Is there a 12-Step Program for Advil Addiction?

Since I am having surgery in 8 days, I am not allowed to have any more Advil or other form of Ibuprofin (or any other NSAID, for that matter). And man, do I realize how addicted I was. Well, maybe not chemically dependent. But physically. I mean, I had been taking four advils each morning before practicing -that is the equivalent of full prescription Ibuporifin pill for general inflammation and morning stiffness. Then I tapered down to three, then two, then one, and today none. I was quite creaky. There was nothing I could't "do", per se, but neither did anything feel incredibly good either.

As Gary was helping me into Mari D, I confessed my Advil addiction, but I said, "I usually take an advil each day before I practice." His answer: "I like taking four"!!! So then I admitted the real truth about myself - four a day. And Epsom salts too. Nothing bad about Epsom salts though...

Couldn't press up all the way after Supta Kurmasana, but I did have my ankles crosed for more time than ususal. Backbends were fine Drop backs feel so good that I am inclined to start wondering if I am doing them right at all....

After class, I ran into Lea Kramer and Amrit Singh from Prana Mandir, a primarily Kundalini yoga studio, which I enjoy going to very much. I first discovered it in the winter - it is a beautiful studio on two floors of an Upper East Side townhouse. Like AYS, they like to serve chai, and there is a kitchen adjacent to the practice room. The music is beautiful, incorporating Kundalini chants. I am sure that as you are reading this, you are utterly shocked that I would ever have enjoyed Kundalini! But I even took a workshop with Ana Brett and Ravi Singh this past spring. And a great deal of the music I play in my vinayasa classes (if you take my classes) is Kundalini-inspired: Mantra Girl (a/k/a Erin Kamler), Donna DeLory, Thomas Barquee. Many people don't realize that even "Wah!" is Kundalini-inspired - her name is short for "Wahay Guru", which is a joyful exclamation in the Kundalini world. Did you know that Seal is a big Kundalini yogi? Well, it's true...

I had enjoyed Kundalini very much and felt very inspired by the way it always made me feel kind of light and happy - almost "high" after a class. I had even considered getting certified to teach Kundalini, and have at times incorporated some Kundalini "kriyas" (in the Kundalini world, "Kriya" refers to a sequence of poses, not a "cleansing technique" that is outside of the realm of asana practice, as it does in the Hatha yoga world) into my vinyasa classes (a simple example of a Kundalini kriya is going from child's pose to upward facing dog, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, on and on, for a whole two minutes or so. It feels AWESOME! If you ever take my class and we start by doing "camel rides", that's Kundalini too...basically, cat/cow in a seated position).

But then I fell in love with Ashtanga and haven't even been back to a Prana Mandir class in a while. I see it as a sign that I ran into Lea (who owns Prana Mandir) and Amrit (my teacher there) at AYS, and I am going to get my butt over to their studio asap, probably tomorrow. Lea says that Ashtanga and Kundalini synch up really nicely - I would imagine that this would be true because Kundalini helps move prana up the spine, just as Ashtanga does, but it is not Hatha-based, so there is no conflict. So, maybe tomorrow, after Ashtanga, I will go up to Prana Mandir and take Lea's Kundalini class...

Tonight is my long teaching night - 6:30-8:00 and then 9:05-10:20. I always feel so wired afterward that it is hard to fall asleep, and then I am in danger of going for the Teddy Grahams in the pantry. Instead, perhaps I will have a cup of warm milk and read a trashy chick-lit novel.

YC