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Yoga Breakthrough!

 Been "practicing" yoga now for over a decade, and I've had mini steps forward, hardly noticeable, actually very much like the book "compound effect," little tiny incremental improvements that over the years manifest themselves into HUGE changes. Mentally and Physically. But today I had a breakthrough that is noticeable both mentally and physically, and I believe my "practice firmly" will improve immensely from it.  

The best way I can explain it is a mix of "body by science" and Yin and Yang, push and pull. My ignorance is going to show in this next statement, but whatever the name of the pose is where you are lying on your back, this is the Bikram Yoga 26 poses right after your standing session. You pull your leg up into your chest, and my teacher, Tonya (the absolute best), said the same thing she has for over 10 years. "biceps bulge pulls your leg into your shoulder" but today, either its the first time; she said it or its the first time I heard it (likely the latter) she said "push against your biceps" and I did, and when I say I did, I did. I mean to the point of shaking; every muscle group I could fire fired up, my arms were shaking, my legs shaking, and I was pushing/pulling so hard. 

Now I have to back up just a second. Historically, literally for the last 10-plus years, this yoga position would pinch a nerve in my hips, and I had a "locking" sensation no matter how hard I pulled with my arms, my legs would lock into place with a sharp pain in my hips shooting up my back. So like a rat getting shocked over and over and over, after a period, I just stopped pulling and brought my leg to the point just before the pinch and hoped that over time it would incrementally improve. Thats' one spot that didn't budge in my practice over the years. I had accepted, "this is the way my body is built." 

With all of my shaking, I thought to myself, maybe I moved the muscle from that pinching place and tried for the first time in a LONG time to pull further; sure enough, it felt like a mile further. It felt as if my hips opened up entirely. In reality, I understand that I probably moved a millimeter, but that MM changed my mind; from that point on every pose, I did the same thing; I found the yin and the yang. No longer was I in fear of pulling or straining a muscle; this is where the body by science comes in. In so many words, the book speaks to flexibility, strength, and recovery in five exercises, 70% of max weight, full rotation, and slow motion. It is the surefire way to build strength safely. because you are going to your maximum flexibility so slowly under not too much weight, your ability to know and push your limits is very well understood. Therefore, when I move into a pose, as I always have done, slowly methodically, that's now just the beginning. Once I reach my "static limit" (I'm struggling with the word or phrase here) then I incorporate body by science and strength training through yin and yang resistance. And because I control the resistance, I feel very safe in discovering my limits. 

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