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Using my Astrology, click here to see how I came up with the name of this section, the graphic and of course, how I ended up practicing hot yoga.

Today was a HUGE HUGE DAY for me as it was the first time in the 5 months since I started back to 'hot yoga' that I was able to reach back and grab my right ankle (from the inside) during standing bow. *Example pics below. Typically during standing bow (only on the right side) I will bend my knee, reach back and grab my ankle from the outside and then run my fingers around my toes until I arrive on the inside of my foot and then I begin working my hand down from the inside of my foot to the inside of my ankle. Then I will raise my left arm and begin leaning and reaching forward.

While most everyone is already in a proper Standing Bow, I'm still running my hand around my toes to get to the inside. I have been recovering from a dislocated shoulder and some ugly tendonitis since I began 'hot yoga' in April and it wasn't until late June when I had a shoulder x-ray that I found out my shoulder was actually dislocated. I know, CRAZY! Fast forward, my should is back in place and has been recovering slowly, in the meantime I always do standing bow in my modified version due to the tightness (and pain). I always go for it because I never just stand there and do nothing. At the same time I don't stand in my ego and take it too far. I always make an attempt but never to the point of relapsing. My attempt for the past (5) months has been the run-my-fingers-around-the-toes-manuever to get to the other side. Needless to say, today I was about as thrilled as I could get. I wanted to yell out, "Hey everyone look at me" but if you are a yogi, then you know that everyone is on their on mat, not yours. [More, keep reading . . . ]

What makes this even more exciting was during 'Floor Bow' *example pics below I was able to grab my ankles from the inside as well, so that makes 'Standing Bow' that much more gratifying and real because it's the same backbend and reach, but only on the belly. The fact that I could grab 'both' ankles from the inside means my 'Standing Bow' wasn't a fluke, it wasn't an accident and it wasn't a joke. I really did do it. HOT DOG GOMER! We not only do 'Floor Bow' with a grab from the outside ankle (first pic) we do 'Floor Bow' with a grab from the inside ankle (second pic). [More, keep reading . . . ]

Remembering that the poses above are a 'backbend', these poses are tough enough reaching the ankles from the outside, much less cranking your shoulder around just right, then turning your hand facing outward to go for the grab from the inside. Whew! I'm so dang proud of myself, I can hardly stand myself. LOL! I can't wait to go to class tonight and try it again. I know the sequence tonight will have 'Standing Bow' and not 'Floor Bow', still I'm jazzed at the thought of doing it again.
by Dr. Loretta Standley
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About Dr. Standley

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