DAY 10 - Three is the Magic Number

I wake up early again today, but manage to fall back asleep and actually sleep until my alarm goes off! I think it's the first time I've been awakened by my alarm since I've been here. I head to practice and am feeling a little tired, both physically and mentally, and wonder if I've been having a little bit too much fun here. I think today I'll stay home and rest, catch up on emails and blog posts, and maybe have a nap.

Practice is pretty smooth, although I go through a good 5 minutes at one point totally distracted by the racing breath of the guy next to me. There is definitely quite a bit of fast, short breathing here; people are really pushing themselves and you can hear that they are struggling. We're so close together that it's easy to let a neighbor's energy through you off. I feel irritated and keep reminding myself to come back to my own mat and my own breath, trying to be extra conscious to avoid rushing and keeping my breath long and smooth. When I move into my finishing postures Sharath comes and stops me, and gives me another new posture... and then another... and then adds backbends to my finishing sequence! 3 new postures today! I'm thrilled and come out of the shala feeling great, happily telling my friends about my practice and excited to hear about theirs, too.

It's a beautiful day - AGAIN - and I'm struggling with my decision to skip the pool, but in the end I decide that I'm pooped and need some quiet time to rest. So I spend the morning catching up on my blog entries, eat lunch, and sleep all afternoon. By the time I wake up the day is moving into evening and it's almost time for me to head out to a massage appointment. Another day has flown by... I can't believe I've been here for 10 already!