Just Doing It

As I was falling asleep last night, I had the sensation of energy running in a kind of loop down both of my legs and back up into my spine. It was quite cool. Simultaneously visceral and ethereal. A result of those few second series poses I've been muddling through in home practice, I wonder? Or perhaps nerve damage? I suppose we'll find out eventually ;-)

This morning's practice was quite good, despite staying up late last night visiting with The Cop's parents. We ate late, we had alcohol, we didn't go to bed on time. Recipe for a perfect practice? Probably not. But it was fine. Chanting Man and The Cat were there, as well as The Other Dave and Sanskrit Scholar. Still no Volleyball Guy. But Chanting Man and Sanskrit Scholar doled out a few adjustments for all of us, and that was great for morale.

I decided to go ahead and do full primary again today, since I had so much fun on Wednesday. In garbha pindasana, I got both arms through, to about my elbows. By that, I mean elbows at the top of my thigh, not through and at my hamstrings--wow, this is very hard to express clearly! I guess, more accurately, I got my forearms about halfway through. At any rate, pushing my arms through made my knees in padmasana feel great--but then I managed to push further, until both my calves cramped up. Okay, guess I found that edge...

I mucked up the sequence and did supta konasana before upavistha konasana, so I doubled back around and did supta again. A little extra practice for that pose, I guess. The lovely thing lately is that I am aware of how thinking isn't always necessary. I messed up the sequence, realized it, went back, did supta konasana again, and went on my merry way. No time spent thinking about how I was a dope, no time spent trying to figure out what I should do--I just did something, and it was simple and as good an answer as any other. I caught myself starting to think and prepare too much when I got to marichyasana C (which I can do easily, unless I think about it)--so I made my mind blank and just did the pose. Much better.

I have great resistance to the idea that thinking isn't always a good thing. I was brought up to think all the time, and I went to school for years and then to grad school twice, and I've always been rewarded for thinking. But quite honestly, it is vastly overrated, and I am enjoying (as Nike so profoundly promoted) just doing it.

And now I must just go back and do work.