In yoga, I've got 3 things I've been given to work on since I last went to class. Firstly in Marichyasana C - I can bind on the 2nd side, but the first side I'm a mile away. Richard was looking at me doing it last Monday and we agreed that I don't seem able to twist as much left to right. So I'm going to just keep working on that, do the first side twice. Then in Bhakasana (we get given that as a preparation to bhujapidasana) and which I still can't lift both feet off the ground in, Richard's got me just leaning further forward and lifting one foot off at a time, then the other. Hopefully if I keep doing that I'll get 'airborne' sometime this century :)

And finally, he saw me trying padmasana (I'd managed to do it OK one day the previous week so thought I could manage it, but ...!) anyway, I'm doing this sort of cross-legged thing with my feet half-way between hip and knee, and foot flexed. A hip-opener thing ...

If anyone was at all interested ... !

New yoga mat

I'm excited - I've just ordered a new Eco-mat from yogamatters.com in the UK. I haven't found anywhere in Australia that sells them, and now some English friends are coming to stay next month and they are going to bring it over for me - yeayy!

The census collecting is going ... and going and going!!! In the delivery phase, 2-3 weeks ago, I came down with some awful virus and ended up being off work for a week! Can't remember ever being sick off work for that long before! And it was right in the middle of the delivery phase - such bad timing! I had to creep out and deliver maybe 10 forms a day! That was all the walking I could manage!!! However, I'm better now, though I do still have a rotten cough that must be very annoying for the people I work with ...

Didn't do any yoga for that week, so I was pretty stiff when I started again. But things are moving again ...

And preparations are going a-pace for the September event with Maharaji. It doesn't seem real yet!

News from my day-to-day life ... :)

My sister in London thought I hadn't done any yoga since May, when I last posted here! I'd be very stiff if that was the case ... no, it's just I've been busy I guess, and haven't made time to blog about my normal everyday activities!

I actually just did a short (3/4 hour) lunchtime practice ... I've got a second job for a few weeks, being a Census collector. In Australia they do a census every 5 years - and although they pay well, it's a lot of work. I'm certainly going to earn it ...:) I've done the training, and will start delivering the forms this Friday night - to 300 houses!! Anyway, it looks like I'll have a hard time getting to a class for a few weeks so I will need to grab the opportunities for self practice where I can!

I don't think I've "progressed" in anything, except maybe flexibility. I can put my palms on the floor now, to my amazement! But what I really need to 'progress' is in strength! Don't know why that's so hard for me!

I went down to Sydney for a long weekend at the beginning of July. Had a really nice time down in Bowral with Mum. She gave me a gorgeous alcpaca jumper - cardigan really. I love alpaca and haven't had an alpaca jumper for years ... Thanks Mum!!

And on the day I flew back, we went to this gorgeous exhibition about Pearls ... it was huge! So many beautiful pearls, and amazing pearling stories and historical exhibits! Then we had lunch with Jo (nephew) and Emma (gf) at the Mint, before heading for the airport and home.

I'm also up to my ears in preparations for Maharaji's 40th anniversary event at Amaroo in September ... it's going to be so sweet ...