Days 283 & 284

I don't know what happened to Day 283 - I know that I *did* practice on Friday and I seem to remember that it was lacklustre and uninspiring, as were most of my practices last week. Apparently, Day 283 just wasn't interesting enough to blog about. More obviously, I needed a break.

Fortunately, fate felt my pain and offered me a yoga vacation. Due to a coincidental combination of a Saturday (day off), 'Ladies' Holiday' (three days off) and a Moon Day (yesterday), I had five whole days of rest! This break coincided very serendipitously with Gay Pride celebrations in my city, so I felt free to par-tay, stay out until the wee hours, sleep in every day (and nap in the afternoons) and eat a horrifying array of non-CR-friendly foods. In short, I had a ball.

Funnel Cake is not CR-Friendly


Now it's back to reality, and confronting the consequences of my life of excess. I'm six pounds heavier than I was a month ago (no joke!). I feel weak and awkward in the sun salutations. That little upper back/left shoulderblade problem that was plaguing me a few months ago is back with a fury. My back and neck were so uncomfortable this morning that I couldn’t do Supta Konasana or Shoulderstand. And the plantar facitis in my left foot flared up over the weekend. Good times.

But I'm determined to get back up on the Ashtanga wagon this month. I need to. This slip of self-discipline in my asana practice is seeping into other areas of my life (diet, meditation). So this morning, I was up at 4 - yes, 4 a.m. and I stumbled through the full Primary Series with Sharath's voice leading the way. I went for a walk (I haven't been walking in order to rest my foot). And, as of Monday, I went back on strict Calorie Restriction, a bit scaled back for weight loss (basically, I've cut out all nuts, wheat and sugar for the time being).

After my horrible, absolutely miserable practice this morning, I booked an appointment with Mr. Beefy Hands, my massage therapist. For 45 minutes, he applied his considerable muscle to my wonky upper back. It was pretty ropey. I just crawled out of an epsom salt bath and I'm now sitting out on the balcony and steaming. The massage was fabulous, but my back is still wonky. Only time will tell if this resolves the issue.

For the month of July, early morning practices are the rule. Let's see if I can stick with it.