Sore Initiative

The Mysorians enter the studio through the back door in the morning, since the studio isn't officially open. Volleyball Guy was standing outside when I showed up this morning. "Missed you at Mysore last week," he said.

Practice was good. Still hanging in there on the jumpback attempts. Tried every single time throughout practice. Sore, too. Saturday's attempts left me sore in the medial deltoids and obliques. I haven't had muscle soreness like that in a long time. It's amazing how the body adjusts to whatever you throw at it, but then if you add in one new move, it can make you really sore.

This morning I wore my glasses to the studio, then ditched them when it was time to begin. Instant drishti. Very nice. I read somewhere that Guruji had told someone not to use glasses or contacts during practice. Saturday, I practiced next to Ms. Scorpionessa, and I noticed she had tucked her glasses away at the end of her mat. After class I asked if she always did that, if she never wore contacts to class. She rather ruefully suggested that she was probably cheating by relying on bad eyesight to ensure drishti, but it seemed like a good idea to give it a try. Putting in contacts: one less thing to do at 4:30AM.

It was very strange not to be able to see as clearly as I usually do. On the other hand, my drishti can get kind of "sharp," kind of over-effortful, so going without contacts automatically softened up my vision. It was, as I had imagined, a little difficult as I came up from Prasarita C. When Volleyball Guy adjusts me in this pose, I totally let go of any sense of up or down, so coming back up is very disorienting and usually pretty clumsy. And so it was today. Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana also. I think I sight the horizon on my way up from them, in order to get my bearings.

Baddha Konasana was the most intense adjustment of the day. I had gotten myself with my head almost on the ground, already popped my sacrum, when Volleyball Guy came over and just smooshed me straight down into the ground. It made me think of chicken wings, the way my legs were folded and tucked. There's this thing cooks do with poultry wings before roasting, where you turn the joint and tuck the tip of the wing back under the...well, I guess it's the armpit of the bird. Interesting to feel my hips twisting that way, so my thighs could flatten.

Volleyball Guy asked if The Cop would be coming to Mysore practice. I said The Cop would probably want to learn more before he practiced with other people. "Ego," Volleyball Guy said, nodding. When I told The Cop, he said, "It's more lack of interest. I do like working out with you, though." Working out? Hmmmm. Apparently the KoolAid isn't quite as strong as I might have imagined ;-)