so what AM i talking about? YOGA!
anyone recall my first true experiences with yoga class? i still haven't figured out how to link to older posts, but the mere idea of wheel pose was laughable. my body didn't, wouldn't, and never would bend that way. ha. all the same, i loved it, especially the oh-so-delicious soreness in muscles i didn't believe i had ...needless to say, i was a rapid convert to the ranks of those addicted to yoga. part of it is the challenge (there is still SOOOO much i cannot do!), but the benefits...my word! the benefits! it's like physical therapy and massage and mind-clearing meditation all in one! i'm hooked.
on my last visit home, a friend came over with the P90X Yoga video. nice. it had some moves i hadn't seen before, thus some new challenges to tackle. now that i have conquered wheel (or at least can get up into the pose!), it was time for another goal to reach: may i introduce Crane pose?
for those of you not into such exercise, Wheel pose is essentially a backbend. yes, i understand that this position was nearly effortless to maneuver into as a child, but as a creaky, stiff and aging human adult, it's a slightly different story. my psoas and quadriceps don't quite agree with my inclination to stretch them in that manner, but i eventually brought them round to my way of thinking!
now Crane, on the other hand, was difficult for me even as a child in dance/gymnastics class. it's kind of like the inital position to get into a handstand...you crouch down, aim your knees towards your armpits while resting on the back of your triceps, look forward, and lift your feet off the ground. i.e., your entire weight is balanced on your hands, elbows bend backwards. here...this will explain it better:
when the video got to this point, my friend asked "can you do this?"...i kind of laughed and said "i dunno-never tried it before!". but i gave it a shot. ha. ha ha ha. HA! it was hard enough to try, much less lift even a toe off the ground! hello, new challenge, nice to meet you! but i wondered when i would try it again, not having access to P90X in my home.
well what do you know...when i arrived back in Florida, sitting on the kitchen counter was the newly acquired Eakes family DVD collection of P90X. thank you, my husband, for your desire to work out at home! sweeeet!!!
the house-bound state of this past week has had a couple of good things to say for itself, one being the opportunity to practice my YogaX every other day (trust me...i'm still a bit sore the day after...every day is too much right now!!). and...
i got my toes off the ground in Crane!!! i did it!!! granted, i only was able to hold the pose for 10 seconds, not the full minute you are supposed to, but on the third day of YogaX, i DID IT! now all that's left to do is perfect the form, and learn to control it for the entire time frame. it's a little step towards conquering it...but it's a step!
okay. i'll stop now, knowing that i've likely bored you all to death. but if you're the slightest bit intrigued, go take a yoga class. trust me - you'll soon be as giddy as me over it!! Peacock, here i come!!
or maybe...just maybe...Scorpion?!
that's not a real person.
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