November 1st was my practice #142 of Ashtanga primary series  at the gym. The next day my recurring lower back problem came back. I first had problems with by lower back as a teen. Back in September 2006 I had an performed MRI, it reported:

• severe degenerative disc disease present at L5-S1
• some mild foraminal impingement at L5-S1 level bilaterally
• moderate disc degeneration at L4-L5
• annular tear in the central posterior at L4-L5 disc

Once or twice a year this condition flairs up and I have to slow down for a few days. This time however, after a few days I started to experience pain in my left hip. I have to say good bye to yoga practice for a little while longer than usual. Hopefully this will be brief farewell. I'm taking the time to be more aware of the new limitations of my body (any movement that requires bending forward is difficult), and give thanks for the time that I had full mobility. Also plan to get better understand of the medical terminology used in the MRI report.

Someday there will be one last grand farewell to this body, until then I am giving thanks for its incredible service.