I am a morning person, through and through. I was born in the morning, I cannot sleep in past 8:00AM, and by 10:00PM, I am already "falling off my perch" (as what my mother-in-law would say). Which is why I prefer to practice yoga in the morning (6:00 or 9:30 on weekdays and 7:30 on weekends), and I've already had a few 6:00AM classes tucked under my belt. Getting up at 5:00 AM? No sweat! Ha ha!
One of the instructors said that there are both pros and cons to practising either in the morning or afternoon. In the morning, one tends to have a cold body from being asleep all night but one's mind is fresh and clear of distractions. By the afternoon, one's body is already stretched, but the mind tends to be too busy and prone to distract one's practice. The 3:45PM class would have been fine for a work day, except that I would be squeaking in with only a few minutes to get ready and settled in. I would be lucky to park my mat down on my favourite corner spot where I could see myself in the mirror front and side. This class is also a busy one--busy class, hotter room, closer proximity to a sweaty neighbour, and not much arm room to do a proper Full Locust.
So today, a work day, I had no choice but to attend the 3:45. With only about 10 minutes to get ready, and not finding my headband, boy was I in a tizzy. Good thing my studio has complimentary hair ties! Nothing more distracting than hair sticking to your face when you need to focus on your practice! I parked myself beside the door, close to the wall where the thermostat is. 99 degrees F. Not bad, but why do I feel hot already? It wasn't a packed class as it is the Easter long weekend. My practice was doing fairly well, except during Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose where I felt this awful stinging sensation down my nostrils! I was bending with my forehead touching my knee, and I could only think of some beads of sweat going down the wrong way! That sure hurt! So much so that I had to get out of the posture and stand upright until the stinging subsided. It felt like I've inhaled sea water! Ouch!
Big changes are happening to my body. My spine is becoming more and more flexible as my back bends are getting deeper little by little each day. I still have quite a ways to go, but that is the beauty of yoga. You have a whole lifetime to reach your goal, whatever it is. There will be good days and bad days. Tired days and sore days. In my case, it's simply amazing that no matter how well or bad my 90 minutes pan out, I am happy to let it go and look forward to the next day. And tomorrow it will be a morning practice. Happy Easter, and Namaste!
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