Gate gate paragate

Woke yesterday with a bit of a sore throat and some sniffles. Nothing too bad, just a little something from being on a plane last week. A souvenir.

Didn't quite feel up to practice--whether this was a physical thing or mental, I'm not sure. At any rate, the right hamstring was tweaked (damn you, hanumanasana!) and I was a little off. Still wanted to do some backbending, though. My back and shoulders are nicely tender these days, from the routine of more focused and persistent backbending and all the gomukhasana fun.

So practice was something I never tried before: standing poses followed by the first few intermediate poses (pasasana through ustrasana). And I went with the full vinyasas. I've never done full vinyasa before, and I have no idea why it seemed like a good idea, beyond the notion that I needed more movement than half vinyasa would afford. I always wonder if these little notions ("Do a different practice today!" "Hey, how about full vinyasa?!") are indications of intuition, of my body/mind telling me something I need, or if they are just the actions of monkey mind. Maybe they are creative intuitions that should be followed. Or maybe they are delusions. Or maybe they just are what they are and my reactions to them the result of my own personal form of fundamentalist brainwashing. Or maybe:

Form does not differ from emptiness,
emptiness does not differ from form.
That which is form is emptiness,
that which is emptiness form.

The same is true of feelings,
perceptions, impulses, consciousness.

This morning is led class at Starbucks of Yoga. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone.