Jump Backs!

Yoga Log: Jump Backs!

One year ago : Doing no yoga or exercise. Last yoga class was early 2013 and kicked my butt.  

There is a series of movements in yoga named "the Sun Salutation". Actually, there are several series, and different yoga teachers would put their own flavor on it and really confuse the heck out me with it. Over that last year, the Bheemashakti classes have become more of a mix of dimensional and asana practice, and we've been doing the Ashtanga yoga version of the sun salutations, named Surya Namaskara A and B.

Thankfully, they are the same poses every time. A is: you stand; you reach up; you bend forward and touch your toes-ish; you rise up a bit to half-bent; bend again; get into a push-up position; lower down near the floor; arch your front body up; lower your head and stick your hips/bottom up; get up to the top of your mat and touch toes again; rise up to standing again. The trick is how to transition from one pose to another. See a pro do it: Kino.

One transition is from touching your toes to the push-up/plank pose. Some people get there by stepping one foot out back there, then the other, then full leg extension to plank. I started there years ago. On better days I could stick one leg all the way back to plank, then the other. If one is stronger, you can do a cute hop back to plank. If you are awesome, you can lift from touching your toes to a handstand and lower down into plank.

Years ago, I tried to hop, and got a few centimeters back if I could get off the ground at all. Mostly not off the ground at all. Lovely yogis and yoginis on their their first days can jump back. It requires some arm strength, core strength, and leg strength. I had little arm, no core, and some leg strength. Therefore, have been glued to the ground, doing my step back to plank dutifully.

A few days ago, I was feeling pretty good. I have been practicing the Bheemashakti yoga method for about 11 months now. I decided to try to hop back. And...I hopped all the way back! And again! I did it for the whole class! No one noticed, but I was thrilled.

(Deep, cheesy tv voice-over) A little progress, every day: the Bheemashakti way.

This post was written and published oct 2014. Edited to remove typos.

References: 
1. Bheemashakti website: http://bheemashakti.org/bheemashakti-yoga-system/approach/
2. Bheemashakti video on Handstand dimension exercises on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abuLIU3nnl8&list=UU6I0PT4Z4yDAhgPOPOCpGqg