Day 8
After Tuesday's awesome class, I feel inspired to have a really awesome home practice. Music on, and I flow for a half hour. I'm getting better at moving consistently, and not getting stuck thinking about what to do next and how to flow from one pose to another. I even practice some inversions, putting my legs up the wall in an inverted downward dog, as I move towards learning a hand stand.
Day 9
Another home practice after work. My lower back is getting more aggravated so I tweak my practice to incorporate lots of core work that a physical therapist has recommended to me. Though they aren't traditional yoga poses, I work them in between vinyasas and make sure I'm breathing deeply to make to feel more yogic. I do a half hour easily. It seems like I've broken through my old notion that I only know enough yoga to keep me going for 15 minutes of home practice. I'm now hanging out at 30 minutes, but I know I'll continue to stretch that amount out as I keep going.
Day 10
We're heading for Yosemite this evening, and I know I won't have time to practice in the evening. Despite a late night packing and cooking for the camping trip, I wake up 20 minutes early to get some time on the mat. Because my back is hurting, traditional sun salutations are out, and I struggle to pick poses to do. My body is stiff and by the end of 15 minutes I feel worse than I did before I started. That's a first.
Day 11
After a full day's hiking in Yosemite, I realize I haven't done any yoga yet. Once back at the campsite, I take a few breaths, and touch my toes. I'm hyper aware of the full campsite of people who can see me. My nerves take over, I stand up quickly, mumble "namaste" to myself and join my friends around the campfire. This is the first day I've skipped, but I've done quite a lot of deep breathing and communing with nature, so I feel OK.
Day 12
We go for another hike in Yosemite, this time pausing at the bottom of a waterfall. While the guys of the group scramble higher up the mountain, I sit on a rock with the two girls I'm camping with. We're cross-legged, and one girl says, without a hint of irony, "let's close our eyes and relax." She places her hands face-up on her knees, and begins breathing deeply. I join her for a minute or so, but my eyes keep sneaking open. I'm so impressed by her attitude. She doesn't feel silly about wanting to breathe deeply and center herself, and she's not making excuses. I think back to myself yesterday, sheepishly whispering namaste to myself before rushing back to the group. I was so concerned I'd get caught, as if doing yoga was embarrassing! I'm grateful for the lesson in enjoying the things you enjoy openly.
Day 13
Monday, and I'm back at work. It's a tough day in the office, and once home I have boxes and boxes of campfire-scented camping goods to clean and pack away. By 8:30, Andrew has taken over the cleaning, dinner is eaten, and I do a 15 minute yoga video on YouTube. This one is focused on relaxing for bedtime, in fact the woman leading it encourages you to practice in your PJ's and finish the savasana in bed. I don't take it that far, but I do feel pretty relaxed afterwards.
Day 14
Another Tuesday, which means another class at noon in my office. I go into the class feeling cranky and sick to my stomach, thanks to some diet issues. By the end I'm relaxed. My ujjayi breath is coming much more easily to me than it used to, which helps keep me calm throughout my practice.
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