Well folks, I’m back after a one week hiatus due to a week-long migraine. That’s right. A migraine that lasted a week. Needless to say I could barely function let alone do yoga. But after a lovely trip to the ER and a prescription of antibiotics and codeine, I’m back!
So today was the first day back to yoga since last Wednesday and it was a glorious session! The whole day was a bit out of the ordinary which I think is the reason.
So first, I didn’t have to be at work today until 9:30 since I was going to a training seminar on what the month of August looks like for the legislature. It was 2 and a half hours long, a bit boring at times, but pretty informative. I finished around 12:00, went to my desk, worked for about an hour, then grabbed some delicious coffee and a sandwich from Starbucks and got back to work. Then my boss told me I was free to leave early. After requesting that I be able to leave on time for the early yoga session she told me to just go ahead and leave at 3:30. And I did.
So I rode my bike home in the 95 degree heat (practically chilly to a Bikram yogi!) and grabbed my gear. I headed to the post office to pick up the last of a few posters I’d ordered to decorate my kitchen (pics to come soon). Then I got to yoga around 4:15, changed my clothes, grabbed a spot in the room and waited for the session to start.
Today’s session was bizarre in a couple ways:
1) I made it to the 4:30 session, which is significantly less crowded than the 6:30 session since most people are still at work. With less people in the room I was able to concentrate better on my poses and I truly feel that I had a much better session today than I had during any of the 6:30 sessions.
2) Our instructor’s first language was Spanish and he knew enough English to give the poses. He was obviously fluent in English but he dove in and out of English and Spanish throughout the whole session, which I actually really liked. It was however a bit distracting because sometimes when you’re in a pose, you can block out the instructor’s voice and just concentrate on your position. But when he wove back and forth between English and Spanish I had to strain my ears to not only hear him, but to translate his words into English then apply it to my pose. Today’s session was a double workout: I worked out my body and my Spanish skills.
3) Because I did the 4:30 session I don’t feel as tired afterwards as I normally do. While it’s true that I did miss my exit on the freeway cus I’d zoned out a bit, I still feel much better when I finished at 6 as opposed to 8. I feel relaxed, whereas before I just felt tired. I managed to get about 9 hours of sleep last night (which, for me, is the adequate amount that I need to properly function without yawning all day), which I think greatly contributed to my feeling less tired today. It’s possible though that my energy can be attributed to the latte I guzzled at 1:00 today, but I’ll go with sleep and yoga instead.
4) I successfully did my two favorite poses today (although one of them I’d always been able to do since it’s easy as pie).
The first one is Savasana…
Savasana is (obviously) a part of the floor exercises where you lay flat on your back with your legs apart and hands at your side. It’s meant to function as a resting pose between your other, more physical poses. Savasana is also called Corpse Pose. Is there any question as to why I love it?
My second favorite pose is Supta-Vajrasana:
This pose starts with you sitting on your knees and leaning back as far as you can on your elbows. Eventually you lay back so that your back and head are on the floor and your hands are above your head, as shown in the picture. I used to be able to do this pose in Fresno but then I stopped doing yoga and it’s not a good idea to jump back to where you left off after so little practice. Just like you wouldn’t run a marathon after having not run a mile in years, so too would you refrain from Supta-Vajrasana after 2 years of not practicing.
And so that’s a recap of my day and the evening’s session. I feel much more relaxed and less tired after today’s workout, which I attribute to adequate sleep and an earlier yoga session. And even better, I was able to do my two favorite poses (but really, just the one) after not having been able to do them in a long time.
Namaste.
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