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March 7, 2004
Yoga With a Hangover
I keep reading and hearing that someday... someday... I'll likely give up all my vices for my yoga practice. The first hurdle on that race is likely that I first have to see the vices. Believe me, I know I have plenty of vices... what I mean, rather, is actually viewing something I do as a vice. You know, like imbibing with wine. Now, I don't see it as a vice nor do I feel that not seeing it as a vice is a bad thing... what I have noticed over the past 6 months or so is that I will frequently pass up that second glass of wine in favor of a yoga practice the next day. Given that I hope, at some point when my kids are older, I will be able to practice daily... I realize that wine will, at that point, become a vice.
But for today, wine is something that I love... and Saturday night my husband and I went out to dinner and a wine bar for our anniversary. The wine bar was great -- a new little place in Hillcrest specializing in over 80 rated wines under $20. We had a wonderful tasting of reds for just $15. After the wine bar, we went to our annual anniversary dinner at California Cuisine (our first dinner as a married couple 9 years ago was at California Cuisine so every year we go back).
So, with the wine last night, I awoke this morning with a nice little headache. I normally do not drink enough to give myself a headache but I made the phenomenal mistake of having no water and then sitting in our extra-hot jacuzzi after we got home... hence it really wasn't a hangover...more a dehydration headache.
With a package of amnio acids dissolved in water, I headed to Kiran's last (*SOB*) primary series class. Fortunately for me, we were short on time and therefore shorter on the Sun Salutations than normal... a little faster with our pace.. making it much easier than it might have been. I still became tired after getting to the floor... I still can't make jump throughs through a whole practice yet ... and they make me so tired that Marichyasana B, I have to stop jumping all the way through. Today Kiran mentioned my seemingly inability to keep my hands all the way flat... the issue for me is that when I put all my weight into my hands keeping my hands flat, my elbows immediately and very grandly hyperextend thus making me weak and unable to hold my body weight (this is my biggest problem with trying to learn to jump with two feet into a handstand instead of using momentum and kicking up). Funnily, I can actually hold my body weight, with my hands flat in Kukkutasana because having my arms threaded for Garbha Pindasana gives me that stability in my elbows to do it right. Some people struggle with flexibility in their practices... my struggles will always be strength and hyperextension. Sometimes I feel so frustrated about it and, other times, I feel very content to just be struggling along with a not-too-terribly-sucky first series practice forever.
I was quite happy, however, that I was able to get my shoulders all the way under my knees for Kurmasana (though I can't straighten all the way or lift my feet)... and, with Kiran's help, was able to get a grasp and my feet pretty darned close to over my head in Supta Kurmasana.
It was brought to my attention recently that my Sirasana is, in truth, wrong. I cradle my head but I don't come all the way up onto my crown. I've tried a few times but it seems this puts some sorta torque on my bad wrist and it becomes very painful. If I just slightly balance my head on the edge of my hands, it takes that pressure off and I never feel my wrist. I guess I should stop doing it really... sometimes you wonder if these little modifications we do for our bodies are absolute no-nos or just learning crutches or just really freaking bad habits. The good news with Urdhva Dandasana is that, provided I don't spend too long up the first stretch, I can now tilt enough to see my feet and actually count to 2 or 3 (not breaths..just counting)... a little progression but progress nonetheless!
The rest of the day was spent simply enjoying the good life that San Diego allows us to have. It was an absolutely PERFECT and amazing sunny Summer type of day here. We went to the pool, we sat in the sun... we played outside... days like today are the absolute REASON why we spend so much money just to live here... you can't help but feel everything is right in YOUR world when the sun is shinging down giving you all those good vitamins!
Posted by shanti at 8:48 PM | Comments (1)