Oct 30, 9:15

There have been some posts on the Bikram yoga.com forum lately (I'm jtho there) about least favourite poses and body type, which I think are often connected. I think about this myself, sometimes. For example, I have noticed that a large percentage of men can do Awkward 2 really well, even those on their first class, where this seems to usually (not always) be a more difficult posture for women.

Sometimes I know that my body shape and condition makes poses more difficult, but of course, other poses are easier. (Not ever easy - if it's easy, you need to figure out what to do to make it a challenge!)

I recently asked my boyfriend (who does not do yoga) to lie down on the floor next to me and do Wind Removing. This is a pose that is not particularly taxing for me. I have very flexible hips, and I feel a lovely, nice, wonderful stretch in my hip flexors in both the one-legged and two-legged parts of this posture. However, I sometimes notice that people on either side of me are struggling with this one, and even come out of it early. I honestly had no idea where this could be hurting - in the hips? in the legs somewhere? abdomen?

My boyfriend tried it out and he said he felt something in his hips and something in his hamstrings (which are always very tight), but that it wasn't particularly painful. Ah well, I thought, just part of the yoga mystery.

Last weekend, I went away for 3 days, and I had about a 7-hour drive to my destination. I also had a 1-hr wait at the border crossing into the US, which meant a lot of small movements in my legs between the clutch, gas and brake. (I did shut the car off a few times as I *hate* idling, but we were moving pretty much the whole time - just a very long line). Now, for the past few days, my legs and hips have been killing me.

On my first class back from my trip, I felt some pain in my hips in Wind Removing. A lot of pain. So much pain that I almost wanted to let go of my leg and come out early. Five days later, I am still feeling this pain in the pose, though it has diminished a fair amount. Now, I finally understand what is happening in other people's bodies when they have to give up in this posture.

Maybe one day I will understand the easiness of Awkward II and will get down into that chair?