Hump Day

Well I've made if half way through the first week! I'm trying to just look at that as an acomplishment in itself and not think about how many more classes, lectures and late nights are to come because that all feels a little too daunting. i.e. I am counting the number of classes we have done to date but I can't quite bring myself to add up the number of classes we will do in total over the 9 weeks! Maybe when we're in week 5 and I know I'm safely over the halfway mark.

At the same time I don't want to wish my time here away as if there is one thing that everyone agrees on it is that the 9 weeks will fly be and we will all be back in the real world before we know what has hit us. Certainly to be able to take 9 weeks from our regular lifestyles to go and do something we love is an invaluable gift and opportunity and so I want to try and relish every moment (some obviously more than others).

So last night we were only kept up till midnight doing Posture clinic - early by Bikram's standards. Then it was up and ready for class by 8 a.m. this morning. I certainly did not feel like class at all when the alarm went off, but I have to admit that afterwards I did feel revitalised. A reminder of how well this yoga works.

It also helped that I had my first reasonably strong class since we've been here. Yay! The class was taught by another one of Bikram's first Teachers, Marlee who has such great energy. It helped that the heat and humidity were far more within what felt like a normal range and she was purposely kind to us so that we had energy for our 2nd class later in the day. You can't imagine how much we appreciated that :-)

She called the Half Tortoise Pose / Ardha-Kurmasana her "Thank God" pose. Now I'm sure she means thanking God because we are bowing in the posture, but I think there will be plenty of times when I'm in it and say, "thank God" because it means we're 3/4's of the way through the class. lol

For the first time since I've been here I managed to get my forehead to knee in both sets of standing head to knee and didn't fall out. Always a nice achievement. In fact I felt strong in all the standing postures and wasn't just going through the motions which is all I have managed in the previous classes.

So then the day was spent in posture clinic again. With 430 yogis having to deliver their Half Moon dialogue its going to go for days. We're not even halfway yet, and are going back after dinner tonight at 9:30pm for another session.

Our 5pm class was taken by Waan (sp?) and again it was a great class. By no means easy, but I got through it really well and was able to get into full extension of all the postures again.

He had a wonderful insight about the art of complaining where he said that "complaining is a sign of life" and that as a teacher if there is one thing we can count on its that students will ALWAYS find something to complain about. So I apologise now to all my teachers :-)

I had another strong class that I felt comfortable in (well as comfortable as one can be in a hot room) and I managed to do all postures to the full extent without too much trouble.

So now we're on a dinner break and then its back at 9:30pm for some more dialogue clinic and then a Hindu movie so who knows what time things will finish up tonight? Lets just hope its a short movie!

Thanks for all your messages everyone, and Sean for sending us love and energy from the Gold Coast studio. It means a lot when you're so far from home. Namasate xx

Two for Tuesday

Today was our first day of double classes and posture clinics. A taste of things to come.

The 8a.m. class this morning was lead by Jim Kallet, one of Bikrams first ever teacher trainees. He has a lovely energy about him and I really enjoyed his teaching style.

They room was at a better temp too which made a HUGE difference. I think in light of the mass exodus in class yesterday afernoon they realised the heat and humidity needed to be adjusted and so the class was cooler. Which by NO means, means it even NEAR cool, it was just less hot. It still felt as humid as some of our days on the Coast and so was a fairly tough class none the less.

I took it really easy, and didn't push in any of the postures so was able to make it through without having to sit down at all. A small measure of success in the Bikram TT World :-) And after yesterday's insane class my goal was going to be just to not run from the room screaming!

So there are a few things that are done differently here. In the 2nd set of Pada Hastasana there is no moving the hips to relax the back, its just straight into hands underneath the heels. He said the reason being, that the body has already been there before so is warmed up enough already.

In Standing Head to Knee / Dandayamana Janushirasna they really emphasize that the grip is just below the toes not in the arch of the foot, so I feel l need to move mine up a little which in turn will help me flex the foot better.

Finally in Head to Knee with Stretching / Janushirasana with Paschimotthanasana (whew!) when you are in the final position with both legs out in front of you, your head has to come down in line with your feet so that there are no wrinkles in the back of your neck. It made a huge difference to how far down I could get my body and it is something I have heard in class before but for some reason didn't register until today?

After class we had posture clinic with Bikram and starting going through Ardha Chandrasana. This is where you have to stand up in front of Bikram and all the 430 yogis and present the first posture. Needless to say its probably going to be the most nerve wracking part of this whole training experience - and no I haven't volunteered to go up yet.

Its amazing just listening to everyone's different styles, personalities and accents. And Bikram, despite all his (sometimes not so funny) jokes and piss-taking, is really very compassionate and seems to know instinctly what each person needs to hear. He said the reason he gets every single trainee to come up and do this is not so that he can see if you know the dialogue or not but rather to get to meet us and see who it is that is going to be out there representing his brand. You've got to give him points for that I reckon as I don't know if any other worldwide business owners could say they know ALL their staff?

When the trainee from Christchurch in NZ came up he asked how their studio was after the earthquake. As it turns out it needs to be totally rebuilt and so Bikram said to tell the studio owner to call him so that he could arrange to help out with funding the re-build so that the studio could re-open as soon as possible. Cool eh! He also spoke of various other charity events that he is contributing to around the world in light of all the recent natural disasters.

So we were in posture clinic all aft until the 5pm class which Bikram took. Again it was pretty hot and humid so I took it really easy. I didn't feel like I had any energy at all and wasn't practicing even close to my full potential. But hey, at this stage I'm still taking it very easy (maybe a little too easy?) and not trying to proove anything to anyone. There is still a long way to go, so I'm really pacing myself.

I need to figure out what is going to work for me the best in terms of getting a quick energy fix though as we only had half an hour between the end of the posture clinic at 4:30 and the start of class so no time to digest anything and I hadn't eaten since lunch at 11:00am. I can see my diet rapidly filling up with pills and various packets of mixes rather than actual food! :-)

Now its 9pm and we're about to head back down to the lecture room for our 2nd posture clinic for the day which is due to start at 9:30. Yes that 9:30 PM folks. Oy! It looks like this is where the sleep deprivation begins.........

Pics are of the Hot Room, and me after class this morning with my water bottle. Something I haven't taken to class in over 2 years but there is NO way I am going to class without it here. Its already a distraction though and I find myself drinking even when I'm not thirsty but rather as something to take my focus of how friggin hot it is!

First class, of the first day, of the first week!

We met with Bikram for the first time today. He arrived without any fanfare and just casually walked onto the stage and said hi! Not at all the grand entrance I had expected of him. Perhaps another reminder for me in not having preconceived ideas about how this TT experience is going to go?

He welcomed us to LA and gave us an overview of what to expect through our Training, about how much it was going to change us and how we had to come here with an open mind and be preprared to start learning from scratch.

He also emphasised, as all the other staff members have, that we are to take it EASY for the first week! He said to consider this first week a "Bikram Vacation". He won't kill us until the 3rd week...lol (Hmmm ... I bet not so funny by the 3rd week!)

We then had the afternoon free to do whatever we wanted until yoga class at 5pm. Of course any spare time at TT is not really spare time, as it is spent studying dialogue or getting ready for class - which is exactly what we did.

Then the class was upon us and we all walked into the Hot Room for the very first time. What can I say except HOT and HUMID, HOT and HUMID! You could SEE the humidity in the air as you walked into the room. OMG. A big change from the Studios where we've been doing classes for the past few weeks.

Did I mention it was HOT and HUMID?

So Bikram was definitely very kind to us and didn't hold the postures for too long and gave us nice long Savasanas inbetween, but there were still yogis dropping like flies all around. I took all the advice from earlier in the day and just eased into class. Even so it was still pretty tough and though I felt strong it was more getting my breathing calm in the intense humidity that I struggled with. I found once I opened my mouth and took a few breaths that way instead of through my nose, that it was then very hard to regulate it again - which is exactly why we are told not to do it, (and usually its not an issue for me but today it was, so it will be something to be aware of in the next class).

Anyway, I made it through without any dramas and good to have that first class under my belt (or should I say yoga shorts?) but makes me feel a bit daunted about what is to come. My mantra is going to be to just take it one posture at a time. And sometimes that may even be broken down to just the first side of the first set.........

Me after class. I look a lot happier than I felt before the ten minute Savasana I took at the end of it :-) Its amazing though how 15 minutes after being out of class the torture is forgotten!

We were lucky enough to then have the evening free (a one-off as most evenings are filled with lectures or the infamous Bollywood / Hindu movies Bikram insists we watch) So we are relishing the extra time and cooking up a storm so we have meals organised for the next few days. Cooking in a hotel room without a kitchenette is an art form in itself so we are applying the K.I.S.S. principle and eating very simply! And it may become even simpler still as the weeks go by and sleep becomes a priority.

Which suits me fine. I make it no secret that I didn't even put a lot of effort into cooking when I was at home with a fully equipped kitchen and I'm already of the mindset that eating food while here will be primarily an energy source rather than for pleasure :-)

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. :-)