Day 7: Breakthrough

Okay, I didn't post this yesterday but I did go to yoga for day 7 of my challenge. I can't even explain how much Bikram's book helped me yesterday, but I will definitely try. It was as if suddenly the postures opened up to me (..."like a flower petal blooming"?) and I was able to sink into them comfortably. In the backbend part of half moon



I focused on relaxing my lower back instead of trying to push myself backwards. Suddenly, I was almost looking at the back wall. There were several spots where the relaxation of a certain body part, as prescribed by Bikram, completely changed the posture for me.

The spine strengthening series was absolutely amazing for me. Reading about the proper breathing techniques was extremely helpful in this series. I spent so much less time grunting and huffing and puffing and just focused on breathing correctly and trying to hold the pose as still as possible. I am rapidly gaining flexibility in my spine. Bow pose was really invigorating! Due to tips picked up in the book, I stopped my rocking chair-like movement, and just used my abdomen and leg muscles to push my legs up to the ceiling. It's definitely the highest I've ever gotten my legs in bow, and it's one of the few poses that I feel like I've got my head around now.

Also notably, yesterday was the first day where I actually felt electric and energetic post-class. I think I am beginning to experience the energy-giving aspect of yoga. Each class is a new adventure. I always uncover some previously unlocked jewel of this practice and it's wildly exciting. I can't wait to see what today brings!