a small medical observation

[sistawendy]

One of the things that I do as part of my morning routine is the yoga tree pose for a bit on each foot. Why this one? Because my balance isn't so good, especially on my right foot. I offer two speculative reasons for this:

1. I have no arches. I have an outstep where most people have an instep. My feet will, if sweaty or damp, make suction on smooth surfaces. It's a neat party trick, but it also means that the muscles, nerves, and connective tissues from my ankles on down aren't exactly nominal.
2. I sprained my right ankle repeatedly at the end of the last century and didn't do physical therapy for it. I think this explains the asymmetry.

So why post about this now? Because I've noticed it's way easier to hold tree pose, especially on my right foot, if I've had a good night's sleep the night before. It was much easier for me this morning than yesterday morning for exactly that reason. Yeah, maybe that's from the Dept. of Duh, but I'm surprised at how dramatic the effect is.