This spring, due to changes in my schedule, changes in my studio schedule, and the beauty of the season, I have started running again and am doing yoga only 3 times a week. Now, for many years this seemed to be an incredible luxury, and when I started practicing 3 times a week about 8 years ago, I couldn't believe how much faster I made progress than practicing only 1 time a week.
But for the past couple of winters I've been practicing 4-6 times a week. I was so worried about getting out of shape for running that I didn't realize what the impacts of going back to a 3-practice week might have. I remember last year sometime my teacher mentioned that if he went a day without practicing he felt stiff, and I thought that was crazy. Now I know it's true. When I go just 48 hours without practicing, I feel like each time I get back on the mat I am starting over. I have noticed for years that the morning after a hard workout I am sore, but 2 mornings later I am REALLY sore. I suppose there is a similar principle at work here; some hardening and settling in happens over 48 hours that is somehow interrupted when you practice every day(ish). I realized this morning, as my stiff muscles complained, that I had taken for granted the comfortable supple feeling of my yoga-only practice.
But summer is around the corner, and with it a more flexible schedule. And next winter is on the horizon as well. I can look forward to days too cold and icy to run, knowing the season brings with it the comfort of a daily yoga practice.
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