A Moon Day; A Day Off

Tuesday was a moon day. Translation: no Mysore class.

I googled to find out what a moon day was and why it meant no yoga. Granted I didn't read past the first page of results, but all I could find was moon day calendars with short notes on each that simply state that Mysore isn't practiced on new or full moons. An explanation required a more direct approach.

So I asked an ashtanga teacher. He told me that moon energy is very yin, which is very much the opposite of a yang ashtanga or Mysore practice.

Make sense. Perhaps instead of a power / ashtanga / Mysore practice on moon days, perhaps a yin or restorative practice would be in order?

Adventures in a Daily Practice

Last I wrote, I was in my first week of my (still very new) daily Mysore practice. I was sore and tired, but finding gratitude and strength.

Friday, I walked into the studio for Day Five of Mysore, only to discover that there was no Mysore that day. Oops. I didn't check the schedule because I just assumed there'd be a class. So instead of Mysore, or the Ashtanga class level 2/3 that had just started, I decided to take Peter Crowley's Forrest intensive.

If you don't know anything about Forrest yoga, try a class. You move straight through your midline onwards to freedom--well, that's the idea anyway. We did classical sun salutations (something I only vaguely remembered from theater warm-ups in high school) nonstop for twenty minutes. The whole idea is to flow until all there is is happiness, no pain or anything else, just happiness. Forrest is heavy on the abs, so classical suns until you don't notice that your core is sore is a tall order. But it was amazing! Peter always kill with kindness.

Saturday was another day without Mysore. A bummer. But I already had my yoga adventure planned for the day: Yoga Nidra. What is a Yoga Nidra, you're probably wondering? I had no idea the first time I heard it mentioned. The person who recommended I try the workshop called it a very deep, meditative savasana; according to Wikipedia, it means "yoga sleep." And yes, I did sleep. It was wonderful. Peaceful. Blissful, even.

I was back to Mysore on Sunday morning, then again on Monday too. Ah, so much yoga!