Not one pose

I sat out not one pose last night. That's right, I did all 26 poses and did not fall out early or sit one out. My intention for class was to sweat it out. I felt like I was getting sick. I learned a valuable lesson, if you have a severe sunburn then it is not always best to practice.

Once on the floor for the second part of class I looked down to find my skin blistering. I had never seen anything quite like it so during Pavanamuktasana (Wind Removing Pose) I was distracted and pushed on my skin to find that the blisters would move around with moisture (sweat) under them.

My instructor noticed my sudden lack of concentration and because it wasn't painful, she said it was safe to stay in the room. I believe the sweat was good for my skin and firmly believe it speed up the healing process but just because it blisters doesn't mean you should go home and peel it. As with so many things, yoga teaches me not to force.

I feel a connection with this pose as it realigns my spine and my body always surprises me in a new way. Never forcing my alignment, I believe this pose hold many truths not yet uncovered.

As for my idea to sweat it out, I did not stay hydrated and woke up mid night gagging for water. Seriously, I was actually gagging- so I did sweat something out last night! My body is so stressed out right now, I feel my health is not at its best. Yoga is a tool for me to stay focused on my long term goals - not getting lost in the short term ones. Right now these short term ones are pulling at me. I am sick, my spine is sore, my legs hurt, my body is sunburned with open wound. My body if forcing me to find a peace that I cannot quite grasp right now. Forcing myself to lay down while my body heals itself is difficult because I feel like I have so many things to do.