Happy knee

Today is the day of the happy knee. Hopefully that sentence won't jinx me. It started off not so good--just didn't feel motivated this morning, but got out of bed anyhow. Coffee and a drive to Volleyball Guy's. I wondered if my malaise was moon-related. Tomorrow is a moon day--so maybe I am feeling the effects of it? I think I am still too cynical to really believe that. I figured it was more about being tired from work and the general stress of the holiday season.

So I had few expectations for practice. Another quiet morning--Volleyball Guy, me, Sanskrit Scholar, Returning Guy and The Other Dave. Immediately I was intensely absorbed by the practice. My mind just shut right off. I love when that happens! And my knee felt really good (I still feel nervous saying that). The first, and perhaps greatest, test is always ardha baddha padmottanasana. This morning, it went off without a hitch. Even when I really sank into the forward bend. It's been a long time since I've felt my foot really press into my tummy on that pose. Lately it's just been about wondering if I should even try to bend forward.

And everything else was a-okay: Janu A, B and C felt fine, as did Marichy B and D. I even folded the leg into lotus. Hooray! I was ready to declare my knee healed when I was in baddha padmasana, which I have to say is my favorite pose. I wouldn't have really known that, except I missed it so much when I couldn't do it.

Backbends, as always, sucked. All I can hope for at this point is to keep my breathing even so that part of the sequence doesn't devolve into an I-hate-backbends festival in my mind. I have to find something to enjoy in backbends and dropbacks--something to latch onto that will pull me out of the dark downward spiral that is my backbend practice. LOL! How dramatic. But I really do have to adjust my attitude.