I stopped KTB exercises for a month since late
Nov. One week after upgrading to the 32kg TGUs,
my shoulders, especially the left, hurt when
depressing and retracting in the anterior at both
ends of the collar bone. I believe the problem has
to do with Mark's diagnoses of my thoracic and
cervix spines and my inability to make a "proud"
chest at Ric's class.
        
I know the direction I'd be heading if I continue
to ignore the problems. In dad, I have an opposite
example and the image has been etched in my mind:
with upper back permanently hunched, he sits on
the bed and sticks out his neck to watch TV!

It's time for me to take action. I have built up to
50 Surya Namaskar reps in the morning over
the past seven months. It always makes me feel
good. During the day, I keep reminding myself to
breathe, to externally rotate the shoulders, push
back my neck, and tuck in my chin. At night, I have
transitioned to sleeping on the hard-wood floor
shortly before the trip to China, initially as a stoic
way of practising poverty. In a phone call, my doctor
friend commented that it was good for my spine.
Later, I figured sleeping without a pillow might help even more.

The past week, I resumed weight-lifting, did the
TGUs with the 24kg bell, and felt great. The left
shoulder seemed to improve. I expect the healing
to be a long process that would take months and
transform some parts of me and I have just set the
ball rolling.