No Sweat!

Day 12, Class 14

6:30 with Susan

Today was another great day for hot yoga... or maybe I'm just telling myself that. Just kidding! My body and I were looking forward to class all day. I think that in my determination to retrieve my back bend from the careless clench of my youth, I may have tweaked a little something in my right low back yesterday. I was stretching and massaging it all day. It was fine before class started. I arrived early to get what is becoming my favorite spot: 2nd row, left side. I have tried the right side, but toward the end of class when the teachers start opening the doors, it becomes too cool for me.

In class, I started sweating immediately, of course. I remember last year, during the 30-day, I got to a point where my sweat no longer tasted salty or burned my eyes. I have been looking forward to that day during this challenge. Well! Today is the day!! It's one of the ways I know that my body is ridding itself of toxins. While I felt like I was sweating much more today, I was loving the fact that it was tasteless and colorless, rather salty than cloudy. In class, I was so excited that I began putting together my words for tonight's blog. Suddenly during the Standing Separate Leg Stretching pose, I became lost in the blog and overcome with sweat. I could feel every single bead and really wanted to come out of the posture to handle it... and I'm really good at this posture. FOCUS! Stop thinking about the tasteless, colorless sweat that is slowly rolling down your face, up your back, into your ears, out of you nose, off your eyelashes and onto the mat. All of that detoxed sweat doesn't mean a thing. Don't even think about how to explain why or how it came to this point. You're in one of your favorite postures, stop thinking about what you'll name tonight's blog that will be about the magnanimous amount of spring water clear sweat drenching your very soul right this very minute. **CHANGE**

Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimottanasana
Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose

Increases circulation to the brain and adrenal glands
Centres nervous system
May be good for depression
Good for constipation
Helps reduce abdominal obesity
Helps with diabetes and hyper-acidity
Releases lower back
Exercises muscular, adrenal and reproductive systems

Seriously, focus. I finally got my mind right and was able to complete the standing series without drowning in sweat and thoughts of sweat. Susan helped me with my Standing SL HtoK. Basically, when the Sartorious in the front leg feels as though it is going to rip from its tendons, I'm doing it right. During the pose, I tried to bring my hands back to prayer rather early. My balance was a little off, but I am going to keep working on it. On the floor, I tired to take it easy because I didn't want my back to flair up again. It's feeling great right now. My hair came out of its loose bun after Half-Tortoise. I can handle it and I will have some great Savasanas as a result. Eric would be proud! My next Savasana felt... very different. My neck did not feel weak, but I felt as though my head were sinking into the ground, below my body. I also felt like my body was tilted. It felt pretty nice after the first 10 seconds... just very different.

That sinking feeling...

OMG! This stuff is all over the place. All of this flipping and turning and bending and reaching with the hair is a mess! When is class over? How many more postures do we have? Where are the scissors? Does anybody have any scissors? *Exhale* Final breathing exercise. It's over. The sweat. The hair. Wait. It really wasn't bad at all. Seriously, it was a great class. No sweat!