Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Day 349

Today, this is what I feel: fat and sore. Nothing wakes up your shoulder and arms like a good number of Chaturangas and nothing says “you ate too many fried jacks in Belize” like fat rolls in your face during Halasana. Yuck.

I'm very sore in my shoulders and hamstrings, but basically my entire body feels like it's been beaten up. I guess that means that Ashtanga really is a full-body workout. Good to know!

I did a modified primary series. My backbends feel horrible right now. I don't think I'm strong enough to really lift up properly and once I'm there, I don't have the flexibility in my back to do much with it. Sirsasana was fun. I really felt my hamstrings in Halasana.

Goal for tomorrow: Do yoga.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Day 348

I'm back. The reason I haven't been updating this blog is simple: I haven't been doing yoga at all.

During the first week of December, I was still recovering from bronchitis and I was going crazy with preparations for the trip. I brought a yoga mat with me to Belize and it sat sadly in the corner of our hotel room, covered with sand because I was too busy snorkelling and climbing Mayan ruins to do anything with it.

And when I got home? I was simply out of the habit. Then the holidays hit.

I don't really miss yoga per se, but I do miss feeling like I fully inhabit my body. I miss the physical ease I experience in my day-to-day life that comes from my daily yoga practice. And when I'm actually on the mat, I do miss it.

I really was determined that this was the day to crawl back up onto the yoga wagon. I unrolled my mat this morning and did a sweaty, slightly-more-than-an-hour modified Primary Series. I was surprised by how well I did. I expected to be really limited in strength and flexibility, but it wasn't bad at all (or maybe it's just the power of low expectations).

Anwyays, I'm back.