Opening Second with Dena

So I have been learning the three first poses from Second series this week. I thought in advance that Pasasana would kill my back, but it has been actually the opposite. I like Pasasana, it’s hard, but I can bind my hands with an assistant and that’s beginning. It’s good to open my upperback properly. It’s going to take for a while to be able to balance that pose, but I am not in a hurry. Second pose is Krauncasana and it’s deep stretch for my hamstrings. That pose is very beautiful, so I like it a lot, even if mine isn’t that pretty. It’s so powerful pose, I feel strong, when I am doing it. Third pose is Salabhasana, which is so useful for my back. Good nice, slow stretch and balancing lift. It’s not very exciting pose, but beneficial for sure.

I have done dropbacks with Dena, too. This time I started directly three times down, no preparations except normal Urdva Dhanurasanas. Dena is very good with dropback. She is supporting me very well and I don’t have to worry about hurting myself. I can still feel pain in my back, so I am a little bit worried, but yesterday I felt first time, that I might actually learn the dropbacks someday. I felt that I have enough internal strength to go through this pose without hurting myself. And there was a little moment, when I felt that I could control the body through the pose. That made me so much more relaxed.

Now my right shoulder has started to hurt. Hah. For yogini there is no day without pain. I think that my right shoulder has been overused during the back injury and it’s now telling me that it needs a break. All problems in my body are now on the right side. Luckily I wiil have a great osteopath in Sydney, if something goes really wrong.

I know that tomorrow’s practice is going to be hard. Dena will be speaking in such nice way, that I will be close to tears. She is very special and it’s an honour to be able to practice with her.

We all think that Dena can read our minds. She always says the right words for each person. One day, she said to me that that’s half-commitment! And today she said after dropbacks that you don’t freak out anymore. But the most interesting thing is that sometimes she is actually talking about your life outside the shala and not so much about your pose. She makes you think your attitude and patterns outside the shala just asking or explaining something to you during your practice inside the shala. I think she is real witch. And Dena is very funny, too. One guy is watching around in the shala too much and not focusing on his own practice, so he has to pay a fine every time Dena sees that he is looking around. She can just pass his mat and say that his fine is fifty dollars already… I think that Dena’s favorite comment during this course has been: “No drama!” It’s pretty hilarious, when people are huzzling around with their poses and then she is just saying in a very calm way: “No drama!” and crazy energy drops down in a second.

I am going to miss Dena. I hope that she would be living closer to Europe. At least I can do workshops with her in Sweden. I just know that I could learn so much from her.