Saturday Photo Shoot

I had a pretty good practice today.  I started slowly--everything's a little tighter in the morning--but by the end of half moon, it was as good a practice as any evening class.    Then Mel and I stayed for a while after class to take some "before" photos, even though this is getting closer to the half-way point for me.  Still plenty of room for improvement, though:

Half Moon: if I smile, I might (eventually) convince myself  that I like it?

Standing Bow: My balance is getting much, much better.  My feet are getting used to holding the pose and my standing leg is getting stronger.  I honestly thought I had been getting my kicking leg higher than this, but this just means I've got somewhere to go with it, right?  Still makes for a pretty picture :)

Triangle: Look how pretty!

Locust: This is completely the opposite of Standing Bow--I had no idea I was getting my legs up that high!  I know this pose is difficult and uncomfortable, but I promise you it works.  As an avid knitter and an office employee, I am prone to thumb cramping and wrist discomfort.  After doing this pose regularly for just 12 days now, I can already knit longer and with less discomfort.  As Bikram would say, 90 minutes of pain is much better than 90 years!

Camel: this was my struggle pose today.  I got into it just fine, but immediately felt dizzy and nauseous.  I couldn't go as far as usual, but didn't whip out of it--stayed where I was, focused my eyes, and breathed.  Unlike my triangle, this posture feels different every time.  Some days it feels great and on others, it can be a trial.  It sure feels great later with wide open lungs.

Spinal Twist: I love this one.  It feels so good at the end of the practice, squeezing all the remaining toxins from your spine.  Ahhhh.

We didn't take any pictures of standing forehead to knee because, well, I can't hold it anyway.  You'd get pictures of me falling down.  What's the sense in a "before" shot if I can't hold the pose for more than 0.75961 seconds.  If I reach my goal, I'll take some "after" pictures for you :)

Today's Embarrassing Moment: I forgot the difference between my right and left sides today during Balancing Stick.  I accidentally started on my left side and then wondered why it felt familiar when I was back on my left side.  Oops, silly me.  I just did two sets on the right side in the second part and all was well again, if a touch embarrassing.

Yin/Yang yoga with Kate tomorrow!

-Allie