With enough time, I might be more flexible depending on time of day?

This is for sure true for me in terms of balance. My balance is never great but it is for total shit at my early morning classes.

I needed to take a break from politics tonight. I'll read the text of the SOTU tomorrow. But now I also need to step away from FB. The anti-Obama rhetoric from people I otherwise respect is frustrating and so what I don't need.

lisah, one block on the lowest setting under each hand. I have found for me that ALL arm balances are easier with blocks. Just moving them up to that setting makes me lift my hips enough. It brings the ground closer to my legs so I don't have to squat so far and then lift so much.

I have no core and short arms and EVERY arm balance is easier with blocks. The whole eka pada koundinyasana series [link] (awwww Iyengar!) is only possible for me on blocks because I just can keep my hips up when moving into the pose and that helps 100%. Strongly recommend blocks for arm balances.

Also even though I can easily touch the floor in triangle and half moon, I use blocks there and it makes the pose more enjoyable. Still work, but less crunching the fat work.

Most of my flex is in the lower half. My knees can go next to and over shoulders without strain ( get out of the gutter) , I can do that sitting on heels thing, I fold them comfortably under me like those triangular paperclips but smashed with knees resting atop each other.

My upper body had more flex before I started swimming. I've still got reach, but not as much with the backwards. I figure the muscles are getting in the way?

I've always been very flexible, but not very strong.

I'm chatty Cathy, but I like to top out at 7.5 minutes. Well, I guess I have new best friends. I think there's just one project manager left to woo.

I'm amused and impressed that ita ! is Ms. Popularity at work.

OMFG I THINK I'M REALLY GOING TO SPAIN AND AM EVEN GOING TO GET TO PLAY TOURIST!!!

Woohoo! Rock on! Jealous.

I went to 6AM yoga today and we actually did this pose: [link] So essentially I sat on the back of my arms before 7:00 AM. No wonder I am tired.

I can't even imagine doing that pose. Good lord. And the video of getting into it is crazy--it's one of those things where somehow it looks easy but I know if I tried to bend my body that way it wouldn't even get close. I think I have too much belly for that.

Never mind the conversation around Cynthia Nixon saying (her) homosexuality is a choice. How could that go well? Pageviews -> profit!

Yeah, I was reading about that and just find it odd. I mean, I get her point--it shouldn't be a WHY we are gay, equal rights should just be rights, but...Cynthia. C'mon. Generally people don't "choose" it because they aren't attracted to the same sex. If you are attracted to both, and choose one or the other at different times, that's not the same thing. If your sexual orientation/interest changed, again, that's not...really a choice. If you're just saying "HAH, I am SO OVER men, I will only date women now"...well, that's just WEIRD. And I feel sorry for your girlfriend.

The reason I couldn't be a yoga teacher is because I would never want to talk the hokum yoga talk about energy flow and that shit or even alignment. Instead, I say things like, One's ass is huge. If you want to be in a handstand that is more easily balanced, stick your butt, which is the center of your gravity, out more and you'll balance better.

This is why I need Kat to be my yoga teacher, because every yoga class I've been too, I get super busy rolling my eyes at the "This pose will stimulate your THYROID!" bs.

On of my favorite instructions from the Y ( for the kids in lessons, learning backstroke) was "Tuck your butt up! Like you're holding in a poop!" It works!

See, I have a problem doing yoga when the instructor says stuff like "broaden your collarbone." Seriously, I really have a yoga DVD where the instructor says that. And for years I've done that routine and gotten to that point and thought, "What the actual FUCK? Do you eventually achieve some state of Yogic Enlightenedness wherein you can make your BONES GROW?" Because otherwise, the collarbones can't actually broaden. They physically goddamn can't. Not the BONES.

I mentioned it one night to my SiL, who said, "That just means to squeeze your shoulderblades together." And I almost had an embolism, because -- WHY NOT JUST SAY THAT?!?

Which is when I started to suspect I was possibly somewhere on the spectrum. Seriously. I just took that "collarbones" thing so literally for YEARS and it made me so mad. It never occurred to me to NOT interpret it literally. Because...why not just SAY what you literally mean? Why not say "squeeze your shoulderblades together?" Is that considered tacky in yoga circles?

I'm really a very simple girl, when it comes down to it, apparently. A little *too* simple, it seems.

Spain! That's awesome, sara.

Becoming bendy is actually easier than starting bendy and becoming strong.

Damn. Because I'm already weirdly bendy, but I have the approximate strength of a wet noodle.

Well, I have teachers who will say things like, "lengthen your bones" and I'm like, whatever. Ignoring you. If there can be cafeteria catholicism, there can be cafeteria yoga.

(Also, I'd think broaden collarbones is less sqeeze shoulders and more of trying to isometerically/simultaneously push the shoulder tops down and the under the armpits, but on the torso muscles to move out. I'm describing it badly).

I think I have too much belly for that.

I have way more belly than you and I can do it! So you could too. It's not a belly problem, it's a shoulder issue.