Footprints

Went through the standing poses in a lackluster way. Tadasana, trikonasana, parsvakonasana, virabhadrasana I and III (II sort of gets lost in there). That’s the straight-up standing mountain pose, triangle pose, extended side-angle pose, the warrior pose(s?). After my recent illness, a week of fever and a week or more of semi-recovery from something contracted ironically at the Catholic healing shrine Lourdes in France (my pathologies are ecumenical, at least), I felt if anything actually a little more flexible in triangle pose.

You should always finish your practice with salambha sarvangasana, shoulder stand. A cooling pose after the heating, I think. But the kids suddenly needed food, Eva-Lynn was going to cook it, and it seemed urgent—possibly was urgent—for me to bike off to the Co-op and get carrots and cabbage for a healing soup.

Salamba sarvangasana is the caboose of Yoga Practiced Near Children, and sometimes gets left off. Bad, bad sadhaka. I tell myself not to say “bad practitioner,” but I say it anyway, and the most grace I can muster is to forgive myself for not forgiving myself.

Incidental sign of Yoga Practiced Near Children: dust footprints on the yoga mat.