Day 12 - Super Spine Day!

Monday, April 12, 2010 ~ 6:00AM class with Jacqueline

Ah, it's Monday and my 6:00AM class run starts again today. I was wondering how I would do today as I was exhausted yesterday from an afternoon of shopping for new clothing items. I wish it were for yoga wear; it's mainly clothing for lounging around the house. After preparing a late-ish dinner of homemade macaroni 'n cheese with a side of green peas, I was ready to go to bed by 10:00PM (an early night for me!).

It is said that how one does Pranayama breathing will dictate the outcome of the rest of the class. In my case, I thought I did better than I expected; Pranayama is my least liked activity but surprisingly I was into it this morning. I was then surprised at how stiff my lower back felt so my first set of Hands to Feet Pose was not the best. Second set was better though, and my first back bend was not bad. Oh but I totally tanked during the balancing poses, especially the Standing Head to Knee and Standing Bow Pulling. My standing leg just could not balance well. My hip joints were very stiff, so it's quite painful to extend my leg straight without wobbling. Balancing Stick was not bad, but not close to perfect either. What a relief that my Triangle Pose was good; I was still able to sit down low until my thigh was parallel to the floor the whole time. My Toe Stand was good too; I was able to hold both hands in Namaskar on both sets. During the 2 minute savasana (Dead Body Pose) I was distracted by my neighbour's laboured breathing through his mouth. He's a newbie, so he probably has not gotten used to the fact that one must breathe in and out through the nose.

Now comes the floor series, or the spine strengthening series. Starting with the Cobra Pose, I was very happy to execute it quite well with my head held up high by my lower back strength with very minimal support from my hands. I wish I could see how high my legs were lifted during the third part of the Locust. My spine felt really, really strong today! Although I didn't do well during the standing series, I was very pleased with the floor series. I just would have to reach that balance...one day. Namaste.