My Spirals Drop in for a Visit

Since surgery, I've been lamenting my lack of flexibility. One thing I really miss is my spirals. I used to have nice spiral positions, for an adult. No, dammit, I had nice spiral positions period. Not great when compared to, say, Nicole Bobek or Sasha Cohen, but they were nice for a reasonably flexible skater.

I've been working on my spiral position off the ice and since the surgery could only get my leg to "almost hip level." There is really nothing uglier than "almost hip level," and of course "hip level" is the minimum requirement for a spiral to be counted as a spiral. (Even hip level is not the most beautiful position, let's be honest.) I looked like a constipated goat.

I haven't done much stretching lately but nevertheless today I went to my weekly yoga class, which I missed last week, and without any warmup at all attempted a spiral position in the studio. (I was all alone with a mirror before class started ... what would YOU have done?) And, progress! I looked like a constipated goat with one hoof just millimeters above hip level. The other leg was the same.

I also had a great yoga class in which many things were better than usual. So perhaps I have had a spurt of post-official-two-year-PAO-healing-period healing that has improved my flexibility a bit. Or perhaps this was just an anomaly and tomorrow it will all be but a memory. Stay tuned.

Not a spiral ...