For the first time in months I have gone for over a week with no symptoms at all, and I am very happy about it. What worked was taking it very easy. Mostly it has been a humbling experience.
I started with 20 minutes and only some of the standing poses and aiming towards a daily, uninterrupted practice. Kept a journal of the recovery -below-, which shows how primary is being put together again. Gosh I had forgotten how long it is!
On Nov 7, a nose bleed sent me back to 20 minutes. Grrrrr. But a subsequent acupuncture treatment that day got me back on track. Since then, thank you God! I am on a track to recovery. The most scary pose so far seems to be chakrasana, or the backwards roll starting from laying down on the floor. Had not felt that fear since 2007. Amazing how the practice works.
No words can do justice to the gratitude I feel for health, for the practice, for returning, remembering, coming back with a new awareness, and a new found happiness for having found Ashtnaga yoga.
This is the journal so far
Nov 2 20 Minutes
Only Sun Salutations
Nov 3 25 Minutes
Standing to the prasaritas
Nov 4 30 Minutes
Standing to the prasaritas
Nov 6 30 Minutes
Standing to prasaritas
Nov 7 Nose bleed - 20 minutes only
Just Sun salutations and acupuncture (3rd) session with Dr. H
Nov 8 25 Minutes
To Utita Hasta! it was a bit pathetic but it was there, somewhere.
Nov 9 30 Minutes
Takes me to utkatasana (last of the standing poses) as pain in the arms gives for only two Sun Salutes B, hence more time
Nov 10
Moon day, nice rest, drunk some chai and ate chapatis, needed that extra energy!
Friday Nov 11 40 Minutes
got to the seated poses (dandasana and forward bend)
Started the closing with just shoulder stand but no headstand yet.
Sunday Nov 13 50 Minutes
Got all the way to Trianga Muka, but no jumping back and through in between seated poses.
First full backbend! Yeahhh!
A bit more of the closing, and first headstand in months
We practiced in the afternoon with James a few minutes for extra backbends
Monday Nov 14, yesterday, 60 Minutes
All the way to Mari A no jumping through, full backbends and full closing with full head stand and half headstand
Closing in full!
TODAY Tuesday November 15, 70 Minutes and Pure Yoga!
I am coming to the shala again, first practice in a Mysore room in over 3 months. Gratitude.
I am hoping to come to navasana, building the practice and still not jump throughts or back in between seated poses. Stamina will come.
I hope to be back to the full primary series soon. Yet I am completely surrendered: come what may. Loving the energetics of the sequence and how it all comes. Primary, I have missed you!
I started with 20 minutes and only some of the standing poses and aiming towards a daily, uninterrupted practice. Kept a journal of the recovery -below-, which shows how primary is being put together again. Gosh I had forgotten how long it is!
On Nov 7, a nose bleed sent me back to 20 minutes. Grrrrr. But a subsequent acupuncture treatment that day got me back on track. Since then, thank you God! I am on a track to recovery. The most scary pose so far seems to be chakrasana, or the backwards roll starting from laying down on the floor. Had not felt that fear since 2007. Amazing how the practice works.
No words can do justice to the gratitude I feel for health, for the practice, for returning, remembering, coming back with a new awareness, and a new found happiness for having found Ashtnaga yoga.
This is the journal so far
Nov 2 20 Minutes
Only Sun Salutations
Nov 3 25 Minutes
Standing to the prasaritas
Nov 4 30 Minutes
Standing to the prasaritas
Nov 6 30 Minutes
Standing to prasaritas
Nov 7 Nose bleed - 20 minutes only
Just Sun salutations and acupuncture (3rd) session with Dr. H
Nov 8 25 Minutes
To Utita Hasta! it was a bit pathetic but it was there, somewhere.
Nov 9 30 Minutes
Takes me to utkatasana (last of the standing poses) as pain in the arms gives for only two Sun Salutes B, hence more time
Nov 10
Moon day, nice rest, drunk some chai and ate chapatis, needed that extra energy!
Friday Nov 11 40 Minutes
got to the seated poses (dandasana and forward bend)
Started the closing with just shoulder stand but no headstand yet.
Sunday Nov 13 50 Minutes
Got all the way to Trianga Muka, but no jumping back and through in between seated poses.
First full backbend! Yeahhh!
A bit more of the closing, and first headstand in months
We practiced in the afternoon with James a few minutes for extra backbends
Monday Nov 14, yesterday, 60 Minutes
All the way to Mari A no jumping through, full backbends and full closing with full head stand and half headstand
Closing in full!
TODAY Tuesday November 15, 70 Minutes and Pure Yoga!
I am coming to the shala again, first practice in a Mysore room in over 3 months. Gratitude.
I am hoping to come to navasana, building the practice and still not jump throughts or back in between seated poses. Stamina will come.
I hope to be back to the full primary series soon. Yet I am completely surrendered: come what may. Loving the energetics of the sequence and how it all comes. Primary, I have missed you!
This is such a fantastic news Claudia!
ReplyDeleteVery good that you're making it and getting back at Yoga in full bloom again.
Good wishes from Pakistan.
Thank you Waqas! :-)
ReplyDeleteMy day off today was going to write and ask you how things were going and here it all is. So happy for you Claudia.... and you get to discover the practice twice.
ReplyDeleteYes! Nice! did the chinese medicine guy give you herbs or mostly acupuncture? it sounds like he's pretty amazing in addition to yourself being amazing for getting back to the studio.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic milestone to be back at Mysore practice at the shala! Thank you Claudia for continuing to post through this difficult experience - like I said in my comment on the other article, it is a great inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI also would like to say how fascinating it is that your yoga practice and your husband's writing practice reflect in each other.
I agree, Chris, I read both Claudia and James' blogs and love that they overlap in the sweetest places. Thank you for sharing your journey, Claudia. I have only recently surrendered to the Ashtanga practice (Primary is indeed long!), but still frequently wonder why I didn't do it sooner. Accepting it as it is has made all the difference. All the best to you and a gentle, speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteGrimmly, yes you can definitelly say that, about discovering the practice twice, magnficent exploration from the point of knowing that I can do things yet feeling the fear all anew...
ReplyDeleteAnon it was a mix, herbs, accupuncture and something dr H does with a hot thing that smells delicious, like sage or something. Also lots of rest and taking it very easy on the mat! The studio was lovely today!
Chris and Sharon, cool that you find parallel lines, that is sweet... I think today he has the one about magic... now I wonder... but I get it, for him writing is his main practice and we both get on with it every morning
Sharon good on the surrendering, I often wonder why so long myself as well! thanks for the good wishes.
Oooo. This is good news. Really good news. Never have I been happier reading a journal entry...
ReplyDeleteYaaaaaay!!!!!
:D :D :D
Thank you Deepa! :-)
ReplyDeletewhat do you attribute your cure from lyme disease to? the last blog i read was you were sleeping 20 hours aday.please let me know your cure, i too have lyme disease and have had for a year.teested positive , on doxcycline, not getting any better. appreciate your in put. thanks mary hudson
ReplyDeletewhat do you attribute your cure from lyme disease to? the last blog i read was you were sleeping 20 hours aday.please let me know your cure, i too have lyme disease and have had for a year.teested positive , on doxcycline, not getting any better. appreciate your in put. thanks mary hudson
ReplyDeleteMary, I attribute the healing to two things, one was coming accross Dr H, a Chinese Doctor, who got me out of antibiotics and into herbs and accupuncture, it took about 4 visits to him and it healed me, I am eternally grateful for it.
ReplyDeleteIf you are in the NYC area email me or send me a Twitter message, I will sendy ou his address, if not find a "Chinese Medicine Practitioner", meaning one that can do all three things,accupuncture, give herbs and treat patients in general.
Dr H was upset that Ihad been on doxy for so long (about 30 days, and before that amoxi), because he said they were killing everything, all my organs were out of balance, kdney, heart, splin, liver. He gave me herbs for each and every organ that was out of balance, and got me back.
Two was this post, coming back to primary series. Only now I am in full mode of primary, I do the whole thing, it took time but I am finally better!
I wish you health
Hi Claudia,
ReplyDeleteplayed leapfrog through a series of links starting w/ a book recommendation ( i was blind).. from there to the blog, to a comment about your recovery-journey w/ lyme disease.
I hear you on the recovery journey! although I have had the lyme long enough, that it's hard to remember when I could work a full day, ride 2 horses and bike 30 miles ( vt hilly miles) and feel good afterwards.
I have had an incredible journey- but still.. lyme steals a vital part of ones life ( and even as a healer- I am okay with not being entirely okay with that:).
I'm more than happy to share resources, such as chaga ( keeps me on my feet- hugely medicinal mushroom).. and/ or any other support/ resources.
and yet another nudge to get back into some yoga:)
thank you for sharing a journey...
teri
ps- some lyme-chaga info on my blog httP://beingherd.com
Can you provide the doctors name that you sought out to for lyme disease? I am trying to try a diffrent route for this illness. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSure. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteDr Huang 334 E 65 st (bet 1st and 2nd) 212 861 1219 .
For how long did you have lyme before you caught it? How are you doing now?
ReplyDeleteWas lucky to catch it right at the start... much better now thanks
Delete