Inviting the-day-off in

Hello everyone,
So how can I start.
Today the post will be about the hard capability of accepting yourself as you are on any given day. I will also relate to the my problem of problematic day off. ;)
I've read some stuff from articles, and books, watched some videos - a lot of which of related to not cranking into postures, not forcing anything, listening to ones body, giving it the necessary   time so it can open, etc, etc.
 While I think it is all true, and something we should look at, at the same time I found an area of yoga that I applied some mental, rather than physical forcing. I have no idea if it's not "a yogic sin" ;) but  I do know that if I didn't use the force (especially when dealing with my extreme kind of personality), I might just as well hurt myself.

So first thing I forced in was a day off.
Once upon a time, (about a month ago) teacher asked me at the end of Mysore class if I take one day off during a week. (Man, i must have looked real tried ;). I though for a second and said, yes, I take Thusdays off. Which is true cause, on Thursday I start my teaching very early, so there is no way I could get to class even if I would come at 6:40 am. (I tried once and I failed to arrive on time to teach).
So, I went home that day, looked back at the calendar, to verify my Thursday off. Last Thrusday I was off. I smiled. The Thursday before, i didn't go to Mysore. I almost smiled here. But then I scrolled down. And I saw Primary Series Led class that I attended at 7:30 pm. And the Thrusday before. I not only went to Mysore, bending my teaching schedule, I also was at Primary Series Led class at 7:30. And I was like, Thursdays off, huh? ;)
(And I also violated the second Yama by lying to the teacher ;) and myself.
bad "yogi".just kidding. ;)
So then i was like day off, ok. I take the day off. So from that time i do not appear in studio on Thrusdays. I belive its for my own good, and stuff. Its hard transition from the dance world! I never heard anyone in ballet studio or in Cunningham studio to tell me to take a day off. I don't remember actually if I had any day off there, like on regular basis.  (Maybe that's part of a reason of coming down with some injuries?). I know it must be important to take the day off. I mean it feels right to the body. Like yesterday. On Monday I was already so sore I could not do Bujapidasana with my arms and wrists giving me some throbbing pain. Also the twisting for Marichyasana D somehow flattens my shoulder so much that then I can feel weird pain, like it was from a bone. So I was like, hey, Joanna, you get to sleep in tomorrow !
Today I went to Mysore and all the pain was gone, especially the wrist pain. (Yay for Bujapidasana today, that I actually lowered down and stayed there ! :) hi hi).
And I though, ok, now I understand the day off. ;)

Another thing that I have to force, was a force, to actually not force.
(How very clear was that ;)
It is so tempting when you fall out of posture, like I did fall out of Bujapidasana, to get up and try again. I think it's great, when you are ok and there is no pain. But when everything like seriously hurts, you just gotta let it go for a day. It is much easier to take a day off, then to deal with a pain during practice and actually not force your body into something that you cannot do today.
On Monday I also could not stay for 5 full breaths in Kukkutasana. It was also hard to accept. My arms deffinetly did not feel like trying again. For a moment I was like, how can I live now without doing full Kukkutasana today. And then I was like, are you crazy? ;) i almost started to laugh at myself. I just let it go, let flow. Let it be that way today. In that kind of moments, one can clearly see, that yoga really isn't. only about asana. It's only one limb, the most tangible at first, but only one. For me its like a mirror for everything else.
May I finish on that philosophical note  ;)
Enjoy your practice, your fall outs AND your day off !
Joanna :)