Lately I saw a video on Instagram. David Robson, an Ashtanga Yoga teacher pointed at a mistake many yogis do. In this video a student showed the wrong and correct hand and arm position in prasarita padottanasana C. I checked If I do the same mistake as well. Yep.
In 98 % I practice the version on the right side of the picture. That is I don’t turn around the palms.
When I practiced the version of the left side, it felt awkward. This is why I scarcely tried it. Now I know why. I turned my arms in the wrong direction. The correct version feels so much better.
Matthew Sweeney shows the version that is on the right side on the picture, but his palms touch each other and the hands touch the floor.
Kino MacGregor and Gregor Mahle show both versions in their books on the second Ashtanga Yoga series.
The shoulders experience a deep stretch but it feels as if I can work with the body and not against it.
If you don’t know if you turn around the arms in the right directions, check your elbows. They are totally straight when the pose is performed correctly. The elbows are slightly bend when the arms are not turned around correctly
Learning never stops.
Practice report:
This morning I practiced primary as close to the original series as possible. No extra asanas were planned. It was exhausting enough. Soon I omitted the vinyasa. I know that I need a break on Saturdays. A day off gives fresh motivation. The body and mind are relaxed. Every day is so different. Every practice is better than no practice. Only this one more practice this week, I tried to convince myself. The practice makes modest. One can never be sure what happens next on the mat. Sometimes it’s a fight, sometimes a piece of cake.
To get enough sleep is important. During these Corona times there is no night life either. Having a night life is overrated. In other words. These days I prefer the mornings, the calmness, being one of the first who gets up.
My multi timer:
Multi Timer
This is a screen shot of my multi timer that I recommended a few days ago. It allows to run different timer at the same time. There are alarms available that switch off automatically. So, when I’m in headstand there is no need to get out to switch off the alarm. Sometimes it’s possible to hold am asana longer. Why stop oneself. It’s possible to create different register with an own clock and different timers for different activities. I have a file for Yoga, one for photography and another one for chores. This multi timer is what I needed.
Now I’ll lean back, I’ll close my eyes. Sometimes doing nothing is the best I can do. Oh, there is this interesting book on the table on Robert Frank………’American witness’.