Do you remember the lockdown in 2020? Do you remember what you did? I did lots of yoga. Partly because I could only teach online and had more free time, but mostly because many senior Ashtanga Yoga teachers began running classes online.
Since I moved from London to where I now live (down in the deepest North Devon, UK), I’ve been virtually cut off from the Ashtanga community. The nearest city is over an hour and a half’s drive away, so attending classes wasn’t an option. Instead, I kept up my practice on my own and occasionally practised with Ashtanga friends nearby.
The lockdown and the birth of online yoga classes were game-changers for me. I joined classes every morning. It was so lovely to reconnect with the yoga community and have access to such high-quality teaching.
I immediately started working on my backbends (there’s definitely an obsession with backbends in the Ashtanga world!). I’m naturally bendy when folding forward, but I’ve always found backbends a big challenge. I worked on the dreaded Kapotasana (an extreme version of camel pose) and drop backs.
These are difficult postures. I didn’t think I’d ever get there, but I was happy to learn how to work towards them—and I kept at it. After a few months, I managed to achieve Kapotasana. It was a liberating day!
The lockdown ended, and life returned to its old rhythm. The teacher I’d practised with during lockdown went back to studio classes. I got busy teaching both online and in-person classes. Still, I kept up my daily practice, both on my own and with friends.
Recently, I achieved my first drop back! I’d been working on it since 2020, starting with dropping onto the arm of a sofa. Then I moved to the seat of the sofa, then to the base after removing the cushion. Now, I can drop all the way to the floor! It was an amazing feeling.
Now I’ve started working on Peacock Pose, Mayurasana. It looks like this (this picture isn’t me):
What do you think? I’m nowhere near yet. I can place my hands on the floor and lift my knees off, but that’s about it. I can’t lift my head or toes. Will I get there?
Honestly, it doesn’t feel like I will—but I might! And it doesn’t really matter.
It’s the journey I love. I enjoy working towards something, knowing I’m on the right track. Even if I don’t reach the destination, I’ll still gain physical strength and balance, and I’ll have enjoyed the challenge along the way.
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