And on the third day...

Yesterday Keith told me that it would be difficult to wake up for Mysore this morning, because day 3 on the mat after a long break from practice would be when my body would really notice.  "But this morning was kinda hard" I admitted.   When the alarm went off on Tuesday, I was mid-dream (usually my dreams are over by that time) and my body felt like a stone.  I hit the snooze once and felt like I'd just closed my eyes again when the second alarm chimed.  "Oh God," I thought, face down in paschimottonasana hoping Keith wouldn't see my resignation towards the thought of future sleep interrupted.  He seemed to know my thoughts anyway, "Just get up." he said rather seriously.

Working on drawing the hip socket in made practice harder, but maybe it was because I was also tired and sore, and tired and sore. Whatever it was, my asanas were different  in day 2 proving challenging where they had been smoother a week ago.

A few more postures have been added on to my practice, so I'm working on those right now.   In addition to that, I am practicing overcoming my fear of falling out of "you know what posture" a few more times.   It seems to take a great deal of core strength and trust to get my hips up high enough to manage the exit strategy.  Right now my best attempt is a slightly desperate squeeze to the triceps for that one breath before jumping back.   But that is the least of my worries.

As for today, my mind jolted awake just before the alarm which meant my dream cycle was complete - I got to bed a little earlier to make sure of this.   However, mysore this morning revealed a little elbow pain that I've noticed in the past few days.

I bought some artichoke pasta on a whim over the weekend and it might be encouraging my body's proclivity towards  inflammation.    Another consideration turns out to be one of the downsides of my evolution as an early stage Ashtanga practitioner.  That being modifying vinyasas in order to make it easier to jump through conserve energy.  For the most part, that is acceptable; however, if the modification contains a repeated misalignment then that is unacceptable.  Specifically, I've been placing  my hands a little farther apart than my already broad shoulders in vinyasas which immediately feels wrong in chaturanga and upwards facing dog.    Ugh.

Before getting dressed this morning I slathered on my new favorite potion, China Gel, which seemed to ease my elbow, hip flexors and for the heck of it my shoulders.   I'd shelved it shortly after purchase in February for the most part out of lack of necessity until now.  This indulgence should serve me well as needed or at least until Saturday's castor oil bath.  In the interim, here's to hoping days 4 and 5 on the mat help to cancel out days 1-3.