Diary of a yoga nobodhi

This morning was my first real practice since the accident with the pressure cooker exactly two weeks ago that burned both my forearms.

Minestrone exploded all over me and the kitchen. My right forearm copped it the worst and is still bandaged and being treated.

I spent three nights in the burns unit of the city hospital after passing out unconscious twice from the pain of debriding, and was off work all last week.
So here we go again. Another accident. Another injury. Another period of recovery and rebuilding.

After Marichyasana C, I fast forwarded to Baddha Konasana - the thought of doing Garbha Pindasana with burned and tender skinned forearms was nauseating - but I managed to do almost three-quarters of primary practice. The physio said I have to keep stretching the newly formed scar tissue on the inner right forearm or it would be forever tight and restrict the movement of my wrist. Every Upward Dog pose did it for me, likewise with Urdhva Dhanurasana.

The ankle I sprained twice won’t even approach a lotus position, nor will it tuck into the crossed ankle position needed for jumpbacks and jumpthroughs, so rather than skipping all the vinyasas between the seated poses, I just swung both my legs to the sides from Dandasana and stepped back, and did an equally creative modified version for the jumpthroughs. C’est la vie if I want to keep practising.

It may be a while before I get back to a ‘normal’ practice and feel brave enough to go back to Mysore classes at the shala, so I’m eternally grateful for having Renate to practice with. We’ve been doing Ashtanga together in the Gallery religiously every Tuesday and Thursday morning for about three years now, through thick and thin, illness and injury, summer and winter.

One day, when we’re very old, we’ll look back and reminisce over these quiet early mornings together, and how our lives came and went so very quickly.

Lately we’ve transferred our 6am practice to her studio (where she teaches painting and drawing). It’s much smaller than the Gallery, warmer and more intimate and we look out over a vast natural bushy backyard through enormous floor to ceiling windows. We start practice looking into the darkness, then it gradually gives way to the golden colours of sunrise and birdsong. It's a very personal recovery time.

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