Ow.
Ow. Ow.
Freaking OW!!
My body hurts! And I feel a little bit sick. And I still have 2 long papers to finish writing before Friday. SIGH! At least I managed to do my yoga this morning and now I am curled up with a fuzzy blanket, in my big ridiculous pink Bikram yoga fleece (I look like a yoga marshmallow), drinking some kind of awesome ginger drink from Whole Foods before diving back into work. And at the end of the week, all the craziness will be over, so life ain't too bad. But still... at the moment... UGH!
In a disgustingly predictable turn of events, I hid in my office at my computer and just didn't practice all week. (At the same time, I kept periodically hopping on facebook and fixing up the Bikram 101 fan page for the 101 consecutive days of yoga that we're doing in January. That irony was not lost on me.) At the end of this week, I have an observation to make. NOT doing yoga hurts WAY MORE than doing lots of yoga! Holy. Crap. It is ridiculous. I spent the week just sitting at a desk in a cold room, getting zero exercise and being stressed out - which seems to be how a lot of people are forced to spend their lives on a regular basis - and my body freaking KILLS!! Legs, neck, and whole spine - lower back, middle back, upper back - just completely shot.
So my last couple classes - last night and this morning - have been interesting exercises, to say the least. They haven't been fun, but they've definitely been instructional. I definitely had some new experiences. (Be careful what you wish for... ) Like um, not being able to lock my knees in freaking padahastasana (which I could do in my first class in 2004 - I was a ballet dancer at the time.) Like not being able to do a backbend. You know how the first part of the backbend is "drop your head back, look at the floor behind you"? I think this was the first time I ever dropped my head back and couldn't see the floor. (At this point you're all thinking, Yeah, yeah, yeah, cry me a fucking river! Hah.) Holy hell! I didn't know what that felt like! I've gotta say... it really SUCKS. If that's what "normal people's" spines are like, then yes, everyone definitely needs to start doing yoga. I barely even went back in the first set - leaned back a little, got dizzy, and stood back up. Second set was okay, as I remember "don't be scared!" and just got my arms back and went for it, but it was pretty uncomfortable!!
With half-moon pose and hands-to-feet pose being a total and utter train wreck, it was surprising that a few postures didn't give me ANY trouble. Awkward pose. Eagle pose. Freaking STANDING HEAD TO KNEE, which I absolutely NAILED - did all 4 steps, put forehead on knee, hung out there for a bit, then backed it out step by step. Totally bizarre. That's actually, finally, become a good posture for me lately.
I feel like having a messed up body is a test of technique, more than anything else, right? If you know the right techniques, you should be able to apply them to your body no matter what condition it's in. You just have to think about it a bit more when your body is not in its usual condition, which can be a good thing!
Oh, and I think I broke my butt! Sigh. Not really. But my left glute (or maybe very top of the hamstring) was bugging me a bit a week or two ago, and then I guess I pushed it a bit too much yesterday, cause now it kinda hurts. I DID completely baby it today (hence the bent knees in padahastasana and my forehead being nowhere near my feet in paschimo), but too little too late. Oops. What can I say - I've never done that before! I didn't realize what was going to happen! Any thoughts? I'm hoping it's just a mild strain that'll get better FAST, as I have a lot of yoga plans coming up! I tried a heating pad last night and that made it worse. Maybe ice? It's so cold, I just can't bring myself to sit on an icepack! Maybe Arnica and Aleve...
So to sum up:
1. Whine whine whine.
2. You always have your technique.
and 3. Just don't stop going to yoga!!
11 comments:
Oh! Hope you feel better. I had the dizzies once in class. Wasn't sure what was going on until the next day I woke up sick. Ugh. At least it explained what was going on.
I would say stick to the good old RICE (rest, ice...chattering teeth..., compression, elevation) right now. OK, maybe not rest, but just take it easy on some postures. Maybe even take an Aleve to reduce the muscle swelling. Using ice on my hip flexor and not loving it. Ice when it's like 30 degrees out? Yuck. Good luck and get some rest! :)
Ok, this gives me even more reason not to stop. As if I needed any more incentives. I'm still scared to death about missing five days over Christmas, but that's a great point about the technique. I'm not going to forget how to do the postures in five days!
Do you take homeopathic arnica or apply arnica gel/cream. If you have some homeopathic arnica take some half an hour before you do your yoga and some half an hour after. Then take it every hour during the time you are awake for the rest of that day. Then see how you feel the next day. Don't forget what Emmy says,"be careful what you are thinking because the cells of your body are listening". Hope you feel back to your normal self real soon. I know that the lessons begin as soon as your intention is known that you are doing TT. It is amazing!! Our guru knows......
I pulled something in my right gluteal area on Thursday, practicing head to knee after class. What my teacher recommended - bath with epsom salts, and then massage with castor oil. I felt 60% better the next day, and then slowly pretty much all better by today. Hope that helps!
J, I hope your discomforts subside soon! As Jennifer suggested, you may want to try Epsom salts--a soak really soothes the muscles! If a hot pad didn't work, maybe some herbal oils? Perhaps tea tree oil may work. Take it easy! Sleep also does wonders--(even though you are incredibly busy right now with papers and such), if you can, try to get some more rest--and make the most out of Tortoise pose :)
Ha ha! I can relate with that! Can't see the floor with your backbend. wah! Seriously though, I usually can always see the back wall, so when I drop my head back and see the ceiling, that's my version of what you had to suffer! See you soon!
Poor, poor, poor you!
Sounds like you are coming down with the flu or something. You should get a good nights sleep.
Hope you will feel better soon.
Thanks for the fantastic feedback, guys! I hit up the Aleve and arnica gel, read a joke book (seriously!) and slept for ages yesterday. That was a really good call. I feel a lot better already. Will see how class goes tonight!
I was given some very good advice that I should work "around" this particular little injury rather than "through" it, so I will keep trying to do that!
Focus one point... - I loved what you said! Thank you for that! Emmy is brilliant. My mom used to give us homeopathic arnica when we were kids, but I've never used it since. That's actually a great idea, should try to find some for the future... where do you get that stuff?
G - The purpose of this post was not to terrify you out of EVER taking a break! LOL. There's a world of difference between a break spent hunched over a desk stressing out and a break spent enjoying holiday cheer with good friends and family. Your body responds to your state of mind A LOT! Just enjoy your break and you'll be fine. Move your body a bit, even if it's just walking around the mall, and the return will be much easier. Might even come back stronger!
Homeopathic medicine is available from Homeopathic doctors. In Australia where I live and practice as a Homeopath we can get Arnica from health food shops or wholefoods. It would be a great idea to have some on standby for TT in Spring. My husband and I are planning to do TT in the Fall. Nameste from Shardae .....
Oh! I think I know you on Facebook! (I've been moderating the Bikram 101 page, and there can't be THAT many Shardae's online doing Bikram yoga...) That is so exciting that you guys are coming to training. I will meet you there!!
I've noticed that my back and body ache when I am away from yoga too long and working hard at my computer. No amount of ergonomics can make it comfortable when you're working 8-10 hours straight. What is strange to me is wondering how I could stand it before I started practicing yoga. Was I not noticing the pain? Was I coping some other way? I just don't know, but I'm glad yoga class is there for me.
Post a Comment