From Anna: Hump Day Musings

Mazel Tov! Diminished PMS symptoms, deeper sleep cycles, and... errr... intensified climaxes! I'd venture to call this excellent news. Admittedly, I know close to nothing about the light therapy device or the science behind it, but my educated guess is that over time the results will become more pronounced. I think it's wild that the changes are already discernible. Has Humble Husband noticed the differences as well?

You asked about my 5 class-Wednesday and let's just say that getting through the day is my yoga. Hump Day has never been so.... humpy. The classes are different levels, vastly different sizes, with varying space restrictions and prop offerings, so I can't quite teach the the same thing. That said, I definitely veer towards variations on a theme. Interestingly enough, teaching a 2nd or 3rd class in the same day is excellent for me. It allows me to really hit my stride and I always notice slight improvements on my teaching from the 1st class.

By the 4th one, I'm tired (and dispirited by having eaten another meal in my car!) but they are a really great group. Relatively new to yoga and dealing with a battery of old injuries and body 'wonkiness', but disciplined, cheerful, and thoroughly committed. That 4th class is the hump of hump day, if you will, so thank goodness it's a group of lovelies that inspire me.

Last one of the day is actually a wonderful group as well, but at that point it's 8pm, I've taught 4 times already, and it is in this class that I start to lose it. I think one thing and hear something entirely different come out of my mouth, I mix up left and right like it's going out of style, and I notice that my mind, mouth, and body are all just... tired. I am not a teacher who does a ton of asana along with the class, but there is the inevitable movement up and down, here and there, and of course- demo's. I take extra care to do less when teaching multiple times but inevitably, Thursday morning's are just plain achy. It would probably help if I could do my own practice that day but there really isn't time. Or rather, I have yet to make time. (note to self)

It is draining and sometimes it feels like too much, but I love how I feel when 10pm Wednesday night finally rolls around: a fruitful, industrious, and rewarding day behind me.

What's going on with you and teaching? Are you wishing for more, or enjoying the picking and choosing of when to sub and when to pass?

From Liz: Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Thank you, my love. I am doing better. Still sad, but doing better.

You asked recently about the light therapy. I've been at it for two weeks now. I'm using it once in the morning, after practice. I use it while sipping my coffee, kind of a double dose of pep to begin my day. And then I use it around lunch time. The most noticeable change is in my sleep patterns/quality. I am falling asleep more readily, and when I wake up, it's kind of with a "pop." I can't really get back to sleep afterward. Which is fine. And I'm remembering my dreams less, which must mean that I'm getting into deeper sleep, or completing my sleep cycles more often. Either way, better rested = better mood.

And then I remembered a story that a friend told me a few years ago. He found himself in sort of an unshakeable funk, and ended up going on anti-depressants. When I asked how he was doing, he said, "you know, I'm still the same miserable f*ck, but now I can't stop smiling."

The lift from light therapy is kind of like that. Not profoundly transformative, but I am more cheerful, almost in spite of myself. I should also note that this month's cycle of (what is usually vicious) PMS has been abbreviated and much softer than the usual hormonal rage. I've only wanted to maim,but not kill, Humble Husband. So that's progress, right?

Practice has been regular. That's really the best I can say, it is happening 5 to 6 days a week, with a minimum of fuss. No great sparks or revelations within the practice itself. But here's a funny new extra-curricular development (and we are venturing into TMI-land, so feel free to tune out. Mom, this means you): my orgasms have gotten insanely strong.

I feel like it has to have a lot to do with practicing moola bandha all of the time. And maybe a little added body-presence from all of the meditative asana practice. I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth though, don't want to over-analyze, or scare it away with too much chatter. So that's where I'll leave it.

On to you: I know that you are teaching a lot. And you teach five classes on Wednesdays now. How do you get through it? Do you teach mostly a variation on the same class all day? Or do you change it up a lot?

From Anna: Shining light in all the right places

In honor of your last post, I taught a fingertip awareness oriented class this morning. I have found that asking my students to energize through their fingertips never inspires much visible action. But asking them to extend their arms as though they begin all the way at their hips is rather effective. Also, when having them walk their hands out from Uttanasana to Down Dog, I borrowed your image of the fingertips as antennae, probing and exploring their way to the top of the mat. Just as you advocated, it kept their shoulder-blades on their backs and their heart-center's open - it was a lovely thing to behold.

Doing all of the fingertip work led to the arms. I am constantly amazed by how much work there is to find in your arms if you TRULY straighten them and hug the muscles onto the bones. Standing in Utthita Hastasana, turning the palms to face away from you, and then pressing down through the air as though you were moving through molasses, or pressing down on 50 pound weights will give you a solid workout. Do it 3 times and you may break a sweat. Good times.

Speaking of truly straight joints, one of my teachers was recently talking about the importance of fully straightening our elbows and knees and in particular, HOW to open the backs of the knees. She then got onto the topic of Light Therapy and how it's being used on the backs of joints to minimize and treat depression. It was the first I had heard of it, but Google provided me with an abundance of evidence that shining bright lights can reduce chronic pain, heal diabetic ulcers, and even re-set the body's circadian rhythms! No idea if any of it is true but I figure I'll keep my joints straight as can be while the medical professionals sort this one out.

Light: making the world go round, protecting the integrity of our joints, and now, curing the blues!