Fragrant Potions

Yesterday I dragged my body, kicking and screaming, through a very difficult intermediate series, like it was a bag of bricks, a screaming bag with sharp corners. Lumpy, heavy and achy. Every emotion decided to raise it's head, and nearly dozed off at one point. Concentration at an all time low. But I made it to the end and felt moderately better for doing so.

Took myseｌf to a hot spring, the bath was amazing, but was not in the mood for being stared at....being a white non-japanese person is still of interest to people here. Reminded me why I don't go out on Sunday's much unless it's up a mountain or in the ocean. I don't like being gawped at. Especially when having a bath.

Next was an aromatherapy class, held by a lady in one of my yoga classes. Glad I went, she taught us how to making a detoxifying massage oil.

I felt like a witch. I've always wanted to be a witch. She told us the properties of five oils good for detoxifying, then we selected the ones we liked, combining and proportions was left to us. Everyone's smelt totally different.

My mixture was:

Cypress: good for calming and soothing anger and irritability, relieving arthritis, cellulite, rheumatism, varicose veins, calms nerves.

Grapefruit: good for muscle fatigue, moodiness, mental and physical tiredness. Muscle stiffness, cellulite and bolstering the nervous system. Helps clear lymphatic system, stimulates and clears toxins.

Juniper: Calms nerves, relieves anxiety and mental exhaustion. Tonic effect on the liver. Relieves inflammation and eliminates uric acid, so relieves pain or rheumatism and arthritis. Good for study, concentration and spiritual awakening.

We were taught how to massage, with a focus on lymph glands and eliminating toxins. Like a good student I followed orders had a bath, drank lots of water and slathered on the oil　before bed. Felt nice, smelt good. Had a long deep sleep.

However, it wasn't until I practiced this morning that I noticed I felt a little more bendy, lighter, generally better. Something seemed to work. Shall definitely be trying that again.

Tokyo, Teacher, Tears

Sped through the mountains and down the plains to Tokyo to uber-urbaness.  Phew...

My first whiff of Shinjuku, aah that sweet city smell, crowded streets, a plethora of people with all the styles.  It's Golden Week, national holidays galore, everywhere jam packed, and I am one among this.  Horay!  Tokyo in full-on-bloom. 

On my first night I was the recipient of unbridled anger from an old friend. I shan't air our laundry in the blogsphere but the effect it had on me, I haven't been the target for such anger, and negative energy for many a year, if not ever. We resolved it over dinner,  it was a good lesson to be on the receiving end of such negativity.  Little bit more non-violence awareness practice.

Aside from catching up with friends over curries, cofffees, and galleries I got a mysore practice with T.  The room was less crowded than usual, but still busy by any standard.  Everyone working hard.

Practice, well, body has been out of sorts.  Clonky hips and knees, bit of a stiff back, not quite centred, not quite flowing right.  My practice was average, good concentration, strong vibrant energy in the room.  I've been practicing only primary for a while now, feeling the need to get balance, strength and calmness back in order, been doing the trick nicely.  Back to second it is.  Got some much needed help in the legs behind head asana. Felt akward again.  Some assisted back bending, I often duck out of that, but today I felt the need for it.  Then went to a back dark corner and tears flowed before shoulderstand. Not sad, but a release.

Walking in the sunshine through Shibuya afterwards was just beautiful, felt lighter, smoother.  Must get down to Tokyo more, lovely to practice in a big mysore room with friendly happy people. Mind, T will come up and visit us here in July, so got that to look forward to. For now to work on Dwi Pada and keep up with the back bending, time to focus on Nadi Shodana, the nerve cleanse.  \(・o・)/

Photo is from an exhibition on pictoral photograpy in Japan in the late 19th early 20th century, very beautiful.  Thank you Tokyo, for the good energy and inspiration. x