I'm 5'-11" short

Second post today... I'm simply rambling off stuff today, don't feel compelled to read it all...

I just now returned from yoga. I'd mentioned a few posts back about my instructor, A. who has really taken an interest in my cause. She has, in her selfless nature (I've noticed that all the yoga instructors where I go exhibit this attribute) invited me to come 30 minutes early to each of her classes (She's my Friday instructor... my Tuesday instructor Pat deserves his own blog post, coming shortly.) for some one-on-one instruction. I've explained to her some of my bodily limitations and structure. She ran away over the week only to return with a wealth of poses and stretches I can do to work me up to full posture in most of the poses.

Until this morning, I did not realize how much I was bending from my shoulders, not my hips. I now truly appreciate those who can fold themselves in half at the hips with ease and flexiibility! With the help of some foam blocks, I've achieved a seated position with my back properly straight and full length in my spine. What a different feeling! For the first time, today I sat with my back straight, folding forward at the hips not the shoulders.

I could not touch my toes.
Nor my ankles.
Nor my shins.
Nor my knees.

I folded forward about six inches before my hamstrings screamed at me. They, along with many other muscle groups in my body, are short.

Gawd, am I a wreck.

Today's lesson proved, if nothing else, self-awareness.
I was humbled beyond words.
Have you ever jumped into something with both feet, thinking "Wow, this is great! I'm going to do sooo well!!"?
Then, you discover your limits.
Discouraging, isn't it, when you discover where you really are in relation to where you thought you were.

This is going to be a long road. In my mind, I've mapped out a time line of about six years. I told someone the other day, "Yah, in six years I'll be able to kick anyone's butt!" Not that I'm out to pick fights, but I want to be strong - in an unassuming way.

The temptation is there to deflate and lose momentum, but I'm going to plug away. I've been spending the last eight or nine months addressing a whole host of problems with my body - problems that have exisited for decades. I must be realistic, and make peace with the fact that these are issues that won't be resolved overnight.

Namaste.