More about mind over itch...

I've been doing a little yoga for a while now, and have to mention the benefits I've found so far.  In Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, I was happy to be approaching my knees, with my head, and now I can do better than that in one round of exhaling into it and going further, so with a couple of rounds this morning, I was resting my forehead past my knees, onto my shins...The progress lover in me became very happy.

As well as the flexibility improvements with that move, I tried some inversions today, and my head it still attached...I also tried a spine twist the other day and was shocked at how differently my left and right sides responded.  Right leg to left side..."ok".  Left leg to right side "what?! left foot can't touch floor...torso screamed with the stretch, so I backed it up, and used the exhalation cycles I'd been taught way back when I did a few yoga classes in Yellowknife (Thanks Mayra! Of the spelling I'm so unsure!).  By slowing it down I eventually got it moving better.  Today though, the benefits of two days ago were still there-which I loved!  Much more symmetry in the range of motion, painless, but still a great stretch...

I swear that I feel taller, more 'shoulders back' than hunched, and I think I'm strengthening as well.  I am meeting the little goals and hopes I have for my body, and the effort feels very rewarding--because I can actually see the results.  I see increased backward mobility in my spine, my neck is stiffening less (thanks to less computer time as well), and when I use the bag in strength training, I can also feel the shoulder 'scrunch' lessen.  My left hip, which has been wonky ever since large baby 1 of 3, is much less stiff, and I can feel better balance overall now that I've been stretching effectively.

As for mind over itching, I did pretty well this morning until I nearly went off a mental cliff of itch between the itching skin and biting insects...but the biking worked, and the yoga has helped-as did the Facebook vent.  I've been pleased with how well I've been able to mentally turn down the 'volume' of the itch.

Cheers and chao!