Flying in the quest for beyond pretzelness

Today was my first yoga class since my Bikram days. I was actually excited about going to class because I knew I needed to be stretched out after my 14 mile run yesterday. Surprisingly I wasn't very sore after the run. Maybe it is because I have been diligently practicing yoga.

Today's class was at http://charlestoncommunityyoga.com. 
It was a warm flow yoga class. That is a combination of heat, music, breath
and movement for energizing experience. The heat warms and lengthens your muscles, prevents injuries and allow for a deeper release in your body. Perspiring help flush toxins from your body and cleanse your entire systems.

Today I felt incredibly strong. So strong that I flipped my downward facing dogs twice without any nausea. I also performed the crow pose. It wasn't pretty and if you blinked you would have missed it, but the point is that I did it. It does not matter that I only held it for at least two hot seconds because that is longer than I ever held it before.

The crow pose has great benefits. It strengthens the shoulders, arms and wrists while improving balance, stretching the muscles of the forearms wrists and fingers. Plus it looks cool.


I also managed to get deeper into the pigeon pose. For the Athlete, this pose is critical.  Not only is this pose great for stress relief for athletes, keeping the hips open contributes to two major factors, speed and knee health.  I don’t know of an athlete who is not interested in increasing their speed and keeping their knees free and clear of injury.  An open hip as well as a strong hip is the equation for power, increased power is increased speed. 

It was a packed class which is good because I think the energy from everyone helps with the intensity of the flow.  I am slowly moving further down the path to pretzelness. It may not happen this week, this month, or even this year. I will say that I am further than I have ever been before and the possibilities are endless as long as I keep an open mind.