Another good practice today. I actually felt a little outside of my body today actually. Like…before I knew it, I was in another pose. I know I was still concentrating during each posture, but I was just doing it and before I knew it, I was in the next one. Strange feeling, but not bad at all! I actually started the class with a little bit of a headache, but I knew as soon as I started the pranayama breathing and and the blood flowing, it was go away. Sure enough! Once again, I felt fantastic at the end of class.
I had a little freak out yesterday when I couldn’t get my laundry from my laundry place last night. They had closed early for the Chinese New Year and I didn’t know they were doing that. So I actually had to do the class in pants this morning. I don’t own a single pair of shorts (mainly because I think they are the most unflattering piece of clothing on me, so I just don’t own any), so pants were my only option. Even though I usually wear capris, which only lets my ankles breathe, the pants were becoming a mental block already. I just turned it around though and told myself that now I’d be able to hold Standing Bow Pulling Pose with no problems and not slip. It worked and the pants helped. Was I a little hotter? Probably, but because I was like a robot just going from pose to pose today, it really didn’t matter.
Not too much to complain about today. But for Standing Head to Knee Pose, I just concentrated on my locking my leg today. Didn’t even bother kicking my foot out. I just tried to focus on my balance and proper form. The main problem I am finding with locking my leg is the balance in my ankle. It’s all over the place and usually what makes me lose my balance. I’m not sure if that’s normal or not, but I’m just waiting for the day where it gets a lot stronger.
I rocked Balancing Stick today. I locked my legs, got right into it and stretched until I could stretch no more. My ankle still bobbled around a bit, but my balance was strong. I have always wondered if I’m really in a T shape or not, but I got a “beautiful” comment from our instructor Rupi today, so maybe I’ve actually got it! I’ve also been concentrating more on looking for forward and really stretching from wall to wall. It’s a heart racing pose, but I like this one.
I also did well on Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose. I’ve really been working on keeping my legs locked the entire pose and today it paid off. It hurts to flex my quads that long, but when you do it in this pose, it really opens up your hamstrings to stretch your spine all the way down so your head can graze the floor. Today I messed up the little wispy pieces of my hairline, so I know I just grazed the towel. It was a great stretch and I felt super controlled today.
I’m plugging right along on my last week of the challenge and still enjoying each day. And I had a moment of thankfulness/gratefulness about my body this morning. It’s a little un-yogi-like to say this, but it helped me realize. Even though I’m short and sort of stocky in build (at least compared to all the other lean and skinny yogis in the room), standing next to this one girl this morning made me really appreciate everything my body has to offer. She was extremely tall and lanky and really just looked like a skeleton with skin on top. No curves, no meat. Even though we are all far from perfect, and I sometimes feel far from MY perfect, standing next to her made me realize that I kind of like my curves. I kind of like my shortness. And I know I love my muscles. They shape me, make me feel sexy and give me strength. Do I still want to lose some of the fat on top so more of the muscles shine through? Of course! But at least this morning I got to have a few moments where I loved my body and thanked it for supporting me every day as well as make me look like a pretty sexy woman! It was a good feeling…but now I’ll get back to not comparing myself to others. It’s definitely a healthier attitude to have. (It’s just hard in a room full of 1/2 naked sweaty bodies sometimes!)
