Day 41 & Day 42

Day 41 (Sept 18, 2012)

No practice today; it was a self-declared rest day.


Day 42 (Sept 19, 2012)

Hands down, it was a fab day!

There's a clue in that first sentence. Did you get it? I had my hands flat on the mat today! Woohoo! One goal reached. (The head continues to avoid the shins, but hopefully they will grow close over time.)

On Day 1, the best I could do on the forward bend, with straight legs, was touch the very tips of my fingers to the mat. Over the weeks, my reach extended until I was able to put my fingers flat on the mat, but the palms were still airborne. Today palms were flat.

This minor miracle comes courtesy of two new warm-ups. The first involved rolling a golf ball under the sole of my foot. Owie! This "massage" relaxed a protective layer? ligament? that extends from the foot to the top of the head. After doing just one foot, I did a forward bend and could feel a difference with the legs. Thrilled, I tortured the other foot.

For the second warm-up, I placed a sandbag a short distance from a wall, and partially stood on it, elevating the front parts of my feet while my heels stayed on the mat. I pushed out with the heels, as if trying to rip the mat. My forearms and head rested against the wall. After a few minutes of this stretch, I moved the sandbag back a bit, and repeated the steps. I could really feel it in my calves.

After this, I did my regular heel-held-hostage-in-strap warm-up, and found my legs straightened without much difficulty. But the real proof was when I started the first Sun Salutation. Palms on mat. Bliss.