90 MINUTES WELL SPENT

So you know what I'm talking about

I arrive a little early to give me time to relax and switch off. The waiting / foyer area is busy and not as quiet as usual however upon entering the studio I'm enveloped in the silence and the wonderful heat. I lie in the corpse pose for several minutes and my mind is essentially switching off.

The class starts soon after and it is very full tonight. I begin the deep breathing exercise lifting my elbows as high as possible and push my head back until my neck hurts. With each exhale the day's stresses, frustrations, pressures and problems are released. I've already developed a good sweat so my body is cooling itself and detoxing somewhat via my skin as well as my breaths.

We move into the half moon pose and I push as hard as I can to feel the maximum stretch down my side. I execute the subtle twists until I can stretch no more and parts of my spine start to hurt from the exertion (not injury). The awkward pose follows and tonight I maintain the first part (squat) for the required time. My leg strength is obviously improving. We move to the option on our toes which is so much harder but all I can do is my best as I focus on balance as well as strength. Tonight I'm able to foucs harder then before.

The eagle pose is a winner for me tonight as I manage to wrap my leg right to the back with all 5 toes behind. I havent been able to do that before and I'm feeling quietly pleased with myself. The standing head to knee pose beats me, bringing me back down to reality. I cannot for the life of me lock all 10 fingers and slip my hand under my foot. I struggle to maintain some grip on my foot while keeping my supporting knee locked and trying to straighten my other leg. I think this is my "awkward pose" LOL.

The standing bow pulling pose works well as I only lose balance once and regain the pose quickly. Once again its my steely focus and concentration thats making the difference. I give it my best as I love to feel my muscles stretch beyond what I think I'm capable of. The balancing stick pose is comparitively easy.

The standing separate leg stretching pose is one I try very hard to achieve as its meant to be good for constipation. I've yet to get my forehead to the floor but I go as low as I can and my leg muscles are certainly stretching. The triangle pose is touted as an excellent cardiovascular workout and it actually is. My breathing is heavy and each second of it is tiring. The standing separate leg head to knee pose requires me to bend my knee as the most important part is the forehead touching the knee.

Tree pose really challenges my dicky hips and it takes some time for my knee to drop down and even then its not all the way. The toe stand is impossible for me and I stay in tree pose longer using one had to hold my foot and just keep one hand near my heart. This pose feels particularly calming once my bent leg stretches down to a comfortable position.

Finally its time for my favourite: savasana or corpse pose and we are given a few minutes of rest time. During the next part of the class we'll come back to the savasana between each pose. Each time we come out of savasana with a sit up touching fingers to our toes.

The wind removing pose feels uncomfortable on my dicky hips (and incidentally doesnt remove wind there and then LOL). This is followed by a number of back strengthening poses which I really like: cobra pose, locust, full locust and floor bow pose. I give each one my best effort and pray that they all do good for my back and the problems I've had with it.

The back stretches are next and I accept that my flexibility needs improvement. Fixed firm pose, ardha-kurmasana (a favourite), camel and rabbit which has me as a huddled rabbit rather than a stretched up one as shown in the gallery picture. Frankly, I'll take whatever rabbit I can get.

The final head to knee pose beats me every time as my dicky hips cant handle it, especially when my right knee is to the side. Oh the pain and total inability to get the knee anywhere even remotely near the floor. With time maybe .... The spine twisting pose is only a little better but at least I manage a reasonable version of it.

Finally we wrap up with the blowing in firm pose which claims to detoxify, cleanse, oxygenate, promote mental clarity and energise the body. Then I move into the last savasana, the lights go off, our instructor wraps up the class and wishes us "namaste" to which we all quietly respond "namaste" and I lie in total peace and calm. I reflect on the class and how I improved. I think of nothing else except how my body feels. My mind is empty. I'm a sweaty mess and my towel is wet through and I feel like 100% of my body has been worked to the max.

Namaste.