Day 9

Yesterday was Day 9, where I also had to make up for Day 8. So for the first time, I took Beginners and Advanced back to back, something I had been meaning to do for a while.

Beginners was tough. Very very humid, and with a very good teacher, who did not go easy on us. I stood at the back near the windows, and was happy to be close to some air, which felt soooo good, when the windows were opened a tiny crack at some points during the class. I was able to complete most of the class, except the sit ups, which I was still afraid could be a bit too much of a jerky movement for my ribs, and one set of Camel. I definitely did more than I had done since
Monday, and it felt good, like I was physically capable of more.

I showered and changed before Advanced. It just felt better than keeping the same clothes, which I have done the other times I've done classes back to back. I felt like a new person, and not like someone who'd just done a Bikram class! The teacher was one of my favourites again-she really is a great teacher. She gives very precise instructions and corrections, which I really think helps me improve. I felt a bit bad for her, as I was drained for much of the class, and scared of doing anything that aggravated my ribs, so I did sit out some postures that I would normally have a go at. She was the teacher that first invited me to an Advanced class, so in a way I feel like I should make more of an effort for her. Silly really :)

I was disappointed to miss some of the postures, particularly peacock in lotus, which I've been improving at, but I just felt like I needed to sit some of them out. I know that if I push into my injury, or pain, that I could make it worse, and I don't want to spend longer recovering just to achieve a posture that I can do at a later date (maybe next week!) anyway. One of the many benefits of a 30 Day challenge is meant to be improved health, so doing something that could potentially make an injury worse would be detrimental in the long run. It can be hard to acknowledge that, and to tell yourself to stop doing something you normally do, when you normally wouldn't think twice about it, and when you just want to do what everyone else is doing, and because it's fun. But I'm trying to listen to my body...I want to feel better at the end of this challenge, not worse!

It was nice to chat to the teacher and other students after class. One girl is going to Teacher Training soon, which I would love to do. I originally wanted to go to the next one, but other plans got in the way, and I intend to go this time next year now. I was definitely on a high after class, even though I'd been tired for much of class. I was very glad that I'd managed to get through the classes, and had completed Days 8 and 9.