My Week in Yoga: Revelations in Rocket

The UK is in the midst of one of it’s best summers in years, and while I can see the benefits in my flexibility, the drawback comes in that self-practice in the sticky heat is really hard to gear myself up for. So my at home sessions have been shorter and gentler this week, while the classes I have made it to have been the opposite. Lots of heat-building, lots of intensity, and LOTS of breakthroughs because of it…

Monday:  

Slept really badly over the weekend (husband out doing a 115 mile night-time cycle ride related…) so no getting up early for me come Monday. Plus a busy day at work = no yoga to start the week.

Tuesday: 

75min mandala flow class after work with the one and only Dare To Move (aka Dave!). And what a class it was. I wrote about it over on my Instagram, but the gist was that pincha felt easy, in a class environment, for the first time ever. So much so that I surprised myself and had to come out of it the first time because it felt so strange! 

Wednesday: 

50min pre-work flows. Nothing too exciting. 

Thursday: 

40min pre-work flows as I had an early meeting to get to, and getting up before 5.30am is just a no-go for me (mainly after I spent 3 years getting up at 4.55am in my mid-twenties and swore I would never go back to that!). Lots of sun salutations and variations, with a good 10min of pincha work to round the session out. Got a couple of 1 min holds. W. O. W.

Friday: 

60min Rocket class after work. I’ve been so focused on inversions since I got back from teacher training, that I was pretty shocked when two flexibility breakthroughs happened in this class. Firstly getting my leg behind my head – say whhaaaat? And secondly, kicking over from forearm wheel for the first time ever.  These are two things that I’ve barely even thought about ever being able to do. But the poses aside, what really stands out to me here was that when the teacher cued me into them, I simply tried. No questioning, no doubt, no strenuous effort. I was happy just to try. And THAT is the huge achievement for me. Trusting and trying. And being ok with whatever happens next. 

Got home and celebrated with a little extra 15min extra flow once I got home as the evening light was so beautiful across my little garden I couldn’t not drink it all in.

Saturday:

45min at home flows before heading out for a day in the countryside with my family. Lots of wild things, wheels, pigeons… flowy and bendy for the most part, mixed with a little arm balance segment in the middle of course.

Sunday:

90min Rocket class. I remember going to this class for the first time around 2 years ago. And it nearly killed me. This time around and there I am in L-sits, and jumpbacks, and my first ever hollowback pinchas (with lots of teacher support of course!). Now, I was working just as hard (as the sweat pool on my mat showed), but I am now capable of so much more. Not least of all believing that this practice is the most amazing vehicle for proving that to yourself.

• Self-Practice: 2hr 30min
• Classes: 3hrs 45min  
• TOTAL: 6hrs 15min