Headache

Today was not quite as fulfilling as yesterday. I find myself lacking for reading material that will inspire me like the stuff I read yesterday, although I'm sure that's pretty absurd given the wealth of information available to me on the internet.

So here's the real deal... I didn't read anything today. Instead, we went to La Casita, Bryan and Jeff came over, and I ate a lot of ice cream and the rest of my vietnamese food. I had a headache that came and went pretty much all day. In honor of this misery that is extending into its third day straight, I am going to start keeping a headache journal as well as a yoga journal all in one blog. It has been suggested to me to do this many times, but I couldn't be bothered. Now I think I'm starting to get worried.

So I didn't read today; that has been laid out on the table. I did get around to doing my asana practice at around 2:00 am, but I shortened it considerably. I think I did this for a few reasons - I was not quite as successful with triangle as I was yesterday, I couldn't remember how to do the second one, and Zack wanted to smoke a bowl. When I gave up on my regular practice, I decided to try a few of the poses that Iyengar suggested for headaches so I wouldn't feel like I had abandoned my practice altogether.

I did a sitting forward bend at first. It really felt like it was doing something, but that productivity manifested itself as a heating sensation in my chest and a realization that the point where my neck and shoulders meet is very, very tense. That is useful information as far as headaches go, but it doesn't make me any less worried that there is something seriously imbalanced in my brain. All I can do for now is keep doing as much yoga as I think I can (which should be just as much as I told myself I was going to do!). After the forward bend, I asked Zack to help me get into a shoudlerstand (so I wouldn't hurt myself just trying to get up!). This effort was much more successful than yesterday's attempt, but it still pointed out that pressure at the base of my neck. I should keep an eye on that.

Today my headache was helped by those two yoga poses and Bach's Rescue Remedy. I'll keep track of what is successful and what isn't in an effort to fix this problem.

I also want to remind myself that even though I didn't fulfill everything I wanted to today, I did pry myself out of bed after taking a five-hour headache nap to do my asanas before I went to sleep for good. I usually don't push myself to do things, so even if I didn't complete my practice like I had planned, I still feel like I am making progress. Tomorrow, I want to figure out what else I can continue reading so I can support my yoga practice intellectually, which I have noticed that I actually like doing. In fact, I don't think I have willingly done this much reading and writing in a long time! It feels good.

...but could it be the cause of my headache? Oh jeez.