This morning I decided that I would use the inspiration of the sunshine coming through my curtains to start the day on a positive note and do something that I have been putting off for about a year…
Over the last couple of days I have been wondering if this daily blog thing has become something of a burden instead of a joy – I have had a few days when my energy has been a bit low and my thoughts have joined in… it is one thing to write a blog when one is feeling buoyant as I was last week – but quite a different thing when one is a bit flat…
Talking of being flat…three years ago a teacher of mine – the wonderful Kira Balaskas – was on a mission to sort / cure what she referred to as “my hump”, from this Tom and I coined the phrase “humplessness” to describe my efforts to become “hump-less”…
The most simple humplessness practice to get me to achieve the beautiful posture that Kira seemed to think was possible for me – but really not happening – and thus needing work – was lying on the floor…
This simple practice – well known to anyone who does yoga – is a discipline for the body – reminding the body in a very uncompromising physical demonstration – just how much the body deviates from the flat line of the floor. When I used to attend a yoga class at least once a week – and for some years three times a week – we always used to start the class by lying on our mats on the floor with our legs at right angles resting against the wall, and then extending our arms behind us.
When I used to practice humplessness exercises a couple of years ago I’d go straight into lying over my rolled up yoga mat – thus making my back bend the opposite way – a bit like when you have a rolled up poster and you want it to lie flat and so you roll it the opposite way – inside out – and then when you release it, it stops curling and will lie flat… well… that was the idea with lying over the mat – to bend my hump the other way and straighten me out…
Anyway… this morning I was all excited and went to get my yoga mat in my desire to turn my hump inside out – but quickly realised that Nell, our youngest daughter – here for the weekend – was sleeping in the room that I had left my yoga mat…
Quick as a flash I came up with plan B… I would start by lying on the floor and then lie over the mat when she woke… OH MY GOODNESS!!!!
I lay on the floor – the first half second was just about bearable … and then … I didn’t quite hyperventilate with the pain …but I was doing my diaphragmatic breathing to try and relax my muscles and help my back to surrender its habitual humped shape and let go and lie flat on the floor …. GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME!! … how can it be so painful just to lie down?!
I lasted about a minute and a half – it was unbearable! I got up …I felt like a little old lady – I could hardly move…
So… I am now on a mission … I have to bring humplessness back as a daily pursuit – if lying on the floor reduces me to this then action must be taken …
After hobbling back downstairs – I noticed a funny thing in the corner of the room where I have the computer – it’s a really horrible turquoise green colour plastic – it is a Chi Machine – and it is electric and basically makes your whole body wobble when you turn it on – having placed your ankles on a funny raised bit… it was given to me and I have – I confess, underused it… but this morning it looks like just what I need to loosen up my stiff, humped, back … so after finishing my blog … I’m off to wobble…
