In sickness and in health, I am commited to this practice.

I got sick yesterday: felt a bit like an allergy and also like a head cold. My nose felt stuffy, I was sneezing a lot, and my eyeballs felt as if they were burning. I settled into class with a stash of tissues in case the sneezing commenced or my nose started running. The heat felt good, and by the end of pranayama breathing, my head felt clear. As class progressed, my head felt hot and feverish at times. I didn't kill myself or work extra hard, so it wasn't bad. My full locust posture felt weak and pathetic, but all in all, I am pleased that I made through class. The hot room and the yoga seem to have cured me of most of the head congestion.

Today, however, my stomach was very upset, and I felt a little congestion in the lungs. I was tired, dehydrated, and cranky, but I didn't want to miss class. I drank an electrolyte drink and postponed going to the studio until the last class, in the hopes that my stomach would settle by then. It was a very uncomfortable class, as my stomach just plain hurt during most of it. The room was hot--over 108--and very humid, and people were dropping like flies toward the end of standing series. I sat out one set of triangle, myself, which makes me feel a little disappointed in myself. Yet again, I'm glad to have gotten through class and done as much I did.

This morning, as I drove past a Lululemon store, I saw a sign in their window that said something like, "It takes just 21 days to form a habit." Thursday will be the 21st day of the challenge, so maybe going to yoga every day will be fully ingrained in me then! I really felt like staying home these past 2 days, but I want to succeed in this challenge. I'm feeling so determined right now.

These are the changes that I've noticed so far:

--Many of my postures show signs of improvement. I am happiest about keeping my hips positioned better for standing bow and for balancing stick. I've always been "good" on one side and "bad" on the other in those poses, but now I am gradually evening out. I'm also ecstatic to have found better form in bow pose. It used to hurt my knee so much that I was afraid to even try it. One of my teachers worked with me after class to help me figure it out.

--I don't feel so strained and struggling. I am slowly, slowly learning to ease into postures, to use my breath more and to stop fighting my way into a pose.

--I don't feel uncomfortable from the heat anymore. After practicing for so long, I'd more or less given up the idea of that ever happening, but since early in this challenge, it's become a regular thing for me. Sonya says it's because I am breathing more efficiently.

--Most of the time, my water consumption and thirst are much lower than they used to be.

--I'm still a busy-body, checking out other people's outfits, asana, and expressions, but I am also learning to spend more of the class time focusing on my practice. And along with that, I mean learning that focusing on myself and focusing on my practice are separate things.