Day 53 -- Life in the Back Row

2pm with Miranda

I think we had a new attendance record today.  There were at least 50 students in the room.  It was filled almost to overflowing.  As a result, I didn't get my usual place.  But I did find a spot with decent airflow in the back row.  It's the first time I've been in the back in a while, and I think I haven't been in the back in a crowded class for several months.

It was quite an adjustment.   First, it took a long time to peel away the distraction of so many other people.  Fortunately, the general energy and focus in the room was very high, so the distractions should have been minimal.  My focus lagged behind the class, so I found myself paying attention to others more than I should.

This had its worst effect in the balancing poses.  First, I had to figure out how to lock my knee without looking at it.  I should be able to do this now, but I wasn't confident about it.  And I think falling out of the pose might be contagious.  Every time someone in front of me fell out, I did too.  

I also was not aware before at how much I relied on the mirror for some of my set-ups.  Triangle was very different for me today because I don't think I quite had the right angles that I typically get in my legs, and that's because I couldn't see them.

Then of course once we hit the floor, the size of the class became irrelevant.  The floor series was fairly typical.  The main news was that my knee felt really good throughout, and even my hip didn't hurt as much as it has recently, especially on the sit-ups and the final stretch.  I was paying very close attention to the tips Lenette gave me, and they seem to be working.

Since class, I've felt really good all day.  No soreness to speak of.  My knee feels good as new for the first time in weeks, and my hip has a little lingering soreness, but it is not the constant deep pain I have felt on some days.

Some of the other students are asking whether I'm going to go on to 100 classes.  And I really don't know yet.  I've been wondering whether I should set some other goal, instead of an arbitrary day count.  How about:  I will go seven classes/week until I can touch my head to my knee in Standing Head to Knee.  Or until my head hits the floor in Separate Leg Stretching.  Or until my head hits my toes in the Final Stretch (yeah, right).  With a goal like one of those, who knows? Maybe I will do 1000 classes in 1000 days.

The real goal, ultimately, I think is to stop counting the days and just to do it for its own sake.  I'm not quite there yet, but maybe I will be in another week.