Spring Training Orientation: Radisson Hotel LAX

Today was Orientation Day, our first official day at Spring Training. Basically it was a day of waiting in line to then wait in another line. Getting 430 yogis checked into the Hotel and registered took some time.

So after queing in various places for nearly 4 hours they finally got everyone sorted and we have our info packs and have been assigned our rooms and roommates etc.

We had a brief introduction with the Bikram Headquarters Staff and some of the visiting teachers and then it was time for dinner, which of course, we had to all line up for. :-)

One of the comments made by one of the Bikram staff was that we had to get used to the different way things were going to be done as some things were done in more Indian tradition rather than western style we may be used to. I think I'm beginning to get the gist of what he meant by that! lol.

Of course learning to just take things as they come and not have expectaions is going to be one of the many lessons to learn. You can imagine though that when things are not running to schedule and no-one really knowing whats going on, that with 430 yogis talking its like chinese whispers with all the different views on whats happening etc.

Anyway, the pic attached to this post is of the double doors leading into the infamous Hot Room. Where all the magic is going to happen! Supposedly its two ballrooms with the dividing wall taken out to make one large room measuring 16,000 ft, making it the largest Hot Yoga Room ever. We're not even allowed in there yet for a peek as its all top secret and they are still testing the heating system and getting the room ready. The rumours are rife though about how hot the room is going to get to. When we first got here peops were saying it was set for 100 degrees F but by this aft that number had been raised to 120 degrees! Don't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of it or cry incase its true?

So tomorrow will be our first chance to spend some time with Bikram and take our first class. The staff today emphasised how in the first week are NOT to kill ourselves and to take it easy and just aclimatise and get our routines / eating etc all sorted. Hey, you don't have to tell me twice. I'm happy to ease into things for as long as possible! Though isn't saying "Bikram Hot Yoga" and "taking it easy" in the same sentence an oxymoron?

Anyway, in light of that thought, I shall finish this post here as its late and I want to make the most of getting sleep while I can. Looking forward to tomorrow and finally really getting into things :-)

Stepping Stones

Our lives are made of stepping stones, one experience after another in perfect and divine order.

With only two days now till TT starts, I thought this message from Neale Donald Walsch that I received was quite fitting. (I will write his words in italics)

Imagine the future stretching out before you and try to notice if you feel any tension or overwhelm at the propsect of the journey still to come. Maybe you have started a new job or made a lifestyle change and there is an undercurrent of anxiety about your ability to suceed.

Ah, yeah! Just a little tension and sense of overwhelm

If you can shift your focus from what may happen years down the line and return it to the day that is before you right now, you may find a measure of calm and renewed confidence in your capabilities. You may also discover an inner faith that the future will take care of itself.

I was going to write about my thoughts on having faith when the lines, "Faith, gotta have Faith" just popped into my head. Oh my lord........ talk about a monkey mind :-)

The way we show up for our lives today and tomorrow has an enormous affect on who we will be and what we will be experiencing years from now. If we can remain full engaged in the day at hand, enjoying all it has to offer and putting our energy into making the most of it, we will find that we are perfectly ready and capable to handle any future when it arrives.

Now I've often taken giant leaps of faith and trusted that the universe will look after me and it always has. Not always the way I thought or wanted it do but things have always worked out and that does leave me with a sense of calm - and a George Michael song running round in my head. :-)

Back in the City of Angels

We're back in Hollywood today. I just love saying that! Only 2 days now till Training starts. I have to admit I kind of just want to get into it. Getting to LA early was great and have seen some amazing places, but now I'm ready for the yoga.

Mind you in saying that, today we went and did another class at the Bikram studio in Silverlake and I came out feeling like I'd been hit by the yoga bus. Ugh. The room was extra hot (as the outdoor temp has risen a bit) and I wasn't properly prepared i.e. had just been sitting in a car for 3 hours and was probably not hydrated enough nor had had any food.

So the thought of feeling like that twice a day 6 days a week doesn't exactly thrill me. And if what previous teachers have said is true, then coming out of class feeling smashed is EXACTLY how I'm going to feel. Oh dear, why am I doing this again? Did I not just write, that I want to get to Training?!

It all drives home just how important proper eating and arriving to class hydrated is. I think because the last few classes have felt relatively comfortable (well as comfortable as spending 90 mins in a hot room can be!) I was probably a little cocky....... not any longer!

Anyway, after a massive salad and a sit in the sun for an hour I'm feeling back to my old self. Though I certainly can't even entertain the idea of going back and doing a "double" (a second class in the same day). Oy!

I am looking forward to getting settled in and unpacking. Living out of a suitcase is driving me mad. Gosh, I am such a creature of habit. I like having a routine and everything in its place. You could call it "anal-retentive", but I prefer "organised" myself and even 3 years of yoga hasn't changed that about me!

Yosemite National Park

Today we drove through Yosemite National Park. My Grandparents have been here and so I found myself thinking of them while I was there :-) To the point that I bought a postcard to send back to my Grandmother in NZ.

Remember the days of postcards? They're the cardboard printed photos we used to buy and ACTUALLY write on in the days before Blogging and mobile pics etc .

Its an awe inspiring place and words can't describe the breathtaking views and these pics certainly don't do the place justice. The view from the top looking back over the valley is stunning and it would be an amazing place to sit and do any soul searching. Looking up at 6000 feet of granite that has been around for 1000's of years would be sure to put things into perspective for you!

The day started off nicely but then as we drove higher up the through the park, the rain and fog set in and at the peak that turned to snow. Not something someone who is coming to do hot yoga for 9 weeks has the clothing for hence the pic of a very cold Kiwi. I can't even pretend to show it wasn't cold. I had about 5 layers of clothing on, my yoga pants on under my pants, and only jumped out of the car very briefly to take pictures.

I can't even remember the last time I would have seen snow? I'm thinking maybe 20 years ago in Canada. My life since has been carefully orchestrated to include only summer hoidays to warm exotic places like Fiji and Australia!

Regardless it was still a remarkable place and I would love to go back in the summer and spend several weeks there exploring. Being mindful of the wildlife tho of course. The need to lock up your food and to not leave any rubbish behind because of bears was familiar, as I have been camping in Canada and so the same rules applied there. But it was the comment that "if you had small children and saw a Mountain Lion that is was advisable to pick your children up so that they appeared larger", which made me gasp aloud! Oy! Note to self, don't go camping in Yosemiti with small children. :-)

Yoga in SF

Got up and did the 6am class at Global Yoga in San Fransisco this morning. The location of the studio dictated which hotel we stayed at, so it was within walking distance - tho at 5:30am in the morning it made for rather a cold walk!

It was a great class. Hot with far less humidity than we're used to, which is like all the others studios we have been to over here so far. Though I am under no illusion that the classes at TT will be like that. I'm sure they will figure a way to get that humidity cranked up! It just makes such a difference to your ability to breathe.

The Instructor was great, gave us a lot of individual detailed instruction and the class had a nice rhythm. There were some noticeable differences which are similar to the postures we do in the Advanced Series.

That is, no warming up in Pada-Hastasana, just get straight into it. For Dhanurasana /Bow they put their L arm straight up first and then grab the foot with the R hand and get into the pose. Then hold the posture for as long as possible, which was great for getting out of that comfort zone of only holding for 20 seconds!

Also, no towel in Sasangasana / Rabbit, which was the same at the Monterey studio and is an Advanced posture. Very hard to do with moisturizer on. Oy.

San Fransisco

We spent this afternoon driving up to San Fransisco. What a truely beautiful city! It is a Sister City with Wellington in NZ and you can see why. There are a lot of parks in the city along with the hilly streets of course which provide amazing views over the harbour. It has a great energy about it and the streets are filled with people so the city feels alive (sonething that LA didn't have?).

The famous Golden Gate bridge is visible from miles and so it was an easy landmark to find. We have planned to take pics of different yoga postures in front of all famous landmarks we visit so this is the first.

It is very poor excuse for a Bow pose but I had been sitting in a car for 4 hours previously, it was freezing outside so the bod wasn't warmed up at all, I had jeans on, it was very windy.....enough excuses, but you get the idea. lol

We walked around the city for a bit before settling on a place for dinnner. The area we are in reminded me of Ponsonby in AK and is full of trendy cafes and restaurants etc. I have to admit it feels great to be in a bustling city again and if I had to live in the States it would definitely be a city on my list.

Alcatraz

Spent another stunning day in the beautiful city of San Fransisco today. Woke up early and went to the Global Yoga studio for a 6 am class (which I will write about in a seperate post so that those of you who are non-yogis aren't bored with my blow by blow account of each posture :-) We then went down to Fishermans Wharf (in pic) and walked along the waterfront. Its very much a touristy area but still lovely all the same. The Wharf is alive and bustling with fresh seafood stalls and all the vendors try to out do each other for your business.

I'm amazed at how clean the city is. There is NO rubbish, cig butts, or graffiti anywhere and it would certainly put a lot of our cities to shame.

We then headed to Pier 33 to catch the ferry to Alcatraz. We couldn't have picked a more perfect day to be out on the harbour as there wasn't a cloud in the sky and we got 360 degree views of the harbour from the ferry (though temps are still a bit cool for us Gold Coast residents).

The Tour around Alcatraz was really interesting. I didn't know but the place was originally built as a fortress to protect San Fransisco in the Gold Rush in the early 1800's. It was then converted to a prison until it was deemed too expensive to run and upkeep and it was closed in 1963. Little history lesson there :-) It also didn't have the "heavy" energy I expected it too. I'm wondering maybe if its because it is open to the public and so has had so many people through? Mind you I didn't feel too keen on hanging out in anyone's cell for any length of time!

Would have loved to have had time to stay longer as there is so much to do here but unfortunately the day of reckoning will soon be upon us so we have to start making our way back to the City of Angels.

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