Restless. That's about the only word that can describe how I've been feeling the past week or so. Though I'm still in the boot, I'm walking almost normal without it around home and mentally I'm desperately missing dancing. But last night I took my first yoga class (actually first anything phsyical class) since surgery and it was fantastic!
(Warning: this is sort of a mindless stream of conciousness about getting back in shape...not sure where I'm going...)
Technically I guess I should wait til I'm officially out of the boot to start getting back in shape, but technically the doctor said I *could* be out of the boot this week. I'm just waiting for my physical therapist to return to give me the okay. So I went ahead and did half of yoga - just the sitting half - and I'm so glad I did.
After a month of doing literally nothing physical I felt like I was reintroduced to a brand new body. It was very strange...it's like that sense of wearing someone else's shoes: they fit, but something's not right. My muscles felt oddly tight and loose at the same time. I know that doesn't make sense but it's true. Stretches that I never used to feel anything on suddenly twinged with constraint, but other positions that used to feel stuck now felt more free. I think when I'm in shape and turning out all the time my muscles almost block the openness of my joints. I'm not sure that's an anatomically correct statement, but that's what it sort of seems like. I mostly noticed this in the front of my hips...normally if I try to sit up and hold my knees parallel close to my chest I can't even get them to touch together, nevermind curl my chest over towards them. Last night it was so easy all of a sudden!
It made me think of how carefully I need to retrain my muscles as I start getting myself together again soon. I've always had a habbit of "gripping" my muscles while dancing because I'm sort of built to do so, but that's not good for you. It will be super hard for me, but I want to try to force myself to retrain slowly and more correctly so that I strengthen my muscles while keeping the length and ease that has come of relaxation (it's like my body has been refreshed, and although I certainly don't feel all energized and renewed, apparently my muscles are and they're just not telling me). It won't be easy.
Now that I've proven I'm able to do at least basic gentle yoga, I'm going to ease into a schedule of more and more yoga/pilates until I'm allowed to take barre. Once I'm offiically out of the boot I'll start standing poses and will be able to do more. But I think tomorrow I'm going to try hot yoga for the first time at Yoga to the People (anyone done that?) and then next week I'll take some pilates classes.
I'm so ready to be back in shape. I felt amazing after my half yoga class last night and this morning I'm actually not nearly as sore as I was expecting to be. And the best part is that my foot is completely pain-free still :)
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