Yoga challenge 5

I have to do my yoga early in the day.  The last couple of days I have been putting it off until later in the evening, and so I put it off so long that I don't do it.  So I'm going to change my daily routine.

I liked this one. It felt really good.

Once again, I didn't want to start, but I got into it and thoroughly enjoyed it. Twice during the session I :checked in: with my pain levels, and happily discovered that my ankle pain was ZERO (yay!!!) because I was aware of such a strong stretch sensation in both of my thighs.  Success! It fits exactly with what my book described in the pain gate theory ... different kinds of sensations travel at different speeds to the brain. That's why rubbing your elbow after you bang it ebbs the pain - the massage :nice: sensations travel faster to your limbic system, so your brain doesn't get as many of the painful sensations.


Ardha Chandrasana

This one was super tough! I couldn't look up and I don't think I got either leg straight ... yet. It's called 

My other success today was found in a chapter talking about the difference between pain and suffering. If you can change your attitude towards your pain, you can decrease your suffering without any change in the amount of pain you are in.  One example was of a woman who thought of her chronic pain as a broken door bell that just kept ringing even tho' there was no injury.   So today when I caught myself focussing on my ankle I said out loud, 'It's just a broken fire alarm.' And imagined me waving my arm to push the sound away and ignore it.  I had to do it over and over again, but it is an easy way to take the focus off, even if it is just momentarily.

Oh yeah, one more success! I can already tell that I'm more flexible. Mostly in my downward facing dogs, and while sitting I can easily reach forward and touch my toes with straight legs.

It's all good. :)  Now that I'm done, my pain is back in my attention.  But that doesn't negate today's successes.