Downward Facing Dog (Day 2).

For those of you that don't scroll down to see if this was the most recent post, I can almost guarantee you that you missed one (or at least two if you haven't seen October's cat calendar picture). So you should scroll a bit and at least read the first two chunks explaining that I'm going into a potential realm of boredom for you, a yoga post a day for the month of October. But I'll try to keep you entertained, it's the least I can do.

So the first post was about my first yoga class ever. And no one goes in and can rock their first sun salutation flawlessly on their first go. In fact, if you can remember just the steps alone the first time around, I applaud you. But I was sucking it up in even downward dog, a resting pose. A pose for those that need a break, and yet I was needing a break after the first few seconds of downward dog...

Fastforward to now. I love downward dog. I do it more frequently than just in class. It's the most amazing stretch for the parts of me that usually ache the most. In the beginning of learning, I did the lazy man's version of the pose. In fact, a lot of the people at the rec center classes STILL do this version. It involved letting your shoulder blades hang out on your back, with no tension. But pull those babies back, and wham, whole new level.

When first instructed, holy cow. I avoided it at all costs. Its work. It hurt. And it just didnt seem like that's how a resting pose should feel. But my instructor kept coming back at me, class after class, pushing between those blades making me realize it's full potential. And now, I could endlessly thank her for it. My body goes straight into the proper position, pain free, stress free, feels great. And I could hold it for hours. I could hold it, moving within the pose for those awesome stretches. (Oh that sidebody twist feels so good. And calves? They get loving too.)