Owchtanga

So, now I’m becoming one of those old people who’s always complaining about his aches and pains, but I’m not really complaining; I’m just noticing.

Really.

And what I’m noticing was what a funny practice I had today—funny hmmm, not funny ha-ha.

In a number of poses, I experienced a number of pains I usually don’t and they weren’t precipitated by a tumble or stumble I recall experiencing. For instance, while my wrist is still bothering me in plank pose from the bike crash a few weeks ago, I also felt a weird twinge in my hand in a few of the asanas that require you to put your weight over your palms. Or, even though I’m usually stiff in my lower back during the first few sun salutations, today I additionally felt an uncharacteristic tightness in my hip..

Some of this can be attributed to not doing the full practice these last few days, but I always wonder whether a new sensation is going to be chronic or not.

When people ask me why I practice yoga six days a week, I typically say “because I’m afraid if I stop, I won’t start again.” It’s the same concern that keeps me plodding away on the 327 project, I guess.

There’s that old quote that goes something like, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.” What is it called then, when I do the same thing over and over and expect it always to come out the same way?

I am one of those creepy people who always puts his mat in the same place every day if that space is available. I’ve sometimes tried to practice in a different spot, but it just feels weird. I can’t tell if a perosn learns more through repetition or by switching things up occasionally.

I’ll probably never know, since I’d have to do something different to find out.