Oh, that felt good

I don’t know why, I keep forgetting that if I don’t do yoga on a regular basis I feel like shit.  And yet, I keep skipping it and suffering.  I truly enjoy yoga, even if I am relatively inflexible and can’t do many of the poses really well.  Lotus position may not be achievable in my lifetime, but I’d be happy just to be able to do cobbler’s pose and bend my spine forward farther than a fraction of an inch.  Thing is, I suspect if I’d get off my lazy fat ass and actually DO a session four or five times a week, I COULD do that.  Couldn’t I. 

So I had time yesterday, while the kids were over at their dad’s enjoying the swimming pool, to do Rodney Yee's Power Yoga for Beginners .   I have several yoga DVD’s, but whenever I am limited on time or haven’t practiced in a while, I tend to gravitate toward this one.    I picked the 20 minute stamina section, since I like how he takes the sun salutation and eases you into the forward bends.  For my arthritic back I like to have a couple of slower transitions into forward bend before I try to swan dive it, otherwise the lower lumbar region tends to squawk quite vigorously over the injustice of the whole thing.  And the best thing, besides how good it felt and how focused and internal I felt, was that there was almost immediate relief from the pain in my hip and knee that had been plaguing me all day. 

One of the other benefits of yoga is that even if the kids are climbing up my butt, its something I can do with them in the room.  Its cute to see them attempt the poses, although I have to admit that laughing so hard you fall right out of triangle pose sort of defeats the purpose.  But to Little Man, EVERY pose means trying to do the splits.  And Child A is as uncoordinated as I was at her age (which means she is considerably uncoordinated) and it is so fun to watch her try and follow the instructor.  I’m hoping some of what she tries will stick and help her start figuring out how her joints work.  

 

I know part of the problem is that she’s so darned tall, and I remember trying to figure out at her age how to control my hands and legs and failing miserably.  I was (and am) the proverbial bull in the china shop  It doesn’t help that my ass seems to own an entire territory all its own.  I’ll be in the laundry room and turning around and it will bump into something that I hadn’t thought I was remotely CLOSE to.  I find myself looking down at it with a sense of irritation and surprise.  Geez, ass, I keep fooling myself into thinking you’re not that big and yet, there you are.  Then there are the arms – so long that I think I might possibly be half-simian.  (Now THERE is a question for my birthmother, who has never revealed the identify of my birthfather. NOW I KNOW WHY!  He’s a MONKEY!)  I have permanent bruises on my wristbones from whacking them on every doorframe and desk I walk past.  You would think after 43 years I would KNOW WHERE MY HANDS ARE and yet, I have no clue.

Yoga helps with the uncoordinated aspect, really it does. The first time I managed to do tree pose without falling off my one foot I was SO PROUD.    If I’m going to get any decent level of flexibility and balance, I’ve got to work a little harder at it.  So, today, I’m setting a goal of 4 practices a week.  If I meet my goal, I give myself a little prize.  Maybe a spa pedicure.  Or a new yoga DVD.  Suggestions?