progress report feb 2007
Fixed Gear Exercises
Been working on the slowing down using the legs and trying only to use the brake at higher speeds. But also a combination of brake and legs. It does give a greater sense of control and more of a sense of just speeding up and slowing down.
The other thing is to work more on the pulling up rather than pushing down which gives a better pedalling action and makes the whole thing a lot less effort.
Unclipping with right foot is also second nature now so I’m getting better at pushing off from either foot. But unclipping the left still feels more natural.
Mula bandha at the traffic lights
Still doing it. And this has become second nature as well. It has made a difference in my yoga practice, especially coupled with uddiyana bandha. Can I hold my piss any longer? Not really. Still have to go at least twice when I go to the cinema.
Minimum of a 100 miles a week on my bike
Didn’t really manage this in January, but in February I’m there. At first my knees hurt, but now that I have become accustomed to it, my legs just feel fitter and stronger and it doesn’t feel like an effort at all.
A yoga course for the drop-in classes I teach
I actually gave up one of my regular classes after teaching the class for almost 6 years. That was the one at Cannons in Battersea on a Sunday evening. So now only two drop-in classes remain. There are always new people coming to the class so I don’t think that I can really move the class beyond a certain level. Some people attend the class because they find that the other classes on offer are too difficult for them. I don’t want them to stop coming because they find that there is nothing suitable for their level apart from complete beginner classes.
So I have abandoned this idea and will continue with the old ways: teach according to the level of the group that day. It is frustrating that I can’t do exactly what I want, but I am there for them and not for me.
Press-ups and sit-ups upon rising
Still there with this one, but have changed it from a daily schedule to a once a week schedule. Why? Because I have adopted a method of training called super slow. 10 seconds to go up and 10 seconds to go down and no locking out. And boy does it hurt. And then you ache for a few days. I was doing the sit ups on the ball, but the cat burst the ball, so I’ll have to find another way to do it.
Meditation
Not happening at all in February. I think I managed one or two sessions in the whole month. So what is the problem? I think it’s that I don’t have a designated day when I do it. Everything else is combined with existing parts of my schedule or routine, but this doesn’t really have a place. But when? That is the question.
My own yoga practice - one class, one alone
Little bits and pieces but didn’t go to any classes. I would like to check out the Iyengar place in New Cross where I did my teacher training exam. But again it’s a new thing and has to fit into the schedule somewhere somehow. Let’s see what happens in March. I have taken on lots of class cover, so I can’t see me doing my own practice as well. April then.
Diet - 5 a day, etc
I’ve been pretty good with this one. I have been doing the weightwatchers point counting and have stuck to it pretty much every day since the start of the year. My plan is to get my weight down to 60kg, which is about right for me and loses the love handles. Not that I look fat. But left unchecked it can rapi