One Year of Yoga

For the past year, Yoga has become my religion. I
do Surya Namaskar(SN) every morning, starting from
30 repetitions and building up to 50 in a few
months. The earlier glitches including wrist pain,
toe dorsi-flexion pain and initial tightness are
almost all gone and my flexibility has improved.
With slightly bent knees I can stay
palm-on-the-floor now.

In the last two months, I gradually added the 
Tibetan Five Rites, consisting of 21 reps of each
of the five moves, at the beginning of each
session. I first heard about it from Mr. Maxwell
as part of his morning mobility routine and
followed up by reading the book. The story
sounded a bit Sherlock-Holmes-ish but it was
recommended by the guru and I wanted to try.

21 spinnings(rite #1) at a moderate pace were
challenging for me. I could do it but would feel
dizzy and nauceated afterward. So I only did 5.
The rest of the rites, 
- raising legs and head from lying face-up (#2),
- arching back while kneeling (#3),
- lifting butt off the floor (#4), and
- alternating mountain and cobra poses as in SN,
felt enjoyable and stimulating. 

The moves exercise some of my neglected muscle
groups such as the abs and the brachialis and gave
the shoulders a good stretch. They felt gentler
than the SNs and seemed perfect to kick off my
morning workout. The five rites and 30 reps of
SNs took about 15 minutes in total. 

I have been so blessed. Thank You.