Musings on feet and music

I have lots of things to blurt out today. First, I went to yoga which in and of itself isn't unusual. Today, however, my feet started cramping even before class began. A horizontal strip across the bridge of my foot, just underneath my toes clenched and unclenched. As it released, the pain moved to my inner arch. The cramps were more pronounced on my right side. I asked myself if the cramps were due to dehydration. The answer was no, so I focused on relaxing and forgot about the cramps until a few poses into class.

Awkward pose - well named with three parts. During the first part, you squat. That went fine for me today. During the second part, you stand on your tiptoes as high as possible and then bend knees and hips to move down as if sitting. My toes would not let me stand on them. I tried to move forward onto the tips. One calf cramped; then the other; then all the toes. I kept moving into my toes but kept coming out of the pose. The third part in which you rise slightly on your toes with your knees together and then lower down was cramp-free.

My intention in yoga class yesterday was to "let go". Let go of the tension inside of me. Let go of past hurts. Let go of all the things that are tight and impeding me. Surrender to what is. I felt progress yesterday so my intention today was the same. Suddenly, in class today, I realized why I was cramping. My mind was saying "let go", but my body (specifically my toes, arches, and calves) were tightening, clinging to the tension. Usually, it is the other way round, with my brain leading, but the message was clear to me. I am letting go but it is gradual. Let it be. My body knows the way.

Music inspires me and I look forward to the August Folk Fest with anticipation. There is a sense of community energy that is hard to find during the rest of the year. The line-up for this year's folk fest was announced today and I just spent hours listening to music by artists I haven't heard and exploring the websites of those I know. I discovered that a favorite musician who is also a producer worked with one of my favorite bands on their new album which is to be released next month. The collaboration is a mix of traditional and edginess. It'll be cool and as I listened to the digital tracks, I relaxed, feet and all.