A slow start today and even slower practice. Ever since Flannery’s Intro to Vinyasa class last weekend where we counted to 10 between every movement, I’ve been slowing down my Surya Namaskar A & B’s in my Ashtanga practice. I have to be careful not to get lost in the movement though. When I am so focused on the breath, bandhas and drishti, it’s easy to loose count. Nearly every time I practice, I realize that my count is off. Either I’m doing one too many or one too few Sun Slautes. I know it’s not a big deal if I do one extra or one less. Many ashtangi’s have admitted they loose count or forget to do entire poses (I am the worst about this, but I always know when I’ve forgotten something … usually it’s 3 or 4 poses later). It’s part of the practice. Some days my ability to focus is just isn’t there.

One thing I’ve noticed about my practice of late … jump through to sit – I’ve lost it. I blame Puerto Rico. The chicken, pork and fried plantains have worked their dark, voodoo magic on my mid section. Before vacation, my stomach was compact like a Hyundai Accent. Now it’s a midsize sedan. Sure, I have more room to spread out, and there’s more room in the back for extra passengers, but at what price? My turn radius is impacted, not to mention my ability to parallel park into those smaller spaces.

I’ll keep working on it, but I refuse to obsess over it. The minute I stop thinking about it, it will just happen, without any explanation, like magic.