Monday: Ashtanga Yoga, 70 minutes
Tuesday: Ashtanga Yoga, 70 minutes
Wednesday: Ashtanga Yoga, 55 minutes
Sunday: Ashtanga Yoga, 70 minutes
I only got in four yoga practices this week, but that was the plan, so I'm still pleased and feeling on track. Monday and Tuesday were normal practices. I'm starting to get stronger, having an easier time getting through Suryanamaskara A&B at the beginning of my practice, working harder at my jumping back, and lasting longer before I have to collapse on the mat between poses.
I've been really focusing on my breathing, taking my time and trying to inhale and exhale fully with each pose and each movement. I've also been working on focusing on my Drishti, or focal points. This has really helped me stay focused inward. It also surprisingly has helped me hold my bandas (locks) better. Of course, not being able to see may have had something to do with it ... or so I thought. Monday-Wednesday I was still without my contacts, and doing yoga with utterly blurred vision. It makes an inward focus a lot easier when you're incapable to seeing what's going on around you.
Wednesday my practice was shortened, and I did it at home. I had to be at the surgeon's office just after 8 a.m. for my LASIK surgery. I still made it through the warmup, standing poses, and backbends through the finish. It was important to me to get this practice in, even if I had to shorten it. First, I knew I'd have to take off three days after the surgery, and this way I'd still get in four practices for the week. But also, I was terrified going into the surgery, and the practice helped calm me down a bit The double dose of Valium at the doctor's office helped even more. :)
By Sunday I was so looking forward to getting back to the mat. I missed it after a few days away. And my practice was amazing! I was surprised at how focused I was even though I can now see everyone in the room. I still managed to maintain my gaze at my Drishti, at least most of the time. I still kept my breathing deep and focused, and continued to work on my bandas. And today I felt the strongest yet. I made it through the warmup feeling great ... none of the exhaustion during the last few poses that I usually feel. My balance was good, my forward bends were bendier, I managed to work hard on my jumping back all the way until the last few poses ... and then I even managed to have some real strength left for my backbends. Just fantastic!
I know that as this next week progresses, I may go up and down. The first day of practice after some recovery is often the best. But I'm seeing progress after just a couple weeks, and that makes me look forward to what's to come. Even better, I'm seeing how much better I feel off the mat. And that's the real incentive.
I even think I'm ready to start running again. I had a dream the other night - I was running up Ladera Norte, and enjoying it. I woke up knowing that it was time to lace up my running shoes and get back out there, are least a little bit. It's going to be a process to get back in shape - I have no idea where I am right now. But underneath it all, I'm a runner ... and so I need to run.
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