Day 155

This was one of those mornings when the alarm went off and I mumbled 'Fat chance!', hit the snooze button and went right back to sleep. I got to bed at a decent hour last night, but mysteriously woke up in the middle of the night. I finally got up, made some camomile tea and read for awhile. Then I slept like the dead until the non-alarm.

I still got up in plenty of time to do my practice (Full Primary Series + five minutes meditation) and shower before heading to my volunteer shift at the soup kitchen. It always amazes me how well practice goes even if I'm feeling tired and numb to start. It rarely fails: by the time I'm through the 10 Surya Namaskara, I'm feeling perkier. I need to remind myself of this when I'm reluctant to get up and do my practice (”I'm too tired!”).

I was feeling fussy when I returned home so I reorganised the kitchen counters. As part of my clutter-clearing campaign, I'm getting rid of my old microwave that I've carried around with me since my second year of university. I don't eat processed foods, so I rarely use it. This cleared up a bunch of space and everything looks so open and clean now.

Also (and, believe it or not, this is Ashtanga-related), after five years in this particular apartment, I've finally put up proper shades on the windows. What a difference this makes in terms of heat! It's so much warmer in here now, plus I have greater privacy. The shades may explain why I've had sweaty practices lately, despite the very cold weather we were having.

In the winter, the sun shines directly in the windows. I bought light filtering blinds, so when it's sunny out the entire apartment is lit with this beautiful white light! It's heaven to practice with. I'm really loving it.