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Getting To Know My Body Better
Sep. 5th, 2007 09:59 pmI've always thought that I had pretty good body-awareness. For all my blind spots about my physical appearance (and apparent inability to estimate my own size), I'm fairly knowledgeable about my own workings and abilities.
I know how strong I am, and how long I can exert myself without causing injury. I know how flexible I am, and how agile. Or, at least, I thought I did.
I've always thought that I was at the upper end of the spectrum when it came to flexibility. I can bend at the waist and put both palms on the floor without working at it. I can kick high enough to hit myself in the nose if I'm not careful. Lotus position isn't much of a challenge, and the biggest problem I've had with most stretches has always been finding a way to make them intense enough to have any real effect. I figured that yoga would be a walk in the park, honestly.
Pride goeth before a muscle strain, I suppose.
Apparently, my legs and hips and spine are plenty flexy. On the other hand, it seems that my shoulders are made out of concrete. I've always known that I carry tension there, but I just figured that, you know, I'm flexible. I'm super-stretchy bendy girl. A little tension is a good thing, it helps keep my limbs from falling off. Right?
It also turns some of the more simple shoulder and arm stretches into nigh-impossible feats of strain and exertion. I guess I have some work to do.
There are worse tasks that I could be set, though. Yoga is at least fun, and the mental downtime is nothing short of a godsend - I'm starting to wonder how I made it through the past decade or so without this tiny oasis of sanity. And a reminder that I'm not done working on my body is a good thing, and if I'm this stiff and tight, I probably need the exercise.
Now I just have to figure out how to shut up the corner of my brain that's yammering for instant results....
I know how strong I am, and how long I can exert myself without causing injury. I know how flexible I am, and how agile. Or, at least, I thought I did.
I've always thought that I was at the upper end of the spectrum when it came to flexibility. I can bend at the waist and put both palms on the floor without working at it. I can kick high enough to hit myself in the nose if I'm not careful. Lotus position isn't much of a challenge, and the biggest problem I've had with most stretches has always been finding a way to make them intense enough to have any real effect. I figured that yoga would be a walk in the park, honestly.
Pride goeth before a muscle strain, I suppose.
Apparently, my legs and hips and spine are plenty flexy. On the other hand, it seems that my shoulders are made out of concrete. I've always known that I carry tension there, but I just figured that, you know, I'm flexible. I'm super-stretchy bendy girl. A little tension is a good thing, it helps keep my limbs from falling off. Right?
It also turns some of the more simple shoulder and arm stretches into nigh-impossible feats of strain and exertion. I guess I have some work to do.
There are worse tasks that I could be set, though. Yoga is at least fun, and the mental downtime is nothing short of a godsend - I'm starting to wonder how I made it through the past decade or so without this tiny oasis of sanity. And a reminder that I'm not done working on my body is a good thing, and if I'm this stiff and tight, I probably need the exercise.
Now I just have to figure out how to shut up the corner of my brain that's yammering for instant results....
