Day 10

Somehow, it just keeps happening: I plan to go to a morning yoga class, but something else comes up, I postpone class 'til afternoon, then something else comes up, and I find myself attending the evening class! I dashed into class last night at the very last minute.

It's funny, but for most of the challenge, so far, the classes I've attended were taught by new or new-to-me teachers. Last night, I got one of my favorite teachers, one of the first teachers I had at this studio. He's tough but inspiring. He pushes you, but does it kindly. It was nice to be in his class last night.

I can't get over the fact that I no longer feel too hot in class. I'm somehow maintaining my energy and no longer feeling depleted during and after class.

I'm a very sweaty yogi. Often, before we finish pranayama breathing, I find myself standing in a puddle of sweat. Sometimes, I'll glance at my neighbors and notice people who seem to have only the merest hint of perspiration even by the end of class, their hair and most of their costume dry. It's funny how differently our bodies handle heat. Sweating so heavily has often made me feel drained. Whenever I've attended a class with a slightly lower temperature, I've felt more energetic. It's only in the last few weeks that I have been to hot, super-sweaty classes and felt strong throughout. I can't get over how good this feels, what a victory it seems.

I tried my hip adjustment in standing bow-pulling pose, and while I wobbled and had to work very hard to keep my balance, the hip adjustment gave me solid alignment.

Last night, half locust just happened right. I can't really pinpoint what the difference is, but some days both legs just float up high, and other times, I just lift at a wrong angle or using the wrong parts of my back and it's all I can do to keep the legs up just a bit. Hmph. I have an ongoing issue with floor bow too. If I don't have my legs at the proper angle, I feel pain in my left knee on lift-off. It seems so hit and miss--as if I'm just chugging along there, and one day or one set is just right and another day or set is just effed up. I want to work on observing myself in both of these postures, to try to identify the problems more precisely.

I am really psyched to have some specific things to work on, focus on, look for and strive for in my practice. Last year, there were plenty of times that my practice felt stagnant. I would attend class, slog through it, dying to get it over with. It felt like doing penance. One of our teachers often jokes during triangle, "the profile of your face miserable in the mirror," and miserable is a pretty good word to describe some of my yoga classes. I just got stuck. I was mired in how difficult it can be, and I got so consumed by the hard parts that I couldn't do anything more than endure. I know that we will all have days like that, but I had a couple of months like that. It's a relief to know that I can do more than just endure class, that I can make progress, refine my asana, my breathing, and my entire practice. I can focus on progress and on the things that feel good. I can enjoy it.