By 9:15 am I had already dropped off and picked up Jessi and/or Monika 5 different times from only 2 different places. The girls are either at school or the pool (which has tennis courts next to it). I spent the rest of my morning organizing photos for Monika's school scrapbook that I aim to finish by tomorrow with her graduation pictures.
At 1pm I took Monika to tennis and stayed by the pool, swimming and reading. At 4pm I decided to get my 10th yoga class done -- only 42 left to reach my goal for this summer. Today I did, what is for me, the hardest class; the 90 minute hot yoga.
The traditional Bikram class has 26 poses, all done is a very warm room, usually over 100 degrees. This was the 3rd hot yoga class I have done this summer and each time I have left feeling as if I had been hit by lightning. The 23rd pose is sasangasana (in sanskrit) which means rabbit pose. I have always thought this to be an easy pose until today when the teacher informed me I was doing it wrong. I never understood why one needed to hang on to the heels and now I know why. This pose is not just about stretching the spine, it's about folding it. The only way to get my forehead near my knees was to use my heels to pull. It strengthens the stomach and back, improves elasticity of the spine and posture, helps with sinus and stimulates the thymus gland. It made me nauseous.
Each time I practice yoga, while I am invigorated, I am frustrated. While I am empowered, I am humbled. It is so not easy. During hot yoga, I begin with the pranayama series or the standing deep breathing pose and I am already uncomfortable due to a couple of fused discs in my neck from a car accident in high school. I have learned to work through the discomfort trying to concentrate on the breath rather than the movement of leaning my head back, but it is difficult practice. Still, it takes practice.
So the rest of my day was getting walking shoes for Jessi for Italy and Greece, shopping for her swim suit, making dinner and watching a movie on netflix with the girls while eating. I finished off the evening working on Monika's scrapbook, wondering where the day went. It seemed to slip away like the bunnies in our yard-- quickly, but not so fast as to evade my cats... I only found a foot this morning on our back porch. Yesterday Marty brought a rabbit's head inside (that was fun). Everyday, we see different parts and while it makes us sad for the rabbit, we still love the cats.
Comments