Lifting Off...

so years ago when i started yoga my practice was very basic. at the time even triangle pose was too much for my body. now i can look back and laugh, for i have come so far.i remember picking up issues of yoga journal and looking through the pictures wishes i could do those poses. everything from a full seated forward fold to a beautiful wheel, or a strong handstand or graceful pigeon variation (the one were your foot is in the nook of your arm). i would spend months, sometimes years working on mastering said poses, while relishing in the journey the entire time. now i say mastering loosely as i believe no one can ever truly master any pose, for the body is always changing...as the years have past i still will pick a pose i believe is beyond my means and work on it, only to surprise myself, and sometimes my husband, when i am able to do it LOL. most recently i have been on an arm balance kick, with a dash of wheel pose LOL.

i will explain. so as you all know i "mastered" wheel pose, but of course that wasn't enough for this little yogi, oh no, after that she wanted to learn and achieve a one legged wheel! so after conquering my fear.... being inverted in a back bend with head and back in compromising position then adding in a bit of balance and strength but making it so only 3 limbs and not 4 were holding me in place... i was able to raise that leg high and proud! now it's a personal favorite!

now onto the arm balance fun... arm balances were always a pipe dream for me. when i began to say i had no upper body strength or core strength was a major understatement LOL. even downdog was tough for me and going from plank to chaturanga to either cobra or updog? not even on the map. i would belly flop like shamu through those. but i never gave up. i kept at it and slowly but surely i started to grow my little bean sprouts, this is the name i have coined for my biceps LOL. then it was conquering side plank, showing that chaturanga how it's done, and then i began to take flight with my first ever arm balance pose, scale pose. overtime i began working on crow, and you all know the story of my handstand. lately it's been side crow, astavakrasana, and firefly.
then the other day i saw an article the lovely and talented kathryn budig did on coming into elephant's trunk pose. i was intrigued to say the least. so today i set about attempting this one. i hadn't had time to practice or attempt during my personal time and ended up incorporating it into one of my classes LOL. we have messed with arm balances before in that class and they were game! so we prepared for flight and some of us even lifted off, i was one of them! it was such a great energy in the room after we all attempted this pose. and no one cared if they could or couldn't do it, just trying it was more than enough for us all!

i guess that's part of what i love about yoga so much, the never ending journey...

*** special thank you's go out to my hubby and michele for taking the photos! <3 ***