Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Day 48

9:30 am class with Miranda

We were supposed to have a tropical storm today, but it didn't quite happen.  Instead, it was a cool, rainy, gray morning and just about perfect for yoga.  I just love classes when it is raining.  It seems to add a level of peacefulness.

Today's class was really good, from beginning to end.  Miranda keeps a very nice energy to the class.  And I felt good throughout, even with a slight return of soreness in my hip.

The best parts, by far, came in the floor series.  Miranda takes a hands on approach that goes way beyond any of the other teachers here.  In Fixed Firm, she pushed down on my bent legs, making for a much deeper and more relaxing stretch in my hip than I have felt before.  In one of the savasanas where we are lying on our stomachs, she stepped and walked in place on the backs of my feet, giving a sort of impromptu foot massage.

Then, in Half Tortoise, she pushed down really hard on my lower back, keeping my hips in contact with my heels.  And in second set, I did the same thing without her help.  That's a really big breakthrough for me.  I didn't think I would get my hips to stay put for at least a year or so. Here's hoping that that gain will stick with me, or at least return fairly soon.

To top everything off, in Final Savasana she gave short shoulder and neck massages to everyone.  By the end of the class, I was thinking about taking private lessons with her, just to get the combined yoga/massage experience.

The other temporary boon for today was the humidity.  It turns out Miranda didn't know how to adjust the humidity in the classroom, and as a result it was about 20% humidity and 105 in the class.  It seemed positively cool, and I didn't even saturate my towel, which I think is a first. It almost felt like a cheat, but after this many straight days, I'm willing to take every unlooked for break I can get.  

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