Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life, Fat Lip

I just started reading Mindful Yoga Mindful Life by Charlotte Bell. I'm still pretty early in the book but I am enjoying it so far and feel like she is speaking to ME. Don't you love when that happens? I'll write a real book report once I'm finished.

My face met the floor last night in what seemed like one of the most challenging classes I have ever taken. The theme seemed to have been "What can't Marilyn do?" and I walked out with a fat lip, nothing too crazy, my face was closer to the floor than I thought at one point. I wish I can tell you the name of the pose I was working on when it occurred but I can't. It was an arm balance that didn't quite happen. But it's all good. Happy Wednesday!

Ongoing Wrist Problem

I have been practicing Yoga for about five years now. One thing that has not changed since day 1 is the feeling my wrists feel in Full Wheel. I have tried every trick in the book: parallel your feet, don't let your knees splay outward, draw your chest forward, shoulders above the wrist. I can almost dare say that I do a PERFECT WHEEL! But man my wrist continue to hurt. In most classes, you can't do just one, instructor will ask for three. My wrist are done after the first but of course, Miss Pushy Pushy has to keep going and suffer.

I think my wrists are pretty small and not in scale with the rest of my frame, could that be it? I have tried other alternatives like grabbing my instructor's ankles while they stand over me or setting up blocks against the wall and place my hands on them instead of the floor but that just seems like too much work for me to do at the end of class. I think I may have to just do one wheel and the rest bridge poses. I hope I am not causing long-term damage to my wrist bones.

Me? Recommended??? Pah-Shaw!!!!

What wonderful news I received this morning when I learned that C&Y is currently the YogaDawg Recommended Blog for the moment, it could be a week, a day, 15 minutes, bloggin' is serious business folks so I'll take anything I can get. YogaDawg is such a wonderful and fun site where you can spend HOURS just checking everything out. I personally like The Buddha takes a Yoga Class series. Anyway, a big THANK YOU for the honor. :)

So how do I celebrate this joyous occassion? By messing up my Right leg Tuesday night. From my hip - which I have been keeping a close eye on since the inflammations, down to my ankle bone especially around the Peroneus muscles which are muscles directly linked to the ankle. I've been having trouble with those muscles for YEARS, even before I started doing yoga. Just working out at the gym if I was on the treadmill those muscles would cramp up way too fast. Even now if I do a fast walk those are the first to fall apart on me. I'm not quite sure how to strengthen those muscles, maybe walking on my tippy toes?

**Waves**

I went to yoga last night, the first time in two weeks! My teacher, Lippy, gave me a few tips on what to do to take care of my hip in forward bends (ie: roll up a blanket and folder over that). I didn't go crazy with the forward bending. I have an excellent forward bend where my palms can lay flat on the ground and my forehead touches my knee but last night I checked my ego at the door and used blocks, blocks, and more blocks. Even in Trikonasana I used blocks.

My teacher has now forbidden me from using my right leg to kick up into Handstand. =*( It's my "A side", my left leg gets neglected a lot. So I tried to kick up with my left leg and it truly is like learning how to do a handstand all over again. Kinda sucks but I understand why I must do it, balance baby! It's crazy how you can get your body to move a certain way on one side but when you try the other side you are completely lost and your legs are just flaring out like crazy.

It was nice to be back in class. The anti-inflammatories I was taking for my hip did the trick and I haven't felt any pain in about a week. I may refill the prescription and just keep it in the cabinet in case it flares up again. The doctor thinks that's enough to do the trick. I'll stick with that.

Hip Update

peace3
Originally uploaded by Marilyn P. Sushi

Sorry I have not posted in a few days. I've been meaning to. There is just not enough time in the day. So the latest news is the doctor thinks what's wrong with my hip is Bursitis. This will not be confirmed until I get the x-rays done which won't be until early next month.

From WebMd:
Bursitis is the inflammation or irritation of the bursa. The bursa is a sac filled with lubricating fluid, located between tissues such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin, that decreases rubbing, friction, and irritation.

So if this continues without it being addressed, the sac could burst and I'll have bone grinding on bone and I definitely don't want that. Right now I'm taking anti-inflammatories and laying off the physical activities. I only feel discomfort when I'm walking, not when I'm in a hip opener which is odd but I still won't push it.

So what's with this picture? I wanted to share this after it was emailed to me from Megan from Fleeting Moments. The two photos were taken by me and she's displaying in her meditation room. I feel so honored. :)

Yoga Injuries

The Perils of Posing.

This is a web exclusive through Newsweek.com. I like that the piece doesn't deter people from doing yoga but to practice better judgment. I mentioned previously that I sometimes fall victim to the "competitive" aspect of Yoga. Here is one part that really stood out for me:

How do they get injured?
There are two scenarios I see frequently. One is that a group of girlfriends gets together, and one woman says to another, "Come to my yoga class." The woman who extended the invitation has been doing yoga a while, and the friend who comes along finds herself in a class that's too advanced for her. She ends up in our office.

I have seen this quite a bit in the past. I would be afraid to try something that may be a bit out of my league. It would not hurt the more experienced Yogi friend to take a beginner class with the friend. For yoga, a practice is a practice and you should be grateful for any time you can get on the mat.

This is another reminder that ultimately, the body is in control and our mind has to listen and not be so stubborn.