Heat
This summer has been abnormally hot here in Victoria and I can see, as I’m sure you can, this is not unique to Victoria.
In the beginning of my MS journey heat did not bother me and in fact I have liked it. But in the last few years I’ve noticed that if I stay in the sun too long my legs start to deteriorate quickly. Heat, in general, has become my kryptonite.
Practice happens in a room around 26 degrees Celsius and I can make it through the hour and twenty minutes. And for me the fact that approximately twenty minutes is standing and the rest sitting, works out perfect for me. If it were the other way around then I doubt I’d make it through.
Heat and especially direct sunlight has become a trigger or accelerant of my MS symptoms. Vitamin D is highly recommended for MS and direct sunlight is a great source. I try to get sunlight every day.
Recently I have returned to practicing with others at the studio and this occurs atop 29 stairs. Going up those stairs takes less time than going down. On the way up it’s first thing in the morning and cool. On the way down I just spent an hour and a half in a room at 26 degrees. I actually have to hold onto the hand rail on the way down but not on the way up. Heat discharges the batteries in my legs so to speak. And there’s been a couple of times that I just sat at the top of the stairs for a few minutes to recharge.
And that is a pretty good way to describe what happens. It’s as if my legs are battery operated and heat discharges them. In order to recharge I have to sit and get out of the heat. The other day I was walking around one of the local villages with my son picking up some stuff for dinner and my legs started to deteriorate quickly, it was hot and it actually crossed my mind to buy a cane. Holly shit that is the first time I’ve ever thought that. It’s a thought that soon will come true.
It’s becoming more evident in practice as well. I’ve noticed my balance is off a little in some asanas. I actually stumbled in Padangusthasana which is just a simple standing fold over while grabbing the big toes. That is the first time that has ever happened. And the biggest indicator of how my legs are doing is Navasana. This is also a simple asana where you just lift your legs off the ground while sitting. My legs are getting heavier and heavier and harder to hold up.
Where I live is one block from a grocery store and before covid; I would walk there every day and get groceries for the nights dinner. But during covid I wanted to reduce exposure to others so I decided to go just once a week and buy enough for that week. This caused me to drive there instead of walking so that I could bring back a weeks worth of food. I’ve hardly done any walking in about 15 months. It’s something that I only realized while writing this.
So I’ve arrived at a point where I did not want to be but have known all along that I’d arrive here. Walking has always been a calculation about how far I can go and when heat becomes involved; these days that means not that far.
Be safe.