Multi timer

Sirsasana variation

Finally I found this App called Multi timer.

I was looking for a timer that I hadn’t to switch off after having heard the alarm. Usually the alarm keeps peeping till I switch it off manually. Some pomodoro timer are so loud, that they are distracting.

In order to have an effect on the body one must hold asanas longer than 5 breaths. In some books it’s even recommended to hold sirsasana i.e. for 5 minutes or 10 minutes. At the end of an exhausting yoga practice I often wanted to bring sirsasana behind me. I had no strength anymore. The body started wobbling. Often I moved into that pose and thought: OK, you’re still able to balance. Enough. But it’s not enough. A timer should support my effort to hold sirsasana longer. But I also wanted to get out of the pose slowly. I wanted keep my legs straight and I wanted to stop for five breaths when they were parallel to the ceiling. That’s how sirsasana shall be done for Ashtangis.

Last year I went to the Sivananda yogis. They practice sirsasana at the beginning of the asanas series. They hold this pose rather long. Variations are practiced as well. Often I got out of the pose before the teacher told us to come down. Even though sirsasana was practiced in the beginning, I was wobbling after some time.

My goal was to hold sirsasana for 2 minutes, then 5 minutes. Then I wanted to do at least the Ashtanga variation (see picture) that follows after the classic sirsasana. The peeping alarm usually stopped me from practicing the variation. I had to switch off this intrusive noise.

Multi timer offers a lot of sounds as alarm. There are also alarms that switch off automatically. Wow. That’s what I was looking for.

In addition they record how often I used a timer. It’s possible to give each timer a name. This can give control on how often one practiced i.e., or how often one held urdhva dhanurasana for 1 minute.

When I practice at home I set one of the timer for 90 minutes. I don’t want to check the time during my practice. The timer gives me an orientation. When I set the timer in that App ‘multi timer’ I can see the App during that time. The phone doesn’t switch off. I can set another timer for 1 minute easily therefore. Multi timer has also the possibility to repeat a timer.

It’s so much easier to wait for an external clue than to count. Sometimes I breathe slower, sometimes faster. To have this timer tool is very useful.

This is unpaid advertising. I’m so enthusiastic about this multi timer. I had to share my discovery.

Asanas May challenge - I'm in

Cyogalife has created a May challenge on Instagram. I’m in again. This months the wall is used to support the performance of the asanas. The cushions of my sofa were a great substitute for the wall for pose #1. They prevented me from falling backwards. I could focus on the splits. This was exactly the intention.

He hashtag for the challenge is #YogaWallPaper.

It’s not yet too late to join.

This pose could become my new position when I watch TV.

You can of course also follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ursulapreiss/

Useful yoga props: timer and wheel

Ashtanga yoga practitioners start the yoga week on Sundays with second series. Back bending is a focus.

How to practice smarter than during the last decade is often my question.

The timer:

One of the answers is that it makes sense to hold the difficult asanas longer than 5 breaths. Especially if an asanas seems difficult, progress might come faster when this asana is held longer. Repetitions are useful, too. It’s not always possible to get from 5 breaths to 1 minute. I breaths 15 times (inhaling and exhaling equals one breath) within a minute when I do nothing. I surely need more breaths when I’m in a challenging asana. It’s easier to wait for the peep of the timer than to count breaths. It’s distracting. To focus on the sound of the breath and to count the breaths are two different challenges.

It’s impossible to hold every asana of one of the Ashtanga yoga series for 1 minute. It’s too time-consuming and perhaps also not good for the body. My plan is to hold one back bending asana 1 minute, one forward bending asana for 1 minute, one twist for one minute. It’s a modest start, but a start.

This sounds easy. One minute is not long, but when in urdhva dhanurasana one minute can feel like an eternity. Today I left the pose before the peep of my timer. Two seconds only and I would have accomplished my goal.

There will come a moment when the discomfort seems to be unbearable. Then the mental task begins. Mantras might help to stay. ‘I can’ is a good mantra. Only 5 more breaths. Again one must learn to understand the messages of the body. Sometimes the pain is a message to get out of the pose if one doesn’t want to risk an injury. The goal is to relax more and more when performing an asana.

I guess it’s what runners told me: There comes a moment runners want to stop, yet when they get over this point, running happens almost from alone.

Another possibility to handle the discomfort is to move a tiny bit out of the pose till it becomes OK to stay.

Sometimes I want to get out of a pose, because I’m bored. This is often the case when I do headstand. Today I used the timer for this pose, too. One minute was doable and also enough. I would have left the pose earlier. The effect wouldn’t have been the same.

The wheel:

To start back bending on a wheel helps to relax. One can focus either on stretching the front of the hips or the upper back. It’s not just hanging over the wheel. I usually engage my legs. It prepares the body for deeper back bending asanas. Setting a timer can be useful, too. When in an asana I lose the feeling for time. The timer gives an orientation. The older a yogini is the longer it might take till the body gives up resistance. When the body feels safe, stretching can happen.

Timer and wheel are my helpers.

The plan for tomorrow:

I set a timer for 90 minutes. That’s how long I practice every day.

I set a timer for one minute when practicing paschimottanasana (forward fold), marichyasana C (twist), urdhva dhanurasana (back bending) and headstand (inversion).

Breaks make lazy.

Every yoga practice motivates me to practice again. Soon.