20 January 2011

OUCH!!

A hectic week has left me with little time -- time to rest, write, or do much of anything else. I have taken three classes so far this week, and they have all been markedly different, save for the fact that the heater is repaired and working ever so well. It has been really warm in there, at least to me. However, that's not a bad thing, especially when the temps are in the 20's or 30's. In winter, that hot room is really a godsend!

Sunday's class outright scared me. First few postures went well, then my body didn't want to work for a while. We were about to begin Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose. You start from a standing position, then raise your arms over your head. Next, you take a wide stance so you are straddling your mat and at the same time lower your arms so they are parallel to the floor. The next move is to bend at the waist, reach down and grab your heels, attempting to touch your forehead to the floor between your feet. (No, I have never been able to do that -- yet.) As I tried to bend at the waist, I got a nasty cramp along the outside of BOTH hips. I eased back up and tried again, to no avail. I stood back up and quietly waited for the second set. No good, then, either. The next pose is Triangle, the "... pinnacle of the standing series" and the most difficult pose in that series. The first part is exactly the same as the previous pose, and this time it HURT just to try and get into that wide stance! I couldn't even stand, so I sat down on my mat with head down, trying to figure it out. In the final three postures of the standing set, it still hurt, but not enough to sit out. The weird thing was that the floor series went really well for me. Maybe I wasn't hydrated, maybe it was being away from class for a couple of days, I do not know.

The next two classes, Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, were better. Lots of people in the evening class, not so many the next morning. However, it was warm enough that in both classes, I was dripping before the opening breathing exercises were done. My hips and legs did not hurt either time, not that it helped me hold those poses. They are really tough for me, and I try not to sit them out. Most days, though, I end up falling out of those poses, or not even attempting them. My legs hurt, my balance sucks, I just don't feel like doing them; insert excuse here. I must try to be more mindful to try every time, or it will be just that much longer until I can do them. It's mind over matter, I know. Problem is, when I get frustrated, or uncomfortable or both (which is VERY easy to do when trying this yoga...), I tend to stop. If I can't do it right, then there is no use doing it at all. That attitude holds one back in any facet of life, not just in yoga -- know that well, too. Yet another reason I continue to practice. One day, my brain will learn to shut the hell up and let my body do what it needs to do!

I had originally planned to write about a different aspect of practice, but I got going on this tangent and now I'm short of time. Oh, well. the subject will definitely keep.

Peace.

8 down, 192 to go.

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