I’m slightly overstretched today. Perhaps also not so slightly, but overstretched. The back of my legs complain when I bow forward with straight legs. These injuries are inevitable if the breaks between practices are too long. My experience is that a break of more than three days or even a week or longer is too long. The mind still knows what was possible the last time when I practiced, yet the body adjusted already to another life style and got stiff.
During a practice it’s almost impossible to realize if one goes too far. The pain comes the next day or even later. It’s the same with sore muscles.
When I practiced daily I’ve been never overstretched. A daily practice is the solution if one want so avoid getting overstretched.
The next question is how to avoid breaks. My experience is that yoga must come first. Sometimes I have so much to do that I start working on these daily tasks first. Duties first, I think. But every task lasts longer than estimated. I accomplish a lot on those days when I postpone yoga. But often yoga is not only postponed but cancelled on those days when I switch my priorities. After lunch my stomach is too full for a practice and in the evening I’m often too tired.
What is more important than my health, my well-being? Nothing. This is why yoga must come first. The plan is to finish my practice before lunch time.
Of course exceptions exist: Serious injuries like my SI injury might require to stop practicing for a while. Sometimes other activities must get priority. Yoginis are flexible, aren’t they? To discuss every day what comes first is surely not a good idea. Just doing it without discussion is a trick to start practicing.
I’m looking forward to my practice today. Slowly I’ll bow forward. My body will tell me it’s limits of today.