the backbends are terribly intense for me. apparently it is a heart chakra thing. ahhh. the past two days have been like a little tornado of asana, namely backbends, chakra focus, and many at their most exhasted state. and we continue the backbend asana practice the rest of the training. i’m sure i’ll have some interesting insights to share.

confession: yesterday i had a sugar meltdown. in the middle of our 4-hour backbend assist practice, david gave us a 10-minute break. i ran (literally) to the cafe and collected soy chips, ginger chews, dried mango, and a vegan peanut butter cookie. i ate most of the soy chips on the short walk back and began offering them to fellow yogis when my assist partner whispered, “they have cheddar cheese on them. remember this whole animal liberation thing?” gasp! i might as well have been offering people bacon. i quickly finished them off in the corner and consumed my vegan peanut butter cookie while doing backbends. ahhhh, finding everyday goodies without animal products is tricky.

i’m still terribly weak. my muscles feel like they are constantly shaking. it is either sugar withdrawal, low electrolytes, overused muscles, or lack of sleep – or a combo of them all. it’s interesting that yesterday was my most tired day yet (and a few others that i’ve spoken with). must be the cycle in the training. over half-way done, yet still acclimating to it all.

i loved yesterday’s scripture from the yoga sutras and want to share YS 1.33:

to preserve the innate serenity of the mind, a yogin should be happy for those who are happy, be compassionate toward those who are unhappy, be delighted for those who are virtuous, and be indifferent toward the wicked.

this sutra gives us permission to let go and sweep out. it holds additional insights that i leave to you to ponder.

off to take my mid-term. i hope you’re thriving, learning something new about yourself, and taking good care of yourself (even through a simple cup of tea or yoga pose) and others (even through a simple smile to by-passers). toodles and much compassion . . .