Ups and Downs

My orange furry alarm clock started in at 4:30 this morning, and didn't relent until Husband-Elect locked her out of the bedroom at 6:15, and then the real alarm went off at 7:30 so I could eat and have some energy for class without throwing up during locust.

I've had a bag of vitamin C cough drops on my night stand for the past 4+ months in an effort to ward off any diseases that might feel like coming in during the night. The past two early mornings Fiona (the orange furry alarm clock pictured here) has felt the need to try to get into this bag of cough drops. And then sit on my pillow and purr until I agree to feed her.

When I got up I felt like crap. Tired and kind of stuffy. Other days when I have felt this way, going to yoga miraculously healed me. While in my head I was coming up with excuses not to go to class, in the end I decided to just go and see how it went, since I figured I was just tired from being woken up too early and too frequently.

It was pretty terrible. I love morning classes in theory, but I always do better in evening classes. I decided to pick a spot in the room closer to the mirrors so I could just focus on myself and concentrate on doing my best. Half-Moon, normally one of my best postures, felt terrible! I was tight all over. But then standing head to knee went really well. I was able to lock out both legs and balance for a fair amount of time.

Standing bow and balancing stick were both really strong on my left leg, and really weak on my right leg. Overall, the standing series went by pretty quickly. I was struggling, but I made it through each one. I was actually surprised when we were already at Tree and Toe Stand. For now, I'm maintaining in Tree as I try to strengthen my balancing leg, hoping it will help me keep my leg locked without hyperextending my knee in Standing Bow Pulling Pose.

As soon as we got to the floor, I felt chilly. I warmed back up again, but I was feeling stuffy and thirsty. Camel, normally one of my stronger postures, felt terrible. I just couldn't maintain it. But then Floor Bow, one I normally struggle with, went really well! I need to work on balancing more on my stomach, the stronger I kicked, the more I ended up balancing on my pelvis. I need to isolate muscles more, so that I can relax my stomach while maintaining the kick.

By the final savasana, I was feeling ok. I knew I had some strengths in class and it wasn't all bad. Class had been a series of ups and downs for me, but I could look back and find positive aspects, even if it was only for a few seconds, of each pose.

But then I went home. The drive home seemed to take FOREVER. When I finally got home, I could barely move. My throat was swollen, it was hard to breathe, I just wanted to sleep. Husband-Elect made me some chicken soup before he headed out to work, and it seemed to do the trick for a little while. And 6 hours later I'm finally up and together enough to write this blog.

Maybe my cat had a point. Perhaps those cough drops were needed more than I thought. I'm going to keep resting, drinking plenty of fluids, and I'll see how I feel in the morning before going to Yin Yang class. Right now, I've had a nap and dinner, I'm feeling pretty good and I feel like class in the morning will be perfectly fine :)