I'm a bit stressed with work. I've got big things on my plate, all beta driven code, big licensing issues with the new tier of licensing MSFT has "not really announced yet" (and which are quite frustrating). I've got short deadlines and lots of lines of code to write. I worked all day yesterday. I noticed more and more that I need to stretch through my front, pushing my shoulders back and arching a little bit in my lower back throughout the day. I worked up until 11, read for a half hour, set the alarm for 5:15. My plan was to get up earlier than normal for practice today... give my body a chance to wakeup a bit, have some tea...

I somehow got to practice super early... the teacher trainees were doing kirtan with Tim, apparently instead of Pranayama. Surprisingly, the room was still relatively empty for the 7am Mysore class. I wonder where all the teacher trainees are for practice... or, maybe the room is just bigger than we all imagined. Regardless, this has been a non-mat-space-issue teacher training week... or maybe I'm just not affected much by that stuff anymore.

I noticed from the start that my back felt really happy today. I had just the most completely stellar practice ever. One of those times when you simply don't want the practice to end, where everything is perfectly still and calm and you want to hold onto the feeling and the experience as long as you can before the cold harsh reality of, well, work, starts to smother it out of you.

Practice just ROCKED.... rocked.. rocked...

I even got the Double Adjustment in Kapotasana today... after my first attempt at Kapotasana left me laying on my back with my right calf totally cramped up. I did it again with The Australian adjusting me this time and shortly after getting to my feet I saw The Man's feet at my head... I think I actually muttered "Oh no!" tried to breathe and then, bam, all the pain was gone... it felt amazing... joyful... exuberant. I don't think I actually got any further up my feet but I felt perfectly blissful nonetheless.

Backbends were spot on perfect for me today. I loved each and every one. I was able to slowly drop back.. come up without drama. Each one felt better than the last... I would have done 10 of them if I could have... my last drop back felt extraordinary.... My lower back never once screamed for my attention... interesting.

On the way home I analyzed what could have made practice so incredibly amazing today:

-- the stress I've been under coming out
-- the early morning rise allowing my body to wake up a bit before practice (but then I get that when I practice at 9am)
-- the Yerba Matte I drank (perhaps more calming than espresso shots -- but then again I drink Yerba Matte regularly before 9am practices and definiltely before noon ones)

or, more likely, the simple fact that we are all different everyday... our bodies change and grow... or mental space.. today was an on day and though I'd like to think that I've had some amazing breakthrough... I know I'll have off days again too.

For now... riding the yoga high...