WALK —— STRETCH —— EXERCISE!!! (In that order, always)

I have always tried to observe the cardinal rule of warming up the muscles prior to doing asanas. In fact, ever since I got my unlimited gym membership, I would leave the house half an hour earlier than usual just to work on the treadmill and bench press before proceeding to the yoga center for class.

That routine has served me well….till the other day when I was reading through some yoga articles and saw a beautiful picture of a guy executing the Lord of the Dance pose. In my over-eagerness, I overlooked the adjective that described this as a CHALLENGING pose and tried to imitate it. Well, that mistake of throwing caution to the wind is making me pay the price now.

For 2 days now, I have had almost sleepless nights as pinched nerves in my thighs throw shooting pains up my legs as I try to turn around in my bed. Walking is painful. Going up and down the stairs is …..well, you can guess how that feels!

It is a painful lesson learned. And it is making me miss the yoga classes I look forward to.

But there is no time for regrets. I am now researching restorative poses that can relieve the pain and bring me back to a point prior to this injury.