I got up to the alarm at 2:30 am. I was awake at 2 am but chose to stay in bed.
The surprising insight from today didn’t come from the practice rather the change I made to my morning routine—this morning when I went to the kitchen, rather than simply drinking some water and having a spoonful of coconut puree, I made my morning tea and filled up a glass of water to take with me to the yoga room.
Making my morning tea before my practice and bringing a glass of water with me may not seem like a big deal, but it significantly changed my morning practice experience.
First off, I usually get thirsty during the practice and allow the thirst to be there, knowing that I can drink some water after the practice. But, here’s the thing. By the time I finish my practice, I’m in a semi-rush to get ready to go to work. Not super rushed, but it’s enough of a rush that I often forget to drink a glass of water after the practice.
This morning, however, I got thirsty and then drank some water. And after my practice, I finished off the glass of water and went to the room to get ready.
That leads me to the second big benefit of changing up my routine. Typically after my practice, I go to the kitchen to make my tea and drink some water (if I remember).
I didn’t need to do that this morning as the water was already inside the yoga room, and the tea was still steeping in my tea bottle.
And a bonus is the ginger teas that I like tend to have more flavor the longer I steep them, so having it steep for my entire practice means a more flavorful tea for me to experience – Wins all around.
As for the practice, I let go of trying to do the Mula bandha locks throughout the practice and settled on doing it on the holds for Cat/Cow and Half Sun Salutations. The practice was much more easeful, and I could feel the heat rising during Half Sun Salutations.
It’s also interesting to notice how when I do the Mula Bandha lock; I can sometimes feel the Jalandhara Bandha spontaneously locking. It might be the reason for the feeling of heat that arises.
In regards to the Uddiyana Bandha lock, I’m not in touch with my core strength enough at this time to notice much in that area. (Just gave my never satisfied mind something else to attach to.)
