Surfing the wave of inspiration

Another groundhog day: home from work, feed cat and dog, change clothes, heater on, step onto mat. It's 6.30pm.

Daily yoga practice is starting to become a habit.

When uplifted by a wave of inspiration, best to hop on for the ride and take advantage of it.

This too shall change.

Warm up with a hang in Uttanasana, Dog Pose and some lunges.

Sun salutes: 5As and 5 Bs.

Strong standing poses up to Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana.

Then a big yawn, motivation waning. I really want to stop and go make dinner.

Didn't this happen yesterday?

I consider doing a Handstand because it got me going yesterday.

Instead I think a few seated poses might be nice, but hey, I've only got three more standing poses to do so I may as well go on: Utkatasana, Virabhadrasana A and B - again once I'd made up my mind to continue, the poses were different, imbued with the fullness of my intention.

Seated poses: from Paschimottanasana all the way through to Marichyasana C, no vinyasas but a deeply refined inner attention to the multitude of sensations happening in the physical, mental and energetic layers during these poses.

Three holds in Navasana.

Even gave Bhuja a try tonight, but as I suspected I still can't get my shoulders behind my thighs in the standing preparation, so when I bent my elbows, wrapped my legs and lifted off I fell straight on my bum.

Damn this injury - I used to love Bhuja and Supta Kurmasana.

Onwards to Garbha Pindasana - firstly laying on my back with legs folded up into lotus, then rolling up for a try at the real pose: got my arms through lotus legs about half way, not quite enough to balance, but it's a good start.

The forward bend in Baddha Konasana was deeper than it has been since the lumbar injury over 2 years ago (or was it 3, or maybe 4 years?). Since whenever it was, I haven't been able to bend forward at all in this pose - tonight I breathed everything open and found myself nearly half way to the floor.

This is why I feel like a beginner again.

Same story with Upavista Konasana. Took great care moving into Supta Konasana because of my stiff neck. finished off with Uttana Padasana and Urdhva Pashimottanasana.

Backbends: the real Setu Bandha, feet turned out, arching back, had to keep elbows on floor to support my neck. One good strong Urdhva Dhanurasana (then forgot to do the Pashimottanasana counter pose).

Finishing poses: A careful Shoulderstand, Halasana and Karna Pindasana. No Headstand tonight, the neck needed a rest.

Did all 3 finishing Padmasana poses.

Practice was 1 hour and 40 minutes, plus a 10 minute Savasana.

That makes it 4 consecutive nights that I've done a good practice.

I do wonder what has changed to bring this about. No doubt it has to do with changing jobs, a fresh start, inspiration, the excitement of new possibilities.
I finish at my current job in just over one week's time and start at the art school on 23rd April. This in between period is interesting, tying up loose ends and getting ready to enter a new life phase.

I've been wanting to return to a daily yoga practice for YEARS, but somehow I'd lost the inspiration and discipline. The lumbar/hip injury in late 2009 has made yoga practice painful, difficult to face, emotionally draining, sporadic.

Falling in love with Mark brought a surge of life and vitality back for a brief period.

Then he died.

It's been a tough year.

Now I'm feeling ready to move on into the next phase of this extraordinary life, and I'm surfing this wave of inspiration to establish a daily yoga practice before it subsides.