Yoga Chat: Would anyone like to chat here about our daily practice?

[CoteDAzur]

... since nobody in RL is willing to listen to me talk about how I hooked on to my big toe this morning or how I might soon dare do my headstand away from a wall?

How is your practice these days? Achievements? Challenges?

magic yes, me too. I'm sure practice would give me the strength to do it properly, but whenever I try headstand I feel as though my head and neck are being compressed horribly. Find it really unpleasant and distracting. I think cote's advice about lengthening is probably what I need to focus on!

Congratulations Drinks! Wow, I'd love to be able to get my heels down in downward dog. I'm much better than I was last year, but still am about a cm off the ground.

Well maybe 2 cm or 2.5

I had a revelation at today's practice on my own & would like to share it with you all: While at plank, push forward on your toes and come forward before you go down to come through chaturanga. That really pulled it together for me!

Hello all, I've had to stop doing 30 days of yoga for a while as my c section scar has started to look red and angry (after looking fine for weeks) and my GP has told me off for doing any exercise at all! Very annoying as I was feeling well and am dying to get back to the gym.
I was modifying the poses and thought I was taking it easy but it seems I wasn't!

Sorry to hear that hazel. How long ago did you have the c-section?

I'm a bit demoralized as well, because my groin strain has flared up again. I was feeling well and thought I'd try practicing on my own - nothing too difficult - but about an hour later I had difficulty walking. Really not happy about it & considering stopping yoga until the end of the month.

At my lesson last week the teacher spent the entire time preparing for a downward dog so we did lots of hamstring stretches. It didn't happen at the time but did after a rest day. Having said that my upper body strength is shite and chaturanga is a strictly knees down affair here. Will try the toes pushing forward and see if that makes a difference.

I am loving this new section of MN, lovely to talk about yoga and hear other people's experiences.

C section was 8 weeks ago - GP says no exercise until 10 weeks. Am keeping myself occupied with online shopping for a new yoga mat for when I get back to it!

Wow, just 8 weeks! You really should take it easy for a bit longer. I don't remember doing anything more taxing than eating lots walking and driving for months after my CS

My yoga spot for the day. It's unpleasant but what can you do? .

Cote, just get back from seaside hols and got chance to practice lots in open air, on grass (live in flat in London with only communal garden so feel bit self conscious) and was lovely experience. Your spot nicer though. Are you swimming after?

I'm on holiday, too. Grandparents are around so I have time to find myself a corner to do my practice on grass from time to time. And yes, I swim afterwards. It's heaven

I think there were a few people staring at watching me, but I thought about it as spreading the light of yoga to others who may never have seen it before and it did not bother me.

Actually Cote, thinking about it, people do practice in many of the parks in London so don't know why I feel self conscious probably because I'm still quite beginnerish Though did manage, like drinks to get heel to ground in DFD! Happened for first time a couple days ago. Feel ridiculously impressed with self

Yay! Bringing heels to floor in downward dog is a definite milestone. You have every right to be pleased with yourself

Back to daily practice here today after I was knocked out by an evil virus for the entirety of last week!

I think after reading the latest posts on this thread I must be doing downward dog wrong as I've always got my heels to the ground... I think I probably am less correct in the rest of the pose to do that I that makes sense? Will concentrate today on getting my back position correct even if it means I'm on my toes!

Place marking. I am planning to clear a space in a downstairs dumping room this week & create a yoga corner. Then get online & do some classes (I know real life classes would be better, but they're just not a possibility at the moment).

Daily life is very stressful at the moment & so I'm particularly keen on the breathing/stress reduction side.

I know nothing about yoga, so may well read more than I post initially.

Can I join in? I'm hoping to get back to daily practise, although I'm going away next week. Apparently the hotel has a meditation area, so I'm hoping for some yoga classes!

My absolute favourite days are days when I have yoga class, I look forward to it all day!

squiggle it is possible that you're doing it right, I've always managed to get my heels down as long as my muscles are warm enough. You could be moving your feet too much though, mine don't move from plank to DFD.

I'm mainly working on my thighs atm, I'm hypermobile, which makes everything really hard to get right. I can't believe how much my upper body strength has improved though, in 6months ish I've gone from not being able to do a single pressup to being able to do 20 odd!

I'm on holiday at the moment in Scotland. On day 12 of Adriene's challenge and did the balances after a glass of wine. Not a good idea, I'm a bit useless at balances anyway. Actually does anyone have top tips for balances? My left ankle in particular seems to be quite weak.

Squiggle & NotWorking - Maybe you both have stretchy, nice long hamstrings. Mine is tight as a drum and Achille's tendon is also rigid due to much high-heeled prantzing around in my 20s & 30s. It took a year for me to get from barely touching my ankles to touching the floor in front of me And now my heels sort of barely touch the floor. Most of the time.

Yea I have very stretchy everything! Although I seem to be reaching some kind of stretchy limit atm, I think I need to lose some weight before I can get deeper into most poses. I've never been one for high heeled prancing though, only on special occasions!

drinks make sure your standing leg is straight and strong, try and make sure all 4 corners of your foot are pressing into the floor, your thighs are lifting and engage your core. If you're wobbling, try and concentrate on breathing and it should help.

It's interesting that everyone is flexible in different ways. I've always struggled with downward dog, can't get my heels anywhere near the floor and I also need to have my hands and feet wide apart in order to get my back straight.
However I am often the only one in the class who can do cow face pose and some bendy variations of pigeon pose. I know yoga is supposed to be non competitive but am I the only one who feels a bit smug when I can do something that most of the class can't, and a bit rubbish when most of the class can do poses I can't manage?

Spread your toes Drinks, splay them out so that they are flat on ground. Upthread a poster mentioned choosing a focal point to help maintain stability. This is a good suggestion, and also emphasise Not's point about the core and internal locks.

Drinks I find balances are all in the mind! Do you do any meditation practice? I find if I focus on one spot and not let my mind wander at all I can balance for much longer.

I can do Bakasana (Crow) Hazel with not too much effort but struggle with some of the triangle asanas (can't twist properly and get arm up at same time). Flexibility varies so much, even for same person, different times of the day etc. This is another reason why it's good not to compare though, like you, I also felt rubbish when I saw a relative beginner the other way execute a flawless Garbha Pindasana while I could barely stay upright

OK, my weakness is definitely the meditation I just daydream Anyway, I did a lot better at eagle today when tried without the surprise surprise.