Child's Pose

Tuesday night I rolled my BMC on the track at Pacific Raceways to do the surgefest bike race of the flats with the master's men. Oh, boy I thought... I just need to hang on. If I can make it for 30 minutes with the pack that would be victory (as I could define it). With my heart popping from my chest on the first two laps I hung on and it suddenly felt easier. With two laps to go and 40 minutes into the race... I said to myself, I'm going to make it and through the final turn, I gave my last burst of energy calling upon all the muscles of my lower half to hammer and finish high in the pack. Victory!

I climbed into my car and raced home stopping at whole foods for a big slab of salmon, salad and a pocket full of hemp seed granola and chocolate chips (my treat on those "you deserve it" events).

Crawling into bed, I fell a sleep with a smile on my face.

The next morning, still full of joy...
I jumped out of bed at 5am and I sauntered into my yoga studio to engage in my daily 1.5 hour practice to the entire CD of Krishna Das. 40 minutes of getting down on my dawg, I moved back to childs pose. Oh know I thought....I can't get out of this pose.

Getting worried, I rolled over with a shortness of breath as it seemed like some evil monster had full grip of my lower spine - both hands mind you. I laid still for 10 minutes and thought I should need to extend my spine. Using my wall ropes I elongated and it did nothing but make my breath shorter. I tried to stand errect. No luck. I hobbled into my house knowing I had a full day of meetings.

Got dressed and stood much of the day (as it seemed better).

At 3pm, I called my yogini, Kitty (also an acupuncturist) and said I need to see you. She called her brilliant massage therapist/medicine man and the two of them received me at 5pm yesterday evening. Giovanni worked on my for what seemed like 2 hours. My body was worked as he read my body and its movements as a world class tango dancer. He moved with grace and my body just received. Then, he departed with my body vibrating with moving energy and blood like I was floating. Kitty gave me water and let my body rest for 1.5 hours. She returned working pressure points where my muscles thought they needed to be in fear mode and locked. They soon relaxed. Then she stuck needles into those same muscles and vibrated them deeper into my lower back. She then put mugwort on the needs (probably 15 of them) and set them a blaze - yes on FIRE!

Now I don't know about you...but not being able to see that someone is lighting your back on fire and that you will be okay takes much trust. The heat was amazing, warming, healing. The smell... well not so fun.

At 12:30am, I got home crawled in bed.
I woke this morning able to get out of bed without pain. I'm not 100%, but I can move.

So what did I do?
Well, Kitty suggested with all the opening and freeing moves I've unleashed in my spine over the past three months (with her great one on one work with me), then the intense bike ride pushed all the stress into these muscles that are not use to the abuse. They got scared and locked up; full of lactic acid.

I also think I'm trying to do too much.
I'm listening....


Today I chill.