It's been too long
  unlike by back

Since last I stretched
  out properly
 
So the mat calls once again
  Pain well masked

The risk now worth it.
 
No more floundering in the water
  Pools all shut,
  Lengths curtailed,
  Trunks in a bag,
  Extra kilos on the frame
  No gain without pain
  Proven a lie
  I gain those kilos whilst avoiding the pain
 
So back to yoga, eighteen months on
  No embarrassment here
  It's just me and Adriene
  And the pause button
 
Back bends -
Side bends -
Forward bends -
All now very little bends.
 
Balance - gone for now
Warriors, very timid
One, two and fall over with three
 
Dog down, still a place of comfort
But now - bring that right leg thru…
You can just edge your foot forward with your hand…
No…
I have to "take a knee"
not because of black lives mattering (and they really do!)
Or not even Game of Thrones and a FFS Foreign Secretary
But because my leg is stuck way back there.
I don't flow forward
I raggedly crank my way forward
And just about get there in the end.
 
Heading towards Savasana
And she throws in Happy Baby
Happy baby maybe - not a happy grand-dad
Not even eighteen months ago!
Why oh Why do I even bother to try?
 
But then we hit corpse
And bits of my body remember,
(Like one of those foam mattresses)
The joy of stopping yoga
 
Move over in the bed, Adriene
I need a gentler model…
But hopefully just for now.