Feeling better.

Well, I seem to be on the mend.

Just FYI (and because I noticed a conversation about this elsewhere,) yes, I find time to practice asanas every day, even when I'm sick. Usually it makes me feel much better.

But I also try to relax and not over-do it. For example, I usually substitute a larger number of low intensity isometric weight-baring poses, such as cat/cow (link gives a basic explanation) or simple lunges for isotonic movements and high-intensity weight baring such as arm-balances.

That way I end my practice feeling strengthened but not depleted.

My personal feeling is that it's bad to over-do it when you're sick, as I think it's counter productive.

I have some personal theories (based on self-experimentation) about glucose and immune response, which I'll research and post about later.

My hypothesis is that the body switches to a different system of metabolism during sickness, which is why I (for one) don't tend to feel hungry when sick....

Of course, animals go into a cycle of low appetite and low activity as well. There's probably a pretty good evolutionary basis for this--if you are sick, it's probably a good idea to stay hidden in a bush someplace rather than searching around for a bite to eat. But there might also be some immune-related causes for this behavior as well. My personal hypothesis is (in part) that high blood glucose (perhaps by triggering insulin response) can impair healing. So body tries to keep blood glucose down (giving us that sick "daze".)

Anyway, I'll research my theory and see what I find.

Also, I'll be rounding out my writings on Virabhadrasana this week by posting an interactive summary of my writings and a list of web resources on the subject.

Later.