And then I got pregnant.
It was all fun and games until my belly literally started getting in my way. It's bad enough that I'm constantly bumping it against tables, chairs, and other random "I forgot to account for that" obstacles. It's in my way in yoga too. In Child's Pose, it presses into the floor; same in Pigeon. When I'm trying to take a forward fold, I have to adopt a fairly wide straddle just to keep my stomach from squishing against my legs (which the baby has informed me does not feel good and he doesn't appreciate it).
Of course, having something like 19 pounds sitting directly on my front does lovely things to my balance too. I used to at least be good at balancing: now, I have days where I legitimately feel much more comfortable with my toes on the ground in Tree Pose:
(That's my backyard, by the way: I love it back there!)
Tell me about you: are you a devoted yogi who knows Sanskrit and goes on cool yoga retreats? Do you try to fit in a couple Sun Salutations next to your bed before your morning coffee? Or are you scratching your head wondering how on earth you salute the sun? (No judgement here, just wanting to know who's out there :-)
I don't know Sanskrit, but I do know it's part of the Indo-European language family :-) Total yoga noob, but as an academic and a mother, I've found it's pretty awesome for reminding me of the existence of all these interesting parts of my body and helping me to shut down the constant stream of anxious chatter in the back of my head so I can do things like pray and not flip out at my kids when they're screaming at each other and demanding to watch shows and eat snacks while I'm making dinner (like right now).
ReplyDeleteSo true. I found yoga to be really helpful in the years when I was starting to tackle my panic attacks: while it wasn't "the quick fix," (that would be being forced to drive across Mobile Bay!), learning how to breathe in a really calming way has helped me to maintain the gains I made.
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ReplyDeleteI'm not very knowledgeable about yoga, but YEARS ago I took a class ( my college had P.E. requirements which was actually a good thing for us native couch potatoes). All I remember was the sun salutation. I still use it as an overall stretch, but I suspect I have modified it over time. I wonder if I should check (you tube maybe?) and see just how far I have wandered from the original? or just happily continue with my personal interpretation of it?
ReplyDeleteYou know, it's funny; I've seen some different interpretations of sun salutations on youtube (plus, there's both Version A and Version B: A is the one that starts standing, B starts with Chair pose), so I don't believe there's just one "right" way to practice it. I think if it's working for you, keep doing it! But variety is the spice of life, so trying a "new-to-you" way can prevent boredom (which is why I like trying new flows and rarely do the same one twice in one week!). :-)
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