Wednesday practice

The cool, crisp mornings are glorious, we are near the end of spring and heading towards summer, the days are getting warmer.

I rise at 5.15am.
The sun rises at 6am.

I walk Buffy through dark into light then shower and step on to the mat.

This morning’s practice started well. My body felt strong and pliable - the sun salutes were rich, challenging my body to open, demanding unwavering attention.
In Trikonasana I noticed my mind starting to wander from what I was doing. I stayed for 8 breaths on both sides, then moved into Parivritta Trikonasana, grounding deeply, squaring my hips, correcting alignment, extending the spine out of that elusive mula bandha, but again drifting in and out of my engagement with the pose. For those 16 breaths in PV Trikonasana my will to remain present flapped in the wind. My mind lost its anchor, I was adrift elsewhere.
It wasn’t monkey mind, it was dreamy, unfocussed mind, and my energy waned quickly, a potent reminder of how an unfocussed mind drains the body of its vitality.

I changed course abandoning the flowing Ashtanga practice, opting instead to fill out the yoga hour with inversions and forward bends:
8 minutes in Headstand, including some variations
4 minutes in Shoulderstand then Halasana
Straight legged Matsyasana
Supta Padangusthasana
Janu Sirsasana and Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana
Upavista Konasana with a gentle twist over each leg
Yawn…
Baddha Konasana
Virasana
Yawn….
Surely there were a few more poses in there somewhere - I just can’t remember them now. In that half attentive mindstate, what I was doing wasn't registering in my memory, the practice evolved moment by moment, with no coherent sequence. The end brought relief and another yawn.

Looking in the mirror afterwards I was taken by surprise at the peachy smoothness of my skin, and the colour!!!…my face was aglow with the sunrise of a yoga practice.