This is a really tough workout week overall -- lots of new exercises, all of them difficult. The new ones are interesting because I get to figure out how they work and where I should be feeling the burn. The old ones are interesting because I'm still figuring out how they work and where to feel the burn.
I used to do a lot of yoga before having my daughter, and one of the most important things I still use from my yoga practice is being aware of my body -- paying attention to what my muscles are doing, how my joints are moving, what happens to my hip if I rotate my foot outward, etc. It keeps my mind engaged and makes the exercise more interesting. So I'm trying to apply that same kind of attention here.
I also did a lot of prenatal yoga classes when I was expecting, and the best thing I think I learned there was how to keep a calm mind in an uncomfortable situation. Not that I always know how to do this, mind you -- but it was really helpful during delivery, when I had my ankles in the air and lots of pain. (Funny aside: there was a medical student in the delivery room who held one of my legs, saw everything that was going on, and I never even learned his name.) Calm breathing helped me get through the contractions (and later, so did an epidural) and in the end I can say I had a positive birth experience.
So I took that experience, and the advice from all of you guys, and tried to focus on my breathing today during those $&*@# planks. I changed my music too -- I was listening to something really energetic and kind of aggressive, but I put on something quietly ecstatic instead. When I got to a point in the plank where my muscles started to shake and I was inclined to freak out, I focused on getting quieter and calmer, instead of throwing more aggressive energy at the problem. I tried to relax my jaw and relax my forehead.
And guess what? It worked!
Well, mostly.
I got through the first 2 planks for the full time. Yippee! On the third one, I freaked out and bailed at about 25 seconds. It happened so quickly -- I didn't even think about bailing, I just did it. Then I was lying on the floor, thinking, "What just happened?" Instinct had taken over. I took a couple of deep breaths, and was able to do the last plank for the full duration, focusing on calm, quiet, deep strength.
This time, they were happy tears.
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Tara, as a PCP newbie, your blog totally inspires me. Especially this post - I can totally relate. This is the greatest benefit of my yoga practice, being able to relax into difficulty. I wasn't able to do that with my first birth, but it definitely helped during my second. I love how you were able to find the calm here in the PCP! Sounds like a breakthrough moment.
ReplyDeletegood work on the planks! theyr awfull arnt they!
ReplyDeleteWay to go with the breathing/channeling your energy during planks. I will remember this while we have a new plank challenge in the last week!
ReplyDeleteI read your article about the urban farmer in the Louisville magazine. I don't know much about KY, but it was great to see some of the same issues being worked through (urban food deserts, land re-use, increasing public awareness of local food) that people in Brooklyn were dealing with too. Kudos to you for a well-written, informative article! If I lived in Louisville, I'd know where to shop for my PCP foods!