final report

... on NaYoPracMo.

I made all 31 practices - with a couple of two-practice days thrown in for good measure. Granted, the last one was after midnight, but I’m counting it. It was, after all, 40 minutes, even if it did start at 12:05. I was just… er, well… unavoidably detained. I didn’t ditch the yoga, I just had to postpone it a little.

And somehow I ended up with a short restorative on February 1st. Midnight yoga is interesting. The house is silent and dark. My mind suspends harsh judgements about strength and flexibility – after all, I’m practicing at midnight, and it’s not exactly a high point in my day in terms of energy. Body says, “Hey, this is more than I expected to get. Cool. Nice. Thanks.”

Practicing daily has brought a small but vital revelation in terms of body development and maintenance. See, I always thought that skipping a day here and there would be ok, just because I needed to rest, I was so tired, blah blah. And it is ok, really. But by not skipping, I still tend to the areas that need help – my hamstrings, inner groins, back and shoulders, for the most part. Oh, and my head. You know, the whole, letting-the-thoughts-go-for-a-little-while thing. So I’m offering my body some extra blood flow and flexibility, and I’m giving my brain a little break at the same time. What could be bad about that, even if I do start off tired? By the end, I might still be tired, but I’m generally not quite so hostile about it.

So by continuing to pay attention to those muscle groups daily – even to a small degree – I’m not having to take the one step backward for every two steps forward. It’s more like taking smaller steps consistently, in the right direction.

And I know I can do it now – daily practice, that is. Over the last month I’ve practiced in all kinds of different conditions – sleepy, whiny, sick-ish, distracted, bloated, slightly intoxicated in one form or another (obviously I skipped the balance poses), and of course the times when I got a good, sweet, challenging practice in at just the right time of day.

In terms of follow-through and commitment, this is … well, not exactly momentous, but it’s a big improvement over my usual manic project initiations – the ones that usually either fall flat or end up so overwhelming that I freak out about them and stop enjoying myself. (Manic = panic; it’s only a matter of time.)

*****

RB transferred to another location in the company – it cuts her commute down by more than half, and it gives her room to move up, which is something she never would have had here, no matter how long she stayed. I’ll miss her, even though we’ve promised to keep in touch. (Next Friday night will be pizza and movies at her house. With a big fluffy guest bed. Yummy.)

So, speaking of projects, I thought it would be appropriate for me to initiate and coordinate her going-away luncheon at the plant. It was considerably healthier than folks were used to, but I did it for her anyway, and the rest of them can kiss my ass. But that engendered some deadline-oriented stress that I had to work through last week, on top of lost work – mine and Brian’s – due to one illness or another and weather-panic school closings.

I don’t think anyone ended up with food poisoning. I didn’t bake this time (oh, the horror!), but the cake I bought was a big hit.

It was also a lovely excuse to finally buy a 6-quart slow cooker. I’ll be doing a chicken tomorrow for dinner, I think. What a concept – Sunday-style dinner on Tuesday night. Luscious.

So NaYoPracMo is officially over, and I’m maintaining daily practice. Because, you know, it feels good, whether I do fifteen minutes, forty minutes, or two hours.

Oh, and also because I’ve dropped two jeans sizes over the last six months. Nice incentive, that.