Yoga and walking

Yesterday I went to yoga class. It was another long routine, an hour, that I tried to note as best I could afterwards. The stretches lying down were arms overhead, hamstring stretches straight up and then to each side (abductor and adductor). Table pose, the cat and cow, the nose to knee quite a number of times, then Songbird pose, Child's Pose, Downward Dog, and Child's pose again.

Then standing, some backward bending, very careful to brace for lower back. Standing with legs wide, bend forward, with back straight. I did not really need a block to lean on as I can touch the floor especially considering I can do a pretty wide stance. Then Warrior 2 (with arms outstretched this time.

We spent some time with sitting, getting a proper pad to sit on so that you're high up enough not to strain hip joints when you cross legs, and still sit with your back straight. Then with legs straight out in front, we did a sitting twist that we hadn't done in a long time, where you cross one leg over the other so the foot is by the knee, then reach with your arm so your elbow is the other side of the knee, and your head and shoulders are turned as much as possible around, with your other arm in back supporting.

Then sitting with legs straight out in front, we used belts for another hamstring stretch. It is plainer how much any tightness there is restricting movement when you bend forward with legs apart, as I can get much further down that way.

Lying down then we did Bridging, and then extended that by rising up on shoulders as much as possible. Then the piriformus stretch, which starts with one leg bridging, the other side dropping down, so that the lower body is turned sideways and the top leg reaching toward the floor, relaxing, while the arms are in a T with shoulders flat on the floor.

Then we had the Corpse Pose for fifteen minutes of guided breathing and relaxation and not necessarily a nap. I was just dreaming of a voice saying very kindly and paternally, We're going to get you straightened out now, when it was time to sit up and open eyes. Then Susi was showing the woman next to me the way you can use a rolled-up gym towel under your back along the spine when you're lying down to release trapezius and shoulder tension, which she showed me last year and I rather overdid it then and hadn't tried it since.

After I got home and rested a bit, had coffee with Karen, and then went for a 40-minute walk, as it was a lovely day and much warmer, and I was feeling pretty good. We walked north on Park St to Parr St where it goes over to the bay, then along West Shore to Vilas St. There I crossed and went west on Vilas just to Brook St, south along there past The Little House I Used To Live In all the way to St Marys, then east again and crossed Park at the new stoplight and back to West Shore and the bay. Then followed the bay to Lowell and south to Emerson and Hickory and home. Very tired after all that though.