surya namaskar x one-oh-eight

This evening I will be celebrating the winter solstice (a few days early) with 108 Sun Salutations, a short meditation and a potluck. The yoga world is big on 108 sun salutations, especially on New Year's Day, but also on the solstices and maybe the equinoxes. My yoga studio has an annual celebration. But before anyone is too impressed by thinking of me doing 108 chaturanga dandasanas ... we modify this quite a bit ... Six sets of six lifting the arms and down to namaste, six forward bends and six full vinyasas. So really it's only 36 chaturangas.

Which might be challenging enough since I swam 1700 and lifted yesterday.

I would like to find someplace that does the full 108 sometime. Not sure I could really keep count by myself. I wonder how that would feel long about 50, let alone 80. Wonder how long it would take.

At any rate, 108 is a special number in Buddhism and Hinduism. The mala, or prayer beads, has 108 beads. There are some other references to 108 as well - http://www.lovearth.net/108.htm.

Watched the Cyclocross Championships today. Very cool. Very muddy. Very snowy. I think I might be too big a baby to do cyclocross. I like getting dirty but there is a lot of injury potential there flying around muddy corners with 40, 50 or 60 others.

Discovered that I should own long underwear and waterproof boots.