Did the Thai food terrorize my shoulders?

While practicing the second sequence in the Asana Courses section in the back of Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar, I found it helpful to focus on how my shoulders were working in the poses.

Utthita Trikonasana
Utthita Parsvakonasana
Virabhadrasana I & II
Parivrtta Trikonasana
Parsvottanasana
Prasarita Padottanasana I
Salamba Sarvangasana I
Halasana
Savasana

When I focused on moving my shoulders into all the poses, seeking excellence there, it made Salamba Sarvangasana, shoulderstand much more open and easy at the end. That said, there was one morning where my shoulders and rib cage seemed to be glued together. I just could not seem to move my rib cage toward the vertical position for the inversion. My upper body didn't move: it was terrorized by the onslaught of Thai noodles I had eaten late the night before, I told myself.

Parivrtta Trikonasana, twisted triangle was added in to the sequence, and I was so surprised that it came right after Virabhadrasana II, warrior two. Parsvottanasana came after the twisted triangle which seemed weird. Usually in the Iyengar Yoga classes I've taken, Parsvottanasana has elongated the torso in preparation for the twisted triangle. So it was cool to switch it up and see just how flexible yoga sequencing can be!

It was also an enlightening reminder to read in the description of Parivrtta Trikonasana, that it is a counter pose to triangle. When I practiced with this thought in mind I noticed how the triangle pose strengthened my low back and how the twisted triangle stretched it.

I have been practicing in the morning, which is quite a commitment considering that I teach at seven a.m. four days a week. But it always pays off. The one early morning I missed my early practice this week I noticed a big difference in my teaching. I wanted to spend more time in the poses, myself, when I was teaching.


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