Synchronizing my bio rhythms with an environment that never sleeps had me up doing yoga two hours before sun rise.
I’m curious if I will ever settle in to the time zone here in Bali. I hope not. This morning, rising with the cocks, I spent two hours exploring different forms of asana only to find myself in seated meditation as the sky turned a majestic shade of blue.
At home, if I were to wake up in the middle of the night I would roll over and cuddle my way back to slumber. Here, a wild spirit lifts me from bed in order to explore the sounds and energetics of a time of day I rarely experience beyond the dream state.
Asana Practice: My body was slow to move at first. I started with gentle poses such as cat cow and an exploratory down dog, gently bringing flow to my spine and waking up my mind.
For the first hour of my practice I welcomed moments of pause and meditation. I found myself called to poses I rarely do, restorative poses and healing asanas that work with the meridian lines and pressure points. Many different forms of Child’s Pose were encountered, each bringing a new level of depth to my experience of the moment.
I did a lovely back bend series focusing on poses that I rarely encounter during my solo practice.
The series started with a few rounds of Bhujangasana, or cobra pose. I really worked on pressing the tops of my feet in to the ground, lengthening my legs and spine, all while keeping my glutes (or butt muscles) relaxed.
For a great discussion of Cobra Pose, check out:http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/471
Then I moved through the following poses a few times. I focused on how the lower back felt moving from one pose to another. I intend to spend more time with these poses so that I can more intuitively understand which poses should come in which order.
The poses in the series included:
Salambhasana, or locust pose.
For a good discussion of locus pose, check out:http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/789
Dhanurasana, or bow pose.
For a good description of bow pose, check out: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/875
I really enjoyed working on Half and Full Frog Pose, or Ardha Bhekasana and Bhekasana.
For a good description of half Frog, see: Ardha Bhekasana
As I got closer and closer to sun rise, I naturally became more motivated and my practice became more active. The residue of the early morning stuck with me, informing my practice with a depth and primal richness I rarely experience in a yoga class setting.
Lesson Learned: Practicing yoga at different times of the day can teach you new things about your internal world and expose you to new sounds and sights of your external world. Try waking up early or staying up late to practice asana and see where the practice takes you.
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