Awkward Pose

Another day of firsts. First show in Memphis. First time a long haired teen in a tux and sunglasses rocked out in front of me. Kind of Ferris Bueller meets David Lynch. First time I’ve seen sandals that are also flasks. That’s right, the lid’s on the heel. Good luck with that.

I didn’t make it to Graceland due to mild flu feelings. So I did the opposite thing, which is reading the Anatomy of Hatha Yoga. Sometimes you have to get past page 40 to get into a book. For me, this is one of those reads. Get through the science party with the neurons dendrites and axons. (I should really know all this by now, brain!) Find the juicy parts about moving bodies, and it’s a page turner.  

 It’s sunny in the south. Thankfully. The string of rainy mid-western towns was turning into real live tornado fears. Nice to step off the bus in shorts today. And might I add that Memphis is quite a pretty town. See below photo.

So my theory about the killer abdominal kriyas easing up the second time around was correct. Day two of this business felt much less extreme. I must say I enjoy a few hundred kapalbhati breaths in navasana. Try it, it will make you smile. Although I’m still doing some vinyasa before the kriyas, I feel like I’m on this nice holiday from my regular yoga practice. And my wrists and shoulders are super happy about it. Sorry extremities, you’ll be back to the usual rock steady soon. But doing this much work with breath and strength focused in the core feels like an important trip. Home to the family farm after so much world travelling. And with all this solidity and power building in the center, the rest of the body gets supported. (My inner hippy mom wants to draw a picture of the sun with its rays.) 

But in the real world of right now, the bus is humming and the vents are cold. An eight hour shake-a-thon ‘til Dallas. The sleep shelf calls.