shanmonster

The other day, I held the most comfortable pose in modelling ever. I sat upright for an hour without moving, and felt completely at rest. No muscles buzzed as they fell asleep. I felt no pressure or discomfort. I dozed in place, and when the pose was over, felt refreshed.

The same thing happened in Ashtanga yoga this morning. The class was gruelling, and I was very tired. But at the end, we did the guided relaxation portion of the class and I zonked right out. When we were told to slowly wake up our extremities, I awoke from my nap rejuvenated.

"Now that was relaxed," I said.

"What do you mean," asked Ruth, my instructor.

"I was asleep."

"Were you really asleep, or just deeply relaxed?"

"I was quite asleep. I was dreaming."

I told her I had trained myself to be able to doze off in pretty much any position because of my modelling experience. That's when she told me a good story about her own days as a figure model.

Back when she was pregnant for her son, she modelled for an art class. The class didn't think it right for a pregnant lady to be on her feet for a long pose, so she sat on a stool. However, the edge of the stool pinched at her sciatic nerve. At first, it was very uncomfortable, but then it felt fine. She assumed she had adjusted her muscles for ultimate comfort. But when the pose was over and she went to stand up, only her top half came up. Both legs were completely dead, and she collapsed nude into the arms of an Australian man.

"Oh, I simply must tell my wife about this when I get home," he said. "It's not every day I get to catch a naked pregnant lady. I feel like quite a hero!"