October is an extra-busy travel and research month for me. I’m giving four talks and flying to two conferences, one in Hamilton ON and one in Portland OR. I also have to decide what to pack for Portland, as the peaceful and creative citizens of that lovely city have broken out the Halloween costumes early in response to incursions by masked ICE teams and National Guard troops. The main choices seem to be frog or chicken suit:
As you can see, there’s a lot on my plate this month. However, in the brief lull beforehand, I found myself last Friday with room for some self-care. Herewith, my trifecta of attention to reducing stress and increasing yummy feelings of well-being.
Stop one: physical therapy.
I’ve been in PT since August for sciatica, and am recovering, albeit slowly. The last thing to get better is my ability to climb stairs without pain or weakness in my right hip. It’s improving, but not there yet. So, the PT bros at my great physical therapy practice have me working with weights, from farmer’s carry to asymmetrical weights for stepping up and down stairs and such like. Also, I’m doing one-legged leg presses (which are harder than I expected, but good for me) in addition to regular leg presses. And of course core and stability stuff. All good and good for me. I felt thoroughly worked out by the end of the 60-minute session.
Stop two: acupuncture.
I have been getting acupuncture for musculo-skeletal pain for many years now, and I really like it. There’s ample evidence for its effectiveness– look here, for example, for a review of studies. I also find that I’m super-duper relaxed after a session, due to addition of ear points (see here for an interesting case report), dreamy music and a heat lamp on my knees. My only wish is that someone would show up at the end of a session to escort me to the back of their station wagon and drive me home… However, I did manage to get in my car and get back to my place with no problems. Once home, I did some reading and then fell asleep for a 30-minute luscious nap.
Stop three: restorative yin yoga.
After waking up refreshed from movement and chill stillness, I did some light housework (dishes, laundry, and a little cooking) before heading out to my local yoga studio, Artemis in Watertown, MA, for evening restorative yin yoga. Norah had saved a spot for me up front, and I gathered up an armload of blankets, a long round navy-blue bolster, and blocks, depositing them in my little space. There was slow, chill music playing, and I settled in for 75 minutes of stretching and relaxing. Here are some yin poses, including several we did Friday night:
Our yin teacher, Liz G (there are multiple Lizzes teaching at Artemis) apologized for not having a yin bus parked outside to take us all home afterwards. We agreed that this would be a welcome addition, but we happily toddled off to our respective homes after class.
Optional stop four: the Great British Bake-Off
Once I got home, I remembered that there was a new episode of Bake-Off, so I woozily watched the contestants labor over pastries. However, I felt no stress at all, either on their behalf or mine. Not too long after, I shuffled to bed, sleeping like a log, perhaps dreaming of elaborate confections.
So readers, what are your favorite chill modalities when you have some time to shift into the slow lane? I’d love to hear any suggestions.
Hmm…birdwatching, massage, reading an old favorite book with my feet up ( think Jane Austen). Yoga, maybe, but I haven’t found a Yin sequence that works for me. I am strong, but not at all flexible, so it’s pretty hard for me to find a version of a sitting pose that doesn’t get uncomfortable fairy soon. So more for, and a gentle variation n not-hot Bikram for me.
Dog walks, hot yin yoga, coffee and a book, favorite tv shows, tea and cookies, comfort noodles, a massage, hot tub. So many comfort things.