BEND, STRETCH, FLEX

Finally. I'm back in the groove. Well, sort of. After 3 weeks of not having had, even a minute to practice yoga, boom. Today I found time. Naturally, I could have been doing something else way more useful, considering all the settling in I have yet to do. On the other hand, making sure I don't undo all the body de-plumpification I've made this past year, is ALSO a useful thing to do. Yes.. I know. There's no such word as: plumpification, so I had to make it up. Origin: PLUMP. Definition: refining PLUMPNESS in one's body. Synonym: Reducing body amount of unwanted fleshiness.

See? I'm a regular johnny on the spot helper maker-upper for Webter's dictionary.

Anyway, this month I'm celebrating my one year anniversary of returning to the practice of yoga. I've done it pretty much every single day in the past year and I'm so telling you... it has definitely paid off. Granted I'm no Nicole Kidman in the body department but then again, I was never meant to be. HER kind of body, one is simply born with. Me?? You can be SURE, such was never my birth right. Regardless... improvement in the bending, flexibility and stretching department? BINGO. I've scored big. It's pretty amazing, if you ask me. I think maybe I might even consider buying myself an anniversary present. Oh yeah. Wait. I forgot. I DID buy myself a lovely gift... A NEW HOUSE. How soon I forget.

I will admit, that given I've had so little time this month to work in my daily yoga routine, today's work out was not entirely up to snuff. I could still bend pretty far and got through my pushups and crunches pretty well... but the long bent-leg stretches? Hmmm. Those, I'll have to wait a couple of days yet, before they're back to where I was 3 weeks ago. But... have no fear. I'll get there.

All I can say is... I'm kinda impressed with myself for all the effort I've put toward yoga the past 12 months. God knows I needed the work out, to help me stay flexible and strong. But, equally important, I'm so glad I did all this, for if nothing else, it gave me MAJOR help in dealing with the crazy ass pressures while my Dad was so sick. Trust me... I was able to handle things with mental clarity, calmness and composure that is basically in direct opposition to my normal capability for possibly becoming way neurotic, at the mere drop of a hat.

So, in closing... I wish myself a very Happy Anniversary. I've accomplished something I never thought possible, considering I'm pretty much the laziest person I know. However, I am so glad to have gone down a couple dress sizes. And, can now bend over, to reach everything I want ,with complete straightened knee. Not to mention, I can also now hop out of bed each and every morning, lickety split, with not an ache in the world. Well... wait. Not unless you count the crappy lower back pain that's killing me each time I get up from this make shift computer chair. Man, I SO need to get to Office Max.