feet: arch enemies? (and an intro)

[Guest guest]

Hi,<br>I guess I should introduce myself first,

as I'm new here- just stumbled across this club from

www.ashtanga.com yesterday and have managed (i read <br>fast!) to

read all the old messages!<br><br>Anyway I am very

much a beginner at this practice- I started in

September, and average about 2 or 3 practices a week (bad

lady, I hear you all say!). My Internet explorations of

ashtanga yoga have helped me to see how much there really

must be to this world beyond a biweekly class at the

university gym (yes, I know you must all be shuddering now),

and are helping me to find motivation to make my

practices happen more often, even if all I have time for is

surya namaskara.<br><br>Judging from the posts i've

read so far, some of you may frown a little when I

tell you that what I've learned of ashtanga yoga can

be traced to BBB. I own her first book and am not

sorry I bought it (I'm still learning from it) and have

to say that if not for her and her students I would

not have started on the path that may someday lead me

to Mysore (on a student budget, I don't foresee this

happening in the next 5 years or so). So whether or not

she's authorized, certified, or whatever, I owe her a

profound debt of gratitude for leading me to ashtanga

yoga.<br><br>I'm a student of singing, still at the undergraduate

level, but I plan to start my master's in 2001. One of

the things that has delighted me about this practice

is the constant focus on the breath. My voice

teacher works with an emphasis on the breath, keeping it

full and free, and having this translate to a physical

practice where my whole body can sing- not just my voice-

was a wonderful find.<br><br>Anyway, my feet hate

virasana (aka hero pose, right? I make no claims to know

my Sanskrit) too. I'm slowly improving this posture,

but my left foot in particular seems to have this one

spot on the arch, like a bone spur or something, that

gets pressed in a very uncomfortable way. If I

practice with my sticky mat on firm carpet (as I have to

in my apartment), the discomfort is much less and I

can get further into the pose, but in class, on a

hardwood floor- ouch!<br><br>Has anyone else experienced

this? Will it go away with regular practice, or do I

have a mutant foot? <br><br>Slainte,<br>lm