Yoga on the bed is nonsense

In addition we have Saturday today and this is a day off from yoga for the Ashtanga yoga practitioners.

I need an intensive warm up. Sometimes it's fun to experiment and to play around.

The exercise on the picture is for me still one of the best to approach kapotasana. First one has to find a good distance to the wall. Then one can walk down the wall with the hands. I repeat this asana several times usually. I think now that it's worth to repeat it much more often than I do by now.
This is the plan. Doing this exercise feels good.

It's useful to have a block between the feet or knees. It helps to keep the legs engaged and this protects the lower back. It also allows to move deeper into the pose. A strong foundation is always important.

Enough yoga on my yoga free day.

Experimenting

Yesterday I experimented. I wanted to find exercises that might prepare kapotasana. I used the chair on the picture and also an Iyengar chair. Both have to large seats for my body. It also hurts to lie on them, also when I cover them with blankets. It feels unstable to lie on them, there is no resistance.

It's more useful to get on the knees and to walk down the wall with the hands. It makes more sense to repeat this exercise or to stay longer in that pose than to lie over a chair.

I know other preparation exercises. Hanumanasana is such an asana. It stretches the front of the hips. Being able to do hanumanasana enlarges the flexibility enormously.

Second series has 11 back bending asanas, dhanurasana included. They build up on each other. I'm searching for asanas that prepare the body for even deeper back bending asanas.

After all these years filled with forward bending asanas I love to bend backwards.

Back to my fav challenges

Yesterday primary.
Today second series.

Yesterday's focus was forward bending and strength.
Today's focus was back bending.

Today is the 21st of November. I was glad that I was able to practice (with almost no pain in the back). I found my own way to practice. The series is my guideline, but I feel free to adjust it to my current needs.

I'm on my own these days. This is nothing related to yoga only. There comes the day where you have to go your own way. I go my own way now. I approach my yoga practice in a flexible and attentive way.

Second series has 11 back bending asanas, dhanurasana included.
Kapotasana is one of the most difficult asanas, but my body allows to do this asana. I have plans how to get there.

1. I'll label posts as 'kapotasana'. To document the journey is always a good idea.
2. I'll create asana routines that I'll practice before this pose. By now I practice always hanumanasana, split pose before kapotasana, to stretch the front of the hips. It's so helpful.
It could be also useful to find routines in order to stretch the chest muscles.
3. Repetition and holding the pose longer than only 5 breaths is a good idea, too.

By now, I'm glad that I practice again. I'm glad that it is possible and that I have no pain afterwards. This makes it so much more likely to practice again.