Astanga

The nap I took yesterday made all the difference in my energy levels the rest of the day. I felt perky in the evening (when I’m usually groggily groping around for my second wind) and I even woke before the alarm this morning - at 6:30 a.m.

I’ll try it again today, but I’m pretty sure I’ve found the solution to the whole exhaustion problem. This isn’t a new answer - I remember taking regular naps a couple years ago when my schedule was busy.

I had a terrific practice this morning, nice and relaxed because I didn’t have to be anywhere at noon. Full Primary Series and I skipped Savasna because I got a phone call. I’m back to using the Beryl ‘Power Yoga’ DVD, probably for the weekend. The main difference between Beryl's led Primary and Sharath's is the pace. There's also a note of warmth with Beryl that makes me feel well-cared-for, even though I'm practising at home.

Yesterday afternoon, I had some time before my evening classes and, on a whim, did some restorative backbending and shoulder openers. I held ‘sphinx pose’ for about 5 minutes, focusing on my breathing. Then I tried Urdhva Dhanurasana.

Eureka! It wasn’t awful! It didn’t look too bad either and more importantly, it didn’t feel too bad. Maybe I’m climbing back up on this wagon after all...hmm.

There was a mirror on one wall. I was doing backbends close to it so I could see and adjust the positioning of my feet. I have to say, there’s a VAST divergence between my sense of how they're positioned and where they actually are. The correct alignment made me feel like I was VERY pigeon-toed. Noted!

I was very curious how my backbends would feel this morning. It wasn’t a catwalk, but it wasn't an ordeal. I can see that I’m making progress!

A sidenote: I’m half-way through WoYoPraMo (hooray and also, PHEW!). January is just flying by...

I’ve been seeing red milk crates everywhere lately. When the Princess was a pup, I strapped a crate on to the back of my bicycle, attached a doggie seatbelt inside and cycled around the neighbourhood with Princess Fur riding shotgun. She didn’t love it, but I thought it was great fun!

Every time I see a red milk crate, I think of those crazy, cute puppy days:


And here's a closeup, for the maximum dollop of cuteness:


And if you still need more puppy goodness, go to Karen's blog and look at this (awwwww!).