40 Days of Relaxation - Day 15

Saturday, Feb 12, 2011 - Day 15

I think I forgot to mention yesterday that in addition to Yoga North getting a bunch of new props, I bought one each of the Pranayama Cotton Bolster and the Small Round Bolster (see them here). So for Saturday's practice I played around with my  new props, trying restorative poses with this new feeling of different height bolsters. I used the Small Round for a wide kneed child's pose, the Pranayama bolster for a heart center opener like the one I teach here - except with the bolster it was a bit more intense. And I did a few other poses as well. I listened to Steven Halpern's CD, In the OM Zone II, while I laid around. This album was recommended to me by Sharon from Path to Stillness Yoga Studio in Lindsay, Ontario. It's a very relaxing album containing Om songs which run from 3-6 minutes each. Some of the songs have other sounds in the background occasionally (like ocean waves on a beach). Every few songs there is a 30 second Tibetan bowl chiming session. You can download this album from Amazon, Itunes and probably other places as well.

As far as how my teeth are doing with all this relaxation, it's hard to say for sure. I am still very sensitive to cold food/drink. And by cold I mean anything cooler than mouth temperature. I have a hard time eating fruit from the fruit bowl because it is just too cold (the fruit bowl sits on the counter, the fruit is not in the fridge). I still have to warm up my cold cereal in the microwave for almost a minute each morning so I can eat it without pain. And I still notice the cold air on my teeth when I breath. BUT, the good news is that I am not so sensitive to hot things any more and this is more normal for me. I can drink hot tea, eat hot soup and eat my dinner before it cools off so this is all very nice.

What I am really noticing about this practice though is how many people grind and/or clench their teeth. I'm going with 80% of the people I tell about my tooth pain, also have tooth sensitivity and/or clench or grind their teeth. It's weird! How can so many of us be clenchers and grinders? Is it normal?