Head to Toe Essentials: Clear Mind, Warm Socks

When you are recovering from the crud/the hiv/the whatever evil this time of year does to your sinuses, lungs, head, and spirit, you have to honor the body's requests, repeated requests to be treated as your friend and not as your enemy.

The last three weeks, my body talked, and I listened. Being someone of usually extreme amounts of energy, enough to annoy anyone in a 5-mile radius, having to take it down a notch - or 10 - to me is what I like to call 'bullshit' and 'I don't have time for this being sick stuff.' However, since extricating myself from the box of "keep going" and "go to the gym anyway, wuss" - I've done a 180. Here was my first clue:

Val: "I really don't feel like drinking wine, and haven't for 3 weeks."

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!!

???

We won't discuss the amounts of cheese piled up in my fridge that I can't bring myself to eat, as my body has launched itself, apparently, into some kind of detox. No dairy. No coffee. No sugar. No processed foods or meats. No wine!

And so exhausted, no gym, minimal Yoga. Exhausted. Only this past week I noticed I do NOT live on the 4th floor (even though it's called the 4th floor) - I'm on the 5th floor. I guess I never counted the doors on the way up the winding stairwell before. Dumb ass.

I am blessed with the time to take a step back, modify the diet, stay home curled up, warm, face down in a bowl of steaming essential oils, fresh vegetable soups, hands wrapped around mugs of hot herbal teas. I think it's a shame that most people won't - in most cases can't - take the time to care for themselves so they can come back stronger.

I took the doc's advice and did not do any heavy duty PT, just went out for the occasional walks, you know, to get places - like school. I also took some of my evenings back from the enoteca - not because of the glass door that attacked my face. I realized there are better ways to spend my evenings, like studying, writing and enjoying my time in this beautiful place. Something I've come to treasure so much is time - as you never get more of it - and I will not waste it.

So, the last 3 weeks I spent much time under a blanket, with something hot between my hands (minds out of the gutter, people), trying to get better faster - because, I REALLY don't have TIME for this!

This morning I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the lovely palestra (gym - more like a spa) around the corner for Ashtanga Yoga class. My head was still a little stuffy, lungs still screwing around like they don't know why they are in my chest in the first place, and the whole left side of the bod was stiff (don't drop the soap in these tiny European showers - there are other hazards - nuff said). Although class turned out to be canceled today, I took my mat up to the warm quiet room and got my Om on anyway. I took it easy, gave my muscles what they wanted, some inversions, a little core, and felt like I was gradually loosening all the blocked energy - I was breathing! With my mouth closed, I was so happy to be breathing normally and deeply and I could feel the fog lifting, celebrating every movement, flowing, and holding the poses I needed to explore a little deeper. Mind. Body. Bliss.



Instead of Savasana, I changed into a swimsuit and beelined to the hot tub. The jets and bubbles from the large fountain in the middle (that's what I said - this is no ordinary hot tub) targeting whatever kinks were still trying to cramp my style. I opened my eyes long enough to actually look directly at the only other person in the room. Whoa - I met the gaze of an attractive gentleman across the fountain with gorgeous gray eyes and dark curly hair. Then I just closed my eyes again, tilted my head back and prayed he would not open his mouth and ruin it...

I left the hottie in the hot tub to treat my now functioning lungs to some steam in the Hamam. If you have never done the Turkish bath thing, I highly recommend it. No one was in there either - as I was laying on the hot marble breathing in the steam, listening to the waterfall, one leg dangling in the cool water I thought, THIS is how to freaking start the week.

I spent the rest of the cold, rainy morning running errands with the few hours I had before class, just walking around looking at the city differently. I meandered down several side streets wondering how I've lived here this long and have never noticed certain things before. I could tell my head was the clearest it's been in weeks. I snapped some photos of things I walk past every day and just never stopped to look at. And since the head was feeling good, might as well treat the toes too - I couldn't resist a stop in Calzedonia for some new socks. Boy, do I know how to whoop it up!







There's something to be said for what Yoga does to the body, the mind, and of course, the spirit. Sounds cliche, some people think it's hooey. I call it a basic - like a soft sweater or warm socks - essential.

Namaste.