I have been working for the last year on opening up my right hip enough to practice Padmasana, or Full Lotus. The left side of my body, in general, is more flexible, from my left tricep down to my hip. So everyday I do hip openers, and my poor stiff right side is finally giving in.
Yesterday I worked my left hip for about 45 minutes, getting it warm and loose enough that I could gently lift my foot up into padmasana without any knee strain or discomfort. It felt amazing. I pressed my hands down on the floor on either side of my body and lifted my hips up into Utpluthee. Wow. I felt weightless!
Later that night, I decided I had to show my sister my new trick, so I threw my feet up into Lotus, lifted up, and then thought, “I wonder what would happen if I swung back and forth through my arms…” Well, I swung, and it was fun, until I felt a huge POP in my right knee. Nauseating. I thought I had probably dislocated something. This morning it is really sore, and although I can put weight on it, I can tell something is seriously strained. I don’t think anything is broken or ripped, but it still feels awful and I’ll have to stay off of it for a few days.
So I guess my body was trying to teach me something about ego. Yoga is not a performance art. I ignored my knees and did something stupid because I thought it would be cool. Now I’ll have to go back to hip openers and nurse my knee back to health. Next time I get cocky I’ll remember what happens if you try to run before you can walk…
