New practices

So my butt's getting a lot better, but I still can't run, unfortunately. I had been diligently elipticalling, with the aid of the great memoir, Heaven's Coast by Mark Doty, and swimming regularly. But last week I bought a Groupon for Bikram Yoga in Squirrel Hill, $29 for a month of unlimited yoga. So I've been taking advantage and trying to go every day. I have to be honest. I don't really like Bikram Yoga, as far as the yoga itself goes. The poses aren't challenging physically the way power yoga is, which is what I'm used to. There's little in the way of spiritual guidance, words of wisdom, or good ole Buddhist vibes. The poses are also the same every time, without the inspiration of the yoga instructor's day. But I'm getting used to it, and the more I do it, the more I come to terms with what it is, which is very cleansing and relaxing. Which, yeah, okay, I need that in my life. I do.

What I do like is that everyone there is friendly and make it a point to know everyone's name (a marketing strategy I know, but a nice touch nonetheless). The breathing exercises and heat come together for a nice combination that does something wacky to my brain where for the 90+ minutes that I'm in the class, I'm only thinking about exactly what I'm doing. And it's not even that I'm trying to clear my head as I usually do, there's just nothing to do but breathe through the nose and sweat and wonder how long it's been since I've last had water.

In addition to clearing my head, it's been working well to  curb my addictions to ice cream and coffee. Do I really want these changes? Coffee is difficult to drink since it's so dehydrating and oddly thick (at least the way I like it). I had some today, and it made me a little crazy and I could feel my heart beating faster.

Another weird twist is that I've been trying to knock these classes out in the morning. So far, 9:30 is a good slot for me. Ideally, I'd get there for the 6 a.m. class so I still have the morning to get the work done that I need to (I've picked up two freelance jobs, yikes). That's the goal, but you know what's hard? Getting up that early in the morning, and then making it all the way out the door. What's even harder is riding a bike up a big-ass hill only to sit, stand, and lie down in weird poses in a 105 degree room. Yeah, okay, I know. I have a car. And yeah I drive it to yoga sometimes. But riding a bike on a beautiful crisp summer morning, well, there's not anything in the world quite as beautiful.

Also, I want to make a note that someone had asked me about yoga poses that are easy on the wrists. I will say that Bikram does some knee stretches that, during the pose, hurt a bit through they are increasing blood flow which actually helps restore the already damaged joint. Other than that, it seems perfectly fine on the joints, especially the wrists.

You deserve an update

I swear I'm getting better. I've been trying to go swimming every other day, and on Saturday I even used the elliptical at my gym. Urban Active, for all it's frothiness, does have one posh amenity I can appreciate: a movie theatre! I showed up right at the end of It's Complicated, a movie I'd been wanting to see on some level since it came out. I have no actual interest in RomCom's, but this one has every middle-aged actor/actress I love. I caught about the last 10 minutes of it, ellipticaled foolishly - really, the elliptical makes you move like you are kick-boxing a cloud, and whoever would dare do that is clearly the fool - through the credits until at last, the miracle of replay occurred and, as if the movie had never been played before, the opening credits started and I was reintroduced to characters about whom I only knew their final outcome.  So I glided through another 10 or so minutes of kickboxing clouds until it occured to me that I had to go home and feed the dog. I'd already gone swimming for a half hour, drank a thermos of coffee doing some work for a new part time writing gig I got, and who knows how else I waste my time - I certainly don't - and I knew the dog was about to have a temper tantrum all over the kitchen floor.

Anyway, I still can't really lift anything, and my butt's still generally uncomfortable especially doing thing like walking uphill, which is generally unavoidable in Pittsburgh. But I've been riding my bike more, only for commuting purposes. The visible bruise is practically UNvisible by now, but whenever I sit, it feels like I have a fat wallet in my back pocket (I wish!). Bummer, but considering what I hurt, I'm doing pretty great.

I just wish I could get back on the program.

What a pain in the ass

So I've been nursing this injury for a week now, and thought that today would be a good day to give it the old college try. My very gnarly bruise I wanted to go to the pool to work it out a little bit, especially since it's already 95 degrees here (oh hey what's up summer, I thought you weren't coming to this party). In demonstrating my adeptness to E., I did a pull up on the bar in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, where I happened to be standing. That was apparently a horrible idea. My butt is pissed. So I'm gonna do what any sane person would do, wallow in self pity and worthlessness and eat some pie and do some laundry at my soon to be mother-in-law's house since our washer and dryer are broken, and try to get up early and go swimming when the swelling it down a little.

I did, however, ride my bike for the first time today, so that was pretty awesome. It hurt on my way to work, not because I was sitting on a bike saddle, but due to the ways in which my legs and glutes pull on my tail bone with each pedal stroke. I rode in an easy gear, which was some relief, but I'm just ready to be back to normal. On the way home, though, well  I was probably just happy to be going home to enjoy a popsicle. In the meantime, my gym membership is going to waste like so many others out there.

By the way, I went to the gym a few days after the accident, and it was apparent (and still is, in some ways) that I had a concussion. My body moved in the water as if it were an entirely new experience, as if I had little control over what it did or where it went, and my feet barely left the bottom of the pool. It was refreshing and fun, but I couldn't find that magical buoyancy I was so hoping would help me along the road to recovery.

Hopefully my next trip will be more productive.