I HAVE ACHIEVED LIFT-OFF

On July 31, 2010 · 8 Comments · In yoga

For any ashtangi out there, you will understand the enormous import of the following statement:

I did my first actual jumpback yesterday!!

That’s right, I actually lifted myself up from sitting, for a split second, long enough to squish my legs back through my arms and swing them back—and land, sploosh, underneath me—but then lift up again and shoot the legs out and straight back, boom, chatarunga, holy cow, I nearly cheered. Big eyes, I looked up at Luc and said, did you see that?

This will probably mean nothing to to all y’all non-ashtangis out there, sorry. But really, just take my word for it. The first several thousand times over the last year that I have tried this move, the jumpback, there has been no response from my body. I go to lift, and nothing. I mean, NOTHING. As in, go pick up the Empire State Building. Yeah right. I’ll get right on that.

But yesterday, I achieved the impossible. For a split second. But who cares! It has taken an entire year to get here, to that split-second lift, but I did it, I lifted the Empire State Building—er, I mean, my butt—and I jumped back.

Okay, it was a pitiful, pathetic, lame-ass jumpback, with a touchdown halfway through, but aren’t all first jumpbacks like this? Except for Paul, who did one the very first time I described it to him a year ago, blast him. Or Sophie, who said, “Oh, you mean this?” and did five beautiful jumpbacks in a row, plus handstands, she is such a prodigy.

But I don’t care! I’m a wimp and I’m proud of it, and maybe in another year, I’ll be doing those floaty jumpbacks that look so cool. Or just, you know, not landing halfway.

I did my first jumpback!

I’m so stoked!

Tagged with: asthanga • jumpback

8 Responses to I HAVE ACHIEVED LIFT-OFF

roselil says:

August 1, 2010 at 6:32 am

Congrats! So sweet, the way you describe it. So any reaction from Luc?

And be assured achieving this in only one year, you are a fast one among females.
Oz Drummond says:

August 1, 2010 at 7:13 am

Hi. I’ve followed the yoga discussion for the past year. The photos you put up recently were good before and after photos. I wish I had some. I read about what you were doing a year ago and started, myself, on the 1st of September in private sessions. I can do so much more now, but have a long way to go. And that seems to be what yoga is all about.

Congrats on the jumpback! I can’t do it, myself, yet. My husband started months after I did and being an athlete, got a jumpback in a couple of months. Which makes our yoga instructor laugh every time he does it.

Oz
maya says:

August 1, 2010 at 9:24 am

Hey, thanks all! Roselil, not much from Luc, lol. He said, “What?” As in, “What are you going on about?” Oz, that’s so cool you’ve been following along and that you’re doing private sessions, that must be fun. Yes, the athletes (like Paul and Sophie) among us, make this stuff look easy while the rest of us mortals struggle along.

Thanks again for the congrats–I did a repeat today to show Paul, as well as some slide-y attempts with socks on the wood floor. Still touching down half-way—I probably will for a while—but fun to sliiiide through, haha.
Shannon says:

August 1, 2010 at 9:56 am

Congratulations! Even if we don’t know what you are talking about we can understand and rejoice with you on your excitement at accomplishing a strived for goal. You Go Girl! LOL
grimmly Grimmly says:

August 1, 2010 at 10:41 am

Maya, that’s huge, congratulations. I still remember my first, it had seemed so impossible, I mean I had seen people do it on youtube but every time I’d try nothing would happen, just nothing. Now you’ve done it once you know it’s possible, your arms aren’t too short or your bandhas too wimpy or anything else we come up with to explain why we can’t move mountains which is what i remember it feeling like sometimes.
As for the toe touchdown, after a year of lifting up and jumping back my wires got crossed and I started touching my toe down and couldn’t seem to switch out of it. One day it just switched back again. My point being it’s probably just a case of coordination and getting the physics right.

Does the jump back/jump through matter, probably not, you can have a great practice without it, BUT, when you get it right, and clearly now you will, and when it become consistent, you get this wonderful rhythm to your practice. I think I mentioned in my post today that i still love Primary, that’s part of the reason why. Way to go you.
maya says:

August 1, 2010 at 5:42 pm

Thanks Grimmly the JumpBack Guy! I’m looking forward to that wonderful rhythm you speak of. And I lust after that straight leg jump through…it’s looks so relaxed with Anne Nuotio does it. Coordination is definitely lacking on my part, haha, it’s like trying to thread chunky knitting yarn through the eye of a fine needle, trying to get my crossed legs through my arms. Quite amusing to watch, I’m sure.
Bonnie says:

August 13, 2010 at 8:21 am

Good for you. I don’t know what that is but like everything in your life, when you set your mind to a task, you will get it done.
yoga: state of the practice, 2011 | mayaland says:

August 9, 2011 at 10:46 am

[...] lift and swing through…and crash land onto my knees. But this is progress! First lift off here. As for jump through, I covet a straight leg version, I have to admit. Right now I land cross [...]