Keeping Up The Practice

Full of inspiration from my time in Mysore, I am determined to keep a 6 day a week practice. One important thing for keeping up a regular practice is inspiration. So, when the Mysore experience stars to fade, what to be inspired by? Well, I bought a lot of books on yoga (so cheap, so cheap...I just hope the parcel will arrive). I've already read two of them; "Health, Healing and Beyond by TKV Desikachar- please read it, brilliant book, and a book written by his son, Kaustub, about the life of Krishnamacharya. I one of these books it said that for healing to take place, you must send your body a possitive message of healing, every day. Every day madame, every day. Keep it up!

Practice

My first week of practice was great. I felt soo flexible!
This has changed. The last two weeks I have been more stiff. People say that it goes in circles. You are flexible for a while, then you feel stiff for a while, and then suddenly you are flexible again for some time and so on. So, I am now waiting to become more flexible again!
Sharath is humming and smiling at me when he adjusts me in Marichyasana C (my last posture). I am not advancing there for the moment. My headstands feel more secure, perhaps I am a bit stronger, but otherwise I don't really feal any improvement in the practice. Again people say it takes atleast a month for the practice to change down here. Also that you notice what has changed when you come home. At the moment, I don't want to come home!
Hopefully in a few weeks I can write that my practice is amazing:-)

On Practicing When Ill

Today I woke up and felt that I might be having a cold coming. I decided not to practice. I really don´t have time to become ill right now. So much to do before leaving! So I´m hoping that my decision is a good one, and that my body can rest and fight whatever has gotten into it!

This thing about practicing or not practicing when ill is a tricky question. I´m not sure there is a right or a wrong. I guess it´s up to everyone to feel what is good for them. If you ask different teachers, they will have different attitudes on that. Some will say that it ok(or even good) to practice when ill, just as long as you don´t have a fever (like Lino Miele). Some teachers say to listen to your body, and you will know if it´s ok or not. Maria says never to practice with a soar throught.

My view is that I don´t practice when ill. I think the body needs to rest then. When feeling low of energy, having a headache and so on (like today), I think it´s ok to practice. If you´re lucky you will feel better afterwards, but if you´re unlucky, the cold might break out. Now we´re talking about vigorous ashtanga yoga. I think a restorative yoga session might have done me good this morning.

And we have the issue of ahimsa. Being kind to yourself. This morning I was being kind to myself and letting my body rest to be able to heal. But then I have my thoughts: "you´re a bad yogi for skipping practice this morning", "if you skip one practice, it´ll be easy to skip the next, you should have gone", and so on, and so on. That´s not ahimsa. This brings up the question about dicipline. To do you´re practice despite all the thoughts about why not to get up in the morning and practice. How do you distinguish between a good and healthy reason for not practicing from the lazy reason? I guess that takes practice too!

99% practice, 1 % theory!

Please share your thoughts on this.