Day 185

Moon Day was a true break for me, as I tried to rest my shoulder. In the afternoon, I tied a couple of tennis balls into a sock and laid over them (gradually rolling them down my spine) to work some of the knots out of my upper back. It was the most uncomfortable 15 minutes I've ever spent with tennis balls, but it worked like a charm and I felt better. I felt like there had been an important 'release.' I also used a heating pad for part of the day. As I taught my four Wednesday classes, I found that despite the discomfort, doing a tiny bit of yoga was actually helpful and I was feeling even better a the end of the day.

So I wasn't completely reticent when I hit the mat this morning. I wasn't sure how my shoulder would feel, but it turns out that yoga was exactly what I needed! I did a more gentle practice (didn't bind in Marichyasana D, replaced Setu Bandhasana with a bridge pose), focused on the Bandhas and breath. I could feel the heat of the practice easing the tension out of my shoulder and upper back. I laid on the tennis balls again during Savasana and felt like a new woman when I got out of the shower.

(Musical Sirsasana was 'Do It Well' by Jennifer Lopez, 3 minutes, 33 seconds - I was feeling tippy today, so did headstand near the wall in case I needed it).

I feel almost 100% better now. There's a tiny bit of residual tension in my left shoulder, but mostly it's just sore. I think I was having muscle spasms and possibly had a pinched nerve near the left shoulder blade. This is not a new problem - it's been popping up periodically for 15 years. Makes me wonder what trauma I'm holding in those muscles!

I think the trigger was a week of teaching twists followed by a rough hockey game and some unrelated personal stuff that's going on. All the ingredients for angst, borne out by my body. Ah well...

Really looking forward to practice tomorrow!