To Coffee or not to Coffee

Lately, I’ve been having a small cup of coffee in the morning before beginning practice. I had been practicing a bit later around 7:30-8, but have lately started getting up at 5:30 due to schedule changes, job demands etc. When I did my later practice it never really felt necessary to have coffee until after my practice, but as I’ve been getting up earlier and feeling groggy, stuffed up, and all around heavy the little caffeine boost really seems to help me get going and get on the mat. I know that Sharath and Guruji both consume coffee, so it seems fairly accepted in the Ashtanga world…I also know that many other bloggers also consume it. I’m curious what others have discovered in terms of its benefits and detriments…I used to feel coffee before practice made me stiffer, though I don’t notice this at all in my early morning practices. Perhaps because I’m already so stiff.

Thoughts?

Music Meme

I decided to do this ipod shuffle meme that has been going around…

1) Olson - Boards of Canada
2)Raga Mahdu-Kauns - Ravi Shankar
3) Track 3 - Kings of Convenience (for some reason no track name here)
4)Go to Sleep - Radiohead
5) into the Rainbow vein - Boards of Canada
6) Njósnavélin Sigur Rós
7) Lonely - Lanterna MOS 6581 - Carbon Based Lifeforms
9)Sparkly - Hope Sandoval
10) The mess we’re in - PJ Harvey

Nice stellar mix there….I’m surprised that more Radiohead didn’t come up as I have a ton of their stuff…them and Boards of Canada are my two musical addictions…..thought ‘The Mess We’re in’ features Thom Yorke from Radiohead as lead vocalist…so it is practically the same thing.

A.’s been working me hard in Mysore it was nice to have a rest day today..I;ve been much more sore lately —and stiff than i have been in quite a while. The cold seems to be bothering my knee a bit…need to be extra careful. Feels nice to be back again and sharing in the group energy again at least once a week.

The Return

I’ve started going back to the shala, or rather ‘the workshop’ as we call it here. It has been over a year since I went for the mysore classes there and was pleasantly surprised by what I perceived as a shift in energy….whether the shift came from me changing or the vibe of the place, I do not know. Boy am I sore! The shabby and frayed corners of my practice have been neatened up, and the result is incredible soreness (good pain) and stiffness today. I remember this happening before when i took a break did self-practice then returned….so it will pass. I’ve also been told ‘I’m very close’ to being able to jump back properly, which has been both boon and somewhat of a torture, as the teacher is now making me do it every time, or at least a very earnest try. I hear my name come from across the room in a slightly perturbed tone if I do not go for it….I’ve started to harbor the hope that my knee will actually recover without surgery, though who really knows. I go to see an orthopedist in Dec, so I will take that professional opinion into consideration.

At the present I am able to get into a loose lotus during the end part of practice enough to do a semblance of Pindasana, uthi pluthi, etc. The knee is still not right, though it seems more a matter of regaining flexibility at this point….

At any rate, its defintely re-ignited my desire to practice and i get loads of adjustments from the teacher as there have only been about 5 or 6 of us in the morning mysore. I’m going to try and keep it up, going 1x per week and the rest self-practice until I can figure out a more consistent way to get there.

Defunct

This blog is now officially defunct. It may be resuscitated at a later time.