From point to hill to peak to mountain

There is a progression of heights..

We start with a point like Hunter’s point which we can see from our street corner. Then a little taller is a hill, like Nob hill close to our house. Then it goes up to Peak. Maisie's peak is the tallest point in our local preserve at close to 1200 feet. Then there are mountains…

Black mountain which we frequent here but is called a mountain because it is close to 3000 feet but a radio tower makes it cross that limit (or so I heard).. then bay area grand slam for hikers.. Mt. Tamalpais, Diablo, Hamilton and Umunhum.. which were all done at some point..

It has been 4 months almost since there was a walk in the clouds with a view.

Given the holiday today, we had decided to try Hunter’s point or Maisies peak with the group. Everyone cheered me on as I made my way up one step at a time. On the way down I was 5 mintues behind and my buddy Prasad was Mr. Patience and gave me company. He was walking zig zag the entire time to keep his feet moving while I was stepping through it.

Have missed this for so long! Made my way to Yoga later in the afternoon and enjoyed that as well. The good news is my knee is still holding up after all the activity today.

Pinching myself !

Here are a few photos and a video highlight reel..

it is going to be slow progress but today was motivational enough to keep taking the slow and steady approach!

Next I need to see some beaches and waterfalls and all will be well!

What is "normal" ?

If you read this blog, you will know that I tore my right knee and have been recovering slowly for the last 4 months!

Intiially was just upset that I could not do every pose I am used to in Yoga class. Did try three classes in the last 40 days but every time I would push myself a little too hard and come home and go back to icing and set myself back. It was not the yoga. It was me not doing what I was told which was “listen to your body”. This happens to me even after a two week break from an India trip. I come back and see that my flexibility is not what is was two weeks ago and the first class back is a disappointment. Thought this was the same thing. It was not. The MRI showed a cartilage tear.

I weigh a 154 lbs. That means most of it is on my knees and ankles. 1/2 of it should go through my right knee at any point while standing and the entire weight when it is on one leg. When starting physiotherapy, was asked to have my feet flat against a plate and leg press 40 lbs and that made me cry.!

That surprised me given I stand and walk okay for 30-40 minute stretches without pain. Then it was explained to me that there is one weak point in my knee and if I stand walk or drive, I avoid putting pressure on that point by moving my weight to the outer part of my knee and feet. But even a small weight on the weak spot is enough to create intense pain.

Maybe all those years of ballroom dancing made me practice that weight distribtuion.. My dance teacher used to say ballroom folks have tendency to put weight on the outside of their feet while figure skaters put the weight on the inside of their feet. The dancing days are long gone but maybe it is a habit. Also have a tendency to walk with my leg like a V rather than a H and that was to be corrected slowly to help improve.

Week after week, slowly doing stationary cycling, leg pressing from 40 lbs to now 180 lbs with the leg flat, sitting on an imaginary chair with the back to the wall for 30 seconds at a stretch and doing that 30 times with breaks, clamshell exercises, walking and driving with a special knee brace etc., the leg is now slowly coming back to “normal”. Climbing stairs and driving still aggravate it, but there is no more swelling of the knee. No more stiffness that needs post care. I am also able to climb stairs and drive by using muscles all the way from my waist down to my ankle instead of sinking my weight on my knee all the time. Looks like the only time I was doing that before was in Yoga class when standing on one leg! Now I have to do that all the time.

My physio told me “for 98% of the people, what you have is more than normal”. Keep doing what I have taught you and come back end of November. The guy has grown on me. Initially I used to hate him for torturing me. He is a big man and he “puts my leg in some positions” even if I didn’t want them bent that way but he knew what he was doing. His promise to me was “you will go back to doing yoga in a few weeks once your leg is strong enough around that knee and you learn to redistribute your weight the right way consciously”. He also told me I was very flexible but not strong. He said “you have toned muscles but not enough muscle on either side of that knee”. Have been working on it for two months now. The whole of last week I walked and drove without the knee brace.

Today was a blessing with a holiday in the middle of the week. Went back to yoga after a long long break.

Talked to my teachers and told them that today was going to be the real deal.

“Start from scratch once again!” just like it says above the double doors we walk through every day at BYSJ.

Practiced yoga where I was not “taking it easy” but rather “moving gracefully with whatever I could do” just like the teacher adviced me before class. It was a fresh start with a new perspective. Came out feeling great physically and mentally.

Felt good to be back. Did all but three poses where I just stood there internalizing the dialogue for what I was supposed to do.. The right knee is still not ready to do a lateral bend. That is still a challenge while doing Tharpanam (realized that Sunday). Sit cross legged on the ground for an hour and cannot get up without help from someone. I would sit down and get up without using my hands before this tear. When I can sit down cross legged AND get back up without using my hands, that would be “normal’. Told my physio the first time I met that doing a toe stand was normal for me and showed him a photo.. and he just shook his head. “you can’t leg press 40 lbs and you want to go back to a toe stand ? and do Bruce Lee stuff!” .

Believe with all my heart that I will do a toe stand soon and maybe better that that one where my right knee is not low enough and my hands are not right. Hopefully by Jan 1st. Just have to work slowly every day and do Yoga and keep doing the squats and leg press business and bend that knee ever so slowly to the side a few millimeters a day.

The real yoga begins now!

If ever I am in a coma fighting for me life at any point, just drag my ass in that hospital bed by wheeling it into that hot room and let me listen to a teacher saying the dialogue. Thinking of doing yoga in my head is sometimes enough to revive me. At least that is what I feel.

Feel great just writing this post.

I am baaaack!!

ps. I weighed 154 when starting physio. Now I weight 163. That tyre around my waist has to disappear soon. The Deepavali savories are not helping. Think 20 grams of Badam Halwa become 40 grams of fat around my waist.

A day in Mumbai and I move same time as Jupiter

The previous post in this series is here..

After coming back to Mumbai from Dehradun, we did a repack. Suitcases to and from US are 23kg, suitcases on domestic flights are 15kg. So my in-laws got our stuff to various points.

We reweighed stuff, went to the tailor for some “blouse stitching” for San. She was going to come here a week after I came back. Then we had a nice dinner with San’s uncle at an interesting place. The food was some kind of fusion food but I still had stuff to eat there. Mozarella sticks or an Indian equivalent.

Then we got some rest. The next morning we got up very early, went to Siddhi Vinayak, Mahalakshmi and then to Babul Nath temple. This was my first time visiting this temple. It was a wonderful experience. We ate a nice breakfast outside Siddhi Vinayak. We had lunch which my MIL made. Then we went shopping for tea and good quality jaggery to bring back. They fulfilled my last minute wish to eat at Sadhguru. So had an early dinner and got some sleep.

When I went to Mumbai airport in the morning, they told me my flight to Dubai had left. They had notified my cell but I did not turn on an international data plan. Emirates told me that I was not the only one who had this issue and all of us who thought we were on time but late were rebooked in the next flight to Dubai and will spend a day in Dubai. I almost cried. I had meetings to attend here Monday morning. Told them to get me on the last flight that day to Dubai to minimize my time there. It was not that far out. I just wanted to go hug San. So after some help from Emirates staff who had to check me out of the airport with the updated boarding pass, took an Uber and came back to Chembur. Just crashed. Then got to take a photo of MIL’s helper who always asks me nicely how I am doing on every trip. The smile on her face when I showed her the portrait, priceless! Ended up eating what was left and took a nap for a short time and returned to the airport.

Jupiter had moved I guess and he was taking me to a “new level”. Had left SFO with two suitcases and a carry on. When I came back to Emirates counter they said 2 suitcases and laptop bag was it. No carry on. Had to pay 85 $ to get the weight moved into the suitcases, stuff the laptop bag into the carry on to make it one piece in front of an audience. It was interesting.

Finally got to Dubai. They had no airport hotel, no chance to leave. They said lot of passengers stranded because of the flight timing changes. There were people sleeping at the gates. One nice lady said for 100 bucks I could rent a sleeping pod and sleep there with a blanket and pillow and use the restrooms and get water all included. So I rented the pod. It was nice but not quiet. The sound of 20 snorers was there. The looked at me and said “free earplugs”. Slept for a good 6 hours only to be woken by San who screamed “go to gate now. Just got a message saying your flight is boarding”. I pankicked. Not again!! So grabbed everything and ran to the gate. Lucikly Dubai was an hour ahead of Chennai. So I still had an hour. Missed using that restroom and water, tea etc. They obviously weren’t letting me back in as I checked out. Walked around the gate for an hour and finally realized why all these flight time changes.

There was war out there! The flight took the weirdest route to get to SFO. Not sure why they couldn’t have just gone via China to SFO. Went straight up and took a left and came all across the US to come down to SFO. it was a long long flight.

After coming home and unpacking felt a sigh of relief. Could get back to my normal routine at work. That tea and jaggery ended up being a lot more expensive than what I could have paid for at the local Indian store. A new lesson learned.

It was an interesting trip. I did get a chance to meet all four of my aunts in Chennai and my local cousins. Also got to meet my music teacher at his house and meet his family. Made a flying visit to Paadarivom Padipparivom and got to hug Nagubhai, the man who has made my life a lot better since COVID thanks to the music initiative he pioneered and kept running through really tough times.

Somehow after coming back, I lost my voice and motivation to sing. Just kept focusing on work. That helped. Now things are slowly changing. Jupiter is still playing tricks with my body and mind or maybe it is my dad doing funny stuff to my head behind the scenes. Won’t know. Have started singing again though!

Just wish things get back to how they were in March.

Here are the last few photos that make a cut for this post..

While I was on that long flight back, Kuwait airport got bombed and one died and 60+ were injured. In a way maybe things turned out good and I made it back home in one piece, sleeping in pods or not!

There is no travel in the near future given my health condition. Will be glad to write about music and hopefully sing more regularly. Need to get out of my current predicament with the knee and start squatting, walking, do yoga and get back to my old self! One can only pray for a quick recovery!