Yesterday was a day of rest, but I got back on the bandwagon this morning with an 8am power class. I normally wake up at 5:30am, but it is a Sunday, so I stumbled into class with watery puffy eyes and hair styled a-la-pillowcase.

I held it together through the first 45 minutes of class – controlled breath and movements. But in triangle pose, I reached my arm and gaze up to the sky and then felt my neck tweak out. 40 Day Challenge Goal #1 has been shattered.

The last time I strained my neck was in triangle pose too. It’s an old waterskiing whiplash injury that resurfaces without warning. And that’s what is frustrating me… I’ve heard that you should only go to your edge, not beyond it, and to maintain this balance by observing the depth/quality of your breath. But in a twist, when my breath is shallow to begin with, I can’t measure where I am with respect to my limits.

Apart from that tissue snag, the class was purifying. Lots of sweat and energy. Now to haul out the ice pack and take note of the pattern – I need to be careful in triangle pose.