Wednesday -103

Yoga with Strength Emphasis. Wow. This was challenging. I think my favorite thing Deni said on this episode was, "Let's all drop to our knees into Child's Pose"! My breathing was excellent for this practice! Probably because it was difficult. I find my breathing quiets or lags when I am not pushing my body.

I had to pause my practice at least 3 times. Twice to kill those darn spring bugs sneaking into our home and once to clean a bum. None of these "breaks" lasted long enough for me to cool off, so it was okay! I hate getting warmed up, having to stop... then going back to warm up AGAIN! The warming up is not the fun part!! It's like I have to work twice as hard to get to the good bit,

Wag the Tail, I am a beginner. Twisted Root, I am intermediate. Dolphin - big time beginner. Man, my triceps need work! But there are other poses in which I am advanced. Every one's body is different and we should never expect the same level of ability for all of these poses.

I noticed last night after my comfy jog that my flexibility has increased. Standing forward bend, I can put my head to my knees. When I started I was so lacking in flexibility I could barely touch my toes. This morning, I find that my Dandasana, Staff Pose, is WAY better! When I tried it the first time, I was pushing on the floor, but didn't go anywhere. Now, my hippo gets 2-3 inches off the floor. So cool!

This was a really good episode. I feel a little tired, but I know after I eat something the energy will come back. I got good and warm and pushed myself, while honoring my current limitations.

Thought for the Day: We all complain about out bodies, our limitations, or flaws, and our bodies never say a bad word about us. Our body's never stop working because it gets offended, it just quietly does it's best to do the tasks we put to it. It never betrays us. When it breaks down, it is due to some outside force, or more usually due to our own treatment. Let's try to honor our bodies in a similar way. Let's try to take better care of these shells that do so much, be more accepting of their trials and weaknesses. We do it for our friends, don't we? We forgive and forget, we comfort and help. Perhaps if we do these things for these husks that do so much for us, we might like ourselves more.