Nice practice again Next to Tova and Alfia and Portside, can’t complain

Still doing modified moves for the jumps (basically stepping) and not doing Janu Sirsasana C, but other than that feeling really flexible. Today I worked again on the backbends, and it is established that I can raise myself up (finally!!) The totally kill me, but still, I can see how quickly I’m improving and that I’m stating to be able to curve my back (rather than just raise myself in plank). Very happy and looking forward to tomorrow

Well, couldn’t practice after last Sunday until today. A series of reasons: Ladies’ Holidays, for one, and lack of sleep, another… it’s been a really tough week at work. But today I had to go back to practice, and I’m glad I did–practice was a little rushed (I had an appointment early in the morning, so I could not afford to be late), but still good. I manage to get stretches that were significantly deeper than most of what I have done so far in some poses–including in some of the Prasarittas and Marichi C And… I manage to push up during the backbends!!! This is a totally great development, since I had not been able so far Yay! 

Cannot wait to go tomorrow

Finally, last Sunday I ventured to practice at the Shala again. Before, I did not only feel like I had to give my toe some time to heal, but also because I had transportation problems (long story, related with the fact of being a non-resident needing documentation that takes forever to be able to renew my driver’s license). Anyway. Everything finally came into place and I could go.

It was great to see everyone, and the whole practice felt really great. No adjustments–I think D was trying to give me a break–although I felt extremely flexible and bendy (well, my attempt at back-bends sucked, but that should not surprise me). Other than that, it all felt great. I’m glad to be back

Silly toe still bothering me quite a bit. Not only that, but I just had the worst Ladies’ Holidays, so I stopped practicing for a few days. I went back to it today–I’m happily keeping the flexibility and the strength, but of course the vinyasas are still not a reachable goal for now. It still amazes me how good it can feel just to do as much as I can (which is still a lot). I’m loving the home practice, but I do miss AYC

On Monday, checking with an orthopedist if everything is going right with the healing. Please cross fingers for me!!

Inspired by yesterday’s relative success, I practiced at home before work this morning again. It was nice–I appreciated being able to see the sky through my windows, and the sun I was saying hi! to

Again, I took easy modifications for the jump backs and jump throughs–not jumps, just steps. I skipped the same seated poses as did yesterday–since they would put pressure on my toes, which I don’t want to risk. I also continued to skip the vinyasa in between the seated poses (a bit of a cheat…, I know, but I admit I am still afraid of forcing the toe, which is still hurting even when I walk).

Much focus on breathing, and overall I was happy to see that the flexibility was not completely gone. In the meantime, putting an arnica medication on the toe, and praying that it will miraculously heal sooner than for most people…

After a completely wasted week, in which I felt increasingly unhappy and stressed (and ate a lot as a result), I finally decided to give a try to practice today. I was a little hesitant since the toe still hurts and the foot is still bruised, but I thought it was worth the risk.

I was happy to see that I could go through the Sun Salutations (without the jumps, just taking steps, but still going through all the motions). All the standing poses were comfortable as well. The seated asanas were a little trickier. For today, I skipped all the vinyasas and just moved from a pose to another (I thought the effort for the bruised foot during Chaturanga Dandasana and the transition to Urdhva Mukah Svanasana that I had done during the Sun Salutations was enough for now, given that I’m only relying on 3 toes on the right foot).

Anyway. I also couldn’t do Janu Sirsasana B and C, since I cannot really bend the toes, and forget about seating on top of them. I was happy that I could easily do Marichyasana A to C (Marichi C was one of the poses D gave me just minutes before I broke the toe; I was surprised at how easily I found a full, comfortable bind this time around). I didn’t try the back-bend though; D had to give me a lot of support when he gave me the pose last time, so I decided to take it easy today, though I may try it in a few days once I feel like things are going better.

I’m feeling so much better now It was a great start for the day, after having felt sort of trapped. And some poses were actually strong (like the hasta padas) though when my base is the hurt foot I preferred to rely a little on the balance provide it by the kitchen counter, to avoid leaning too much on the area close to the broken toe.

I’m thinking that this week I’ll practice at home every day as much as possible (anyway, I’ll have to take a break during the Ladies’ Holidays soon). If I’m see I can start doing modified jumping backs/through comfortably, I think I’ll go back to AYC next weekend (cross fingers).

This week has been hellish, I admit.

First, the toe. It’s in really bad shape; it hurts (though thanks to everyone’s advice–particularly Tova’s) is now much less swollen and bruised than it was. Nevertheless, I’m just limping around and cannot truly wear normal shoes and feel out of my usual pace at all levels. It’s made me a little afraid of physical activity, and this week I have done nothing so far. Tomorrow morning I plan to go through my chunk of the primary series without the vinyasas to start stretching again. I’m fearful of how stiff I’m going to find myself, but better to start breaking into that now that waiting further.

Second, work. Sigh, sigh, sigh. Or, as Tova would say, “le sigh”. This week was hectic, with late nights included. In a way, I was lucky I was not going to go to practice early anyway–that allowed me to stay late without worries. On top of that, I got an additional assignment to lead a team to yet another country (I already had one, which keeps me busy enough). Sure enough, my boss decided to volunteer me for the job without asking. On the one side, good for me–this is not a promotion, but it definitely looks good for my performance evaluation. At the same time, when I look at how crazy things are going to be the next 7-8 months I start shuddering.

Third… well, I won’t be as explicit here, but will just say that the area of personal/emotional relationships suddenly took a turn that has generated some stress, for sure. In the end, it’s not a major event–but at least it shook me a little, which I’m not appreciating right now. 

Fourth, with all of the above combined, I’ve been eating like a maniac all week (sigh). Weight watchers is mad at me, telling me everyday I exceeded all my “points” allocation by far, far, far. I guess it’s the stress of #2, and #3, combined with the fact that my usual stress reducers (yoga and exercise) were definitely not part of my life this week. I have to find a way to do physical activity with the broken toe. Maybe on Sunday I will experiment in the swimming pool…

This morning I had a great practice. It was hard to wake up, since yesterday I ran for about an hour (I guess more than my usual 3 miles, although it’s hard when the first half of the trip is uphill) and then went to the swimming pool to do some laps. Anyhoo, I managed to get up early and start practice by about 8:15 am. I felt pretty strong throughout and fairly bendy (I had the best hasta padas to date). And D promoted me to Marichi C (very hard on one side) and my first back bends (which were also tough–I was able to raise my head from the floor thanks to D’s help; the nice thing was when he added: “One day you’ll love this, mark my words”… I believe him ).

So, great progress. The only thing is that in the very last attempt to jump through I broke my right pinky toe. At least, it made a horrid noise as it crashed against my Manduka. D heard it and adviced to ice it asap. He also noted that unfortunately there was little I could do apart from taping it properly (to the next toe) and waiting for it to heal. 

I tried to take it with high spirits; at some point I had to had some injury, right? It comes at a bad time because my whole practice is getting momentum, as are my running and swimming, and I don’t want all of it to get interrupted… I’m particularly concerned about the running, which was starting to feel stronger. But maybe I’ll be able to do activities that don’t require so much play with the toes in the next few days–maybe the step master and the stationary bike? I should also try the swimming as soon as I see that stepping is not so painful anymore. And, of course, I would like to go back to Yoga practice as soon as the pain subsides. To make matters worse, right now I cannot drive (an issue with the timing of my visa renewal and a US government letter I need to renew my driver’s license once the visa has been renewed; the bottom line is that despite my efforts my driver’s license just expired two days ago and I still don’t have the letter for the DMV that would allow me to get the new license). Oh well.

Just to get a sense of how long the toe is going to take to recover, I’ll probably get an X-ray to find out if I really fractured the bone (I hope not). In the meantime, a lot of ice before I tape it…

After a one-day break, back at the shala–practice felt fantastic. I was flexible and strong, and I just felt really light moving from asana to asana. Of course, no jump throughs or jump backs yet–who knows when those will come; but in the meantime, I just really enjoyed myself.

The best part was, perhaps, that I managed to do a very deep, connected breathing. This is rare for me, so I was particularly excited

PS On other news, I’m delirious–I’m fitting into my clothes once more!!! (and they are lose)!! It’s as if I had a whole new wardrobe to chose from (which I have not been able to wear for more than two years). I have officially lost 16-17 pounds by now since mid-August. I still have a little more to go until I reach my “ideal”… but I couldn’t be more excited or motived to keep the efforts going

Second day of practice this week. Nice to see good old friendly faces at the shala… unfortunately recently everyone’s attendance seems to have become more haphazard, and I miss the old stability of the crowd. But things happen (and I know they have happened to me, sometimes) so I guess it’s understandable…  Anyway, today, it was nice to see a bit of the shala I love back.

Practice felt a little stronger than yesterday. The inverted triangles were not a disaster anymore, and the rest of the poses felt pretty good, too. I just was sorry that I didn’t get adjustments in a couple of poses that could have used them… (like the Prasarita C and the forward bend)… but I guess overall everything was good