Oct 22, Noon

I have to admit that I am not really a fan of the noon classes. I normally go to 9:15s on M, W and F, and then the 8 or 10 am on Saturday and Sunday. I know when and how much to eat for the morning classes. I have a smoothie 1.5-2hrs before class, finishing it no later than 1 hr before class starts. I also have 1 L of water, which I stop drinking 30 mins before class starts. This works well for me. However, there is no 9:15 on Tuesday and Thursday at my studio, so noon it is - I just can't drag myself out of bed for the 6 am classes, at least not regularly. I am still figuring out the balance of what and when to eat before the noon classes, and I have been feeling hungry by the time we get to the floor, which makes the belly-down series hard(er) to get through.

I have been able to do Tree Stand for quite some time, including lifting off of my heel and meeting my eyes in the mirror. A few classes ago, Claire told me to start lifting off my heel earlier. We talked about it after class, and she said my goal should be to have my hips off my heel the whole time I am down. I have tried lifting right away, but I am not able to sustain it until it is time to come up. I am working backwards, and right now am lifting when the dialogue says to stretch your spine up, and holding it as long as I can. Once I can hold that long, I will start lifting even earlier.

However, in today's yoga class, I received yet another Toe Stand correction from Claire. Usually, after I meet my eyes in the mirror, I put my hips back on my heel, then lean forward and push back up. Today, in the second set, she told me not to sit back down - go directly from meeting my eyes in the mirror to leaning forward to push back up. Holy crap! This is one of the few times I have ever made a noise during class. A sort of half-moan-half-grunt escaped my lips. I think I discovered some new muscles in my legs! I love having new things to work on, though.

Today was also the 12th day in a row that I've gone, and there was a double in there, too. I did a 30-day Bikram Yoga Challenge last April, and it was days 13 - 21 that I was in a lot of pain. It was my lower back and quads then. Today, right on schedule, my pain started. This time, it is in my upper back (weird), and my hip flexors. My legs in general are a bit heavy, too. It's good pain, though! I know I am building strength. I am leaving town tomorrow for a mini-vacation, and won't be able to practice for 3 days. While part of me is happy that the pain will likely relax a bit, I am actually a bit more disappointed that I won't be working through it. But my new yoga schedule will resume when I am back on Monday, and I'm sure when I am back to my new daily yoga practice, I'll be enjoying this pain again soon.