Astanga

I went to the doctor this morning and he gave me a clean bill of health - the sinus infection is clearing on its own. I'm still having some lingering symptoms, but he gave me the go-ahead to resume my practice. I raced home and joyfully jumped on my mat, had a great practice. It felt so good to be back! I lagged a bit through the sun salutations, but once I was past the standing poses, I regained my momentum.

Everything felt great. Surprisingly, I don't feel like I lost strength or endurance during my break from Astanga. Usually, I'll feel a bit weak or slow down mid-series, but I felt like I picked up exactly where I left off.

What's more, I noticed a considerable gain in flexibility, particularly in my hips and hamstrings! I bound easily in Supta Kurmasana and felt no tenderness at all in my low back when I came out of the pose. My forward bends vary a lot with time of day, heat, time of month, etc. But during the closing sequence, I was able to faceplant between my shins in Paschimottanasana with no effort. This hardly ever happens! Urdhva Dhanurasana also felt exceptionally good.

So it looks like I need to offer kind kudos to Yin Yoga. It may not have felt like I was doing very much, but clearly there was some significant opening going on.