Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 13: Wednesday, 11/30/11
Just getting home from 9:45pm Bikram class at upper west side studio. SO happy to be home sweet home. I have to be up in a few hours for an early morning start to Thursday so a very quick update blog tonight. Feeling really good although I definitely was exhausted when I got to class tonight. Took about 10-15 minutes for my body to get into a rhythm but was able to just let go and have a really good experience. At Day 13, I'm almost half way there!!! Still amazed at how it always feels better once I just get it done. Learning a lot about delayed gratification on the mat and off.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 12: Tuesday, 11/29/11
Day 12 was almost the day that didn't happen! The odds were kind of stacked against me. 4 hours sleep last night. No nap today. 8 class Tuesday. Where the hell was yoga going to fit into my day? Thankfully, there always is something special about Tuesdays. If you're going to teach 8 classes in a day, then these would be the ones to teach. From start to finish on Tuesdays, it's always an incredible day. But then there was a problem.
Done teaching at 8pm at Rockefeller Center EQUINOX. 8:30pm Bikram class at the 72nd street upper west side studio. Rain. No cab in site. 20 minutes to get to class. Not making Day #12 NOT an option...so I jump on the bus. And somehow miraculously I make it to the 8:30pm class.
You would think with all that drama that class would be a chore. But...the previous 11 days actually start to pay off as my body knows what to do and does it beautifully and efficiently. Maybe I'm delirious from the 105 degree heat in the studio, but my focus is the best it's been so far. Hard work still, but starting to see the payoffs.
To think that I almost missed this class. But I know myself well enough to know that I would have found a way to get here tonight. You see the thing is this. The most important promises to keep are the promises that you make to yourself. Letting yourself down should never be an option. Sometimes it takes some creativity to make it happen. But when you make it happen, the reward is always so sweet!
Done teaching at 8pm at Rockefeller Center EQUINOX. 8:30pm Bikram class at the 72nd street upper west side studio. Rain. No cab in site. 20 minutes to get to class. Not making Day #12 NOT an option...so I jump on the bus. And somehow miraculously I make it to the 8:30pm class.
You would think with all that drama that class would be a chore. But...the previous 11 days actually start to pay off as my body knows what to do and does it beautifully and efficiently. Maybe I'm delirious from the 105 degree heat in the studio, but my focus is the best it's been so far. Hard work still, but starting to see the payoffs.
To think that I almost missed this class. But I know myself well enough to know that I would have found a way to get here tonight. You see the thing is this. The most important promises to keep are the promises that you make to yourself. Letting yourself down should never be an option. Sometimes it takes some creativity to make it happen. But when you make it happen, the reward is always so sweet!
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 11: Monday, 11/28/11
12:02am and just getting home from yoga! Quick blog y'all as I have to be up at 5:15am. Today at Day #11, I was just super happy to show up and put the work in. 9:45pm class on the upper west side. Super nice and dedicated group. You would have to be at that hour of the night. Great class tonight with a super sweet instructor. How this girl is this energetic this late, I'll never know. As I was leaving the studio at 11:30pm she will helping a student perfect a posture. LOVE her!!!
Shower. Quick "dinner" and then I need to get myself to bed. Lots of hard work tonight but sometimes it's all about showing up and putting the work in. You've got to trust that building a strong foundation is its own reward. And so it goes on Day 11!
Shower. Quick "dinner" and then I need to get myself to bed. Lots of hard work tonight but sometimes it's all about showing up and putting the work in. You've got to trust that building a strong foundation is its own reward. And so it goes on Day 11!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 10, Sunday, 11/27/11
Here's the thing. When you are doing anything for the long haul, I find it's so much easier to break it up into smaller pieces. A long term goal can seem overwhelming. But, smaller goals will give you a greater sense of achievement and keep you more focused and more excited about the whole process.
And so today, at Day# 10, I am 1/3 of the way through the Challenge!!! Habits are interesting. We know all too well how to develop a bad habit. Good habits can be a bit more challenging. Once you get into a rhythm though, things start to automatically become habitual. So I semi eagerly trot off to class.
If you've ever been to a Bikram Yoga class, there is almost always two things happening that you cannot control. Hirsute, shirtless men with stomachs hanging from their shorts and sick people blowing their noses endlessly through class. Both were again going on tonight (and class hadn't even started yet), but then the Hottie from yesterday's class came in and set up his mat in front of me. This class was starting to instantly pick up! The Hottie is interesting in that he never brings any water to class and has the focus of someone who has been practicing yoga all his life. If this is the body one gets from doing this every day, I'm definitely in!
For the second time, my least favorite instructor is subbing class so I know that unless I concentrate on myself, and the Hottie, the 90 minutes will feel endless. It doesn't help that half way through class the guy next to me is blowing his nose into his hand (EWWWWW!!!) and finally I lose it andhand toss him a box of tissues. Seriously?????????? BREATHE, BREATHE breathe, breathe....
This instructor does nothing to help my practice and everything to get in the way of it. Too much talking. Saying the wrong things. I do feel for her, because the hardest thing about being an instructor is sometimes getting out of our own way and letting the class happen. I fall short of that myself at times. And being on the receiving end of it is no fun. I'm miserable in this class but am getting a fast lesson on the things that I as an instructor need to work on.
And that's the thing about life. There is always a lesson in every situation. Many times we have to suffer to get to that truth. Many things do not come easily. The answers aren't always apparent. What makes us uncomfortable invariably exists to reflect back our own behavior. Note to self though. I've got to learn how the Hottie has such razor sharp focus and no need for water when he practices. Stay tuned!
And so today, at Day# 10, I am 1/3 of the way through the Challenge!!! Habits are interesting. We know all too well how to develop a bad habit. Good habits can be a bit more challenging. Once you get into a rhythm though, things start to automatically become habitual. So I semi eagerly trot off to class.
If you've ever been to a Bikram Yoga class, there is almost always two things happening that you cannot control. Hirsute, shirtless men with stomachs hanging from their shorts and sick people blowing their noses endlessly through class. Both were again going on tonight (and class hadn't even started yet), but then the Hottie from yesterday's class came in and set up his mat in front of me. This class was starting to instantly pick up! The Hottie is interesting in that he never brings any water to class and has the focus of someone who has been practicing yoga all his life. If this is the body one gets from doing this every day, I'm definitely in!
For the second time, my least favorite instructor is subbing class so I know that unless I concentrate on myself, and the Hottie, the 90 minutes will feel endless. It doesn't help that half way through class the guy next to me is blowing his nose into his hand (EWWWWW!!!) and finally I lose it and
This instructor does nothing to help my practice and everything to get in the way of it. Too much talking. Saying the wrong things. I do feel for her, because the hardest thing about being an instructor is sometimes getting out of our own way and letting the class happen. I fall short of that myself at times. And being on the receiving end of it is no fun. I'm miserable in this class but am getting a fast lesson on the things that I as an instructor need to work on.
And that's the thing about life. There is always a lesson in every situation. Many times we have to suffer to get to that truth. Many things do not come easily. The answers aren't always apparent. What makes us uncomfortable invariably exists to reflect back our own behavior. Note to self though. I've got to learn how the Hottie has such razor sharp focus and no need for water when he practices. Stay tuned!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 9: Saturday, 11/26/11
Today has been one of those days. I've been fighting a cold for the last couple of weeks. I thought I was going to loose my voice several times on Wednesday while teaching classes. That minor issue aside, the last 3 days have been really great. There is nothing like time off from work. I have never been great about taking the necessary downtime for my body. Teaching 25 classes a week takes its physical and emotional toll very easily. I am definitely a bit of a workaholic so I'm really proud of myself for giving myself the gift of a few days off.
I feel physically fine now. Lots of dry coughing spells though. But my mind has been a little all over the place today. They say that over 90% of our thoughts are either about things that have already happened or things that have not yet happened. And that was the case for me today, until I made a decision to stop, breathe and let go. Amazing how our connection to self is through the breath. Once I could stop and just breathe I instantly started to have more clarity and serenity. I am trying to do a better job of staying in the moment. One day at a time.
Some days just the simple action of showing up is enough. And so it was that I decided that I was going to go to class with absolutely no expectations. Just let the practice happen. To let go of the process and the result and focus on the breath. Bikram Yoga class starts with what's called Pranayama Breathing which is a standing deep breathing exercise. It's never been my favorite part of class. Honestly more a chore than anything else. Tonight was the first time that I really took notice of what it means to begin class that way. I had been missing the point all these years. It was still a chore, but at least now I have an understanding of something that I need to work on in and out of class.
That wraps up Day 9!!! Again, I am ending the day feeling much better than when I started. Class tonight was what it was. Happy to have struggled and made it through the 90 minutes.
I feel physically fine now. Lots of dry coughing spells though. But my mind has been a little all over the place today. They say that over 90% of our thoughts are either about things that have already happened or things that have not yet happened. And that was the case for me today, until I made a decision to stop, breathe and let go. Amazing how our connection to self is through the breath. Once I could stop and just breathe I instantly started to have more clarity and serenity. I am trying to do a better job of staying in the moment. One day at a time.
Some days just the simple action of showing up is enough. And so it was that I decided that I was going to go to class with absolutely no expectations. Just let the practice happen. To let go of the process and the result and focus on the breath. Bikram Yoga class starts with what's called Pranayama Breathing which is a standing deep breathing exercise. It's never been my favorite part of class. Honestly more a chore than anything else. Tonight was the first time that I really took notice of what it means to begin class that way. I had been missing the point all these years. It was still a chore, but at least now I have an understanding of something that I need to work on in and out of class.
That wraps up Day 9!!! Again, I am ending the day feeling much better than when I started. Class tonight was what it was. Happy to have struggled and made it through the 90 minutes.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 8: Friday, 11/25/11
"Life Begins At The End Of Your Comfort Zone."-Neale Donald Walsch-
Here's the thing about my life. It's easy to be comfortable. So hard sometimes to move out of that space that feels good or that space that is familiar. And so on Day 8, I decide that whenever I'm feeling the smallest hint of comfort in class, I will take the opportunity to move out of that space.
The thing about a Daily Yoga Practice is that it forces you to start to see life differently. It's made certain things very clear to me. One of the benefits of yoga is that I clears away many of the things and feelings that are not true to who you authentically are. I've been able to hear my true inner voice more clearly because I'm in a space that I can listen. Without distraction. Funny how the answers are there if you just can be in a place where you are open to listening.
The first level of placing myself in discomfort in class is that I try to practice in the hottest space in the room. It really does force me to have to "fight" a lot harder in a class. The second level of discomfort for me today was to really push every posture to a place that was out of my comfort zone. So much work!
But here's the thing. We are all always capable of so much more that we imagine. And all this time in the hot yoga room is taking me to places both physically and spiritually that I didn't know were possible for me. Connecting to self or our center is so vital. It's been hard for me to do that over the last few years because I had convinced myself that I didn't have the time. Today I now choose that time and choosing that time has made all the difference in the world to me in only 8 short days.
Every minute of every day is an opportunity for me to choose differently and to experience life in a more meaningful way. A way that pushes me past my self inflicted set point. A way that moves me out of my comfort zone. A way that moves me closer to the life I truly desire.
Here's the thing about my life. It's easy to be comfortable. So hard sometimes to move out of that space that feels good or that space that is familiar. And so on Day 8, I decide that whenever I'm feeling the smallest hint of comfort in class, I will take the opportunity to move out of that space.
The thing about a Daily Yoga Practice is that it forces you to start to see life differently. It's made certain things very clear to me. One of the benefits of yoga is that I clears away many of the things and feelings that are not true to who you authentically are. I've been able to hear my true inner voice more clearly because I'm in a space that I can listen. Without distraction. Funny how the answers are there if you just can be in a place where you are open to listening.
The first level of placing myself in discomfort in class is that I try to practice in the hottest space in the room. It really does force me to have to "fight" a lot harder in a class. The second level of discomfort for me today was to really push every posture to a place that was out of my comfort zone. So much work!
But here's the thing. We are all always capable of so much more that we imagine. And all this time in the hot yoga room is taking me to places both physically and spiritually that I didn't know were possible for me. Connecting to self or our center is so vital. It's been hard for me to do that over the last few years because I had convinced myself that I didn't have the time. Today I now choose that time and choosing that time has made all the difference in the world to me in only 8 short days.
Every minute of every day is an opportunity for me to choose differently and to experience life in a more meaningful way. A way that pushes me past my self inflicted set point. A way that moves me out of my comfort zone. A way that moves me closer to the life I truly desire.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 7: Thursday, 11/24/11
I was feeling an amazing sense of accomplishment today on Day 7. The first major milestone. I was 25% of the way through the 30 Day Challenge. But then my Friend Sharon pointed out to me over Thanksgiving Dinner with her family that I hadn't reached the 25% mark yet. That would happen during tomorrow's class on Day 8. Allrighty then...tomorrow it is.
But for today, Thanksgiving Day, I have a lot to be Thankful for. Last Thanksgiving, I was "recovering" from a back spasm that forced me to take a couple of weeks off work and 9 months to feel good in my body again. For the first time in the past year, I can fully practice yoga again, run and teach classes without being in pain. That in itself is everything that I need today and everyday.
After 7 days of daily yoga, I'm more grateful than ever for the joy of movement. I'm breathing in life more deeply and more appreciatively. I'm getting more connected to who I really am and listening more closely to the voice that's always been there. More importantly, I'm giving myself a daily dose of the best kind of self love and self attention. I'm taking care of me!
But for today, Thanksgiving Day, I have a lot to be Thankful for. Last Thanksgiving, I was "recovering" from a back spasm that forced me to take a couple of weeks off work and 9 months to feel good in my body again. For the first time in the past year, I can fully practice yoga again, run and teach classes without being in pain. That in itself is everything that I need today and everyday.
After 7 days of daily yoga, I'm more grateful than ever for the joy of movement. I'm breathing in life more deeply and more appreciatively. I'm getting more connected to who I really am and listening more closely to the voice that's always been there. More importantly, I'm giving myself a daily dose of the best kind of self love and self attention. I'm taking care of me!
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 6: Wednesday, 11/23/11
You know what they say? You are indeed the company that you keep. In life...and in yoga. And so tonight I found myself in excellent company. 8pm class on the upper west side. Once again rushing from upper east side classes of my own. Honestly, I would have preferred to go home but the Challenge continues. Day #6!
I say this in class all the time. The hardest part of working out is getting there. Once you're there, it ALWAYS just happens. That's why the Nike "Just Do It" campaign is my favorite. I was setting my mat up when the guy behind me was jokingly making fun of how neat and perfect my mat positioning was. I told him that I was just trying to set up in a way that would not be in his mirror space and the mirror space of the guy next to him.
And then this is what he said to me. "It's good to learn that when you're new." He thinks I'm a yoga rookie??? Those of you who know me well know that was all it took for me to get into competitive Loi mode. Everything about yoga practice is anti competition. You're there for you only. Never in competition with anyone else. Well whatever... because now it was on.
That's all it took for me to have the class of my life. That's all it took to elevate my practice to the highest level so far. Competition can't be wrong, I think, if you direct it inwardly to make you better. I always think that in making ourselves better, we elevate those around us as well. Again tonight, there were such strong, focused people around me, that collectively we raised each other up.
It's a necessary question for all of us to ask. What kind of company do we keep? Are we in the presence of people who make us greater than we are? Do we make the people in our presence greater than they are? How can we contribute to a community of "we" instead of an island of "I"?
I say this in class all the time. The hardest part of working out is getting there. Once you're there, it ALWAYS just happens. That's why the Nike "Just Do It" campaign is my favorite. I was setting my mat up when the guy behind me was jokingly making fun of how neat and perfect my mat positioning was. I told him that I was just trying to set up in a way that would not be in his mirror space and the mirror space of the guy next to him.
And then this is what he said to me. "It's good to learn that when you're new." He thinks I'm a yoga rookie??? Those of you who know me well know that was all it took for me to get into competitive Loi mode. Everything about yoga practice is anti competition. You're there for you only. Never in competition with anyone else. Well whatever... because now it was on.
That's all it took for me to have the class of my life. That's all it took to elevate my practice to the highest level so far. Competition can't be wrong, I think, if you direct it inwardly to make you better. I always think that in making ourselves better, we elevate those around us as well. Again tonight, there were such strong, focused people around me, that collectively we raised each other up.
It's a necessary question for all of us to ask. What kind of company do we keep? Are we in the presence of people who make us greater than we are? Do we make the people in our presence greater than they are? How can we contribute to a community of "we" instead of an island of "I"?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 5: Tuesday, 11/22/11
Today was a challenge all right; A scheduling challenge. Tuesdays is the one really hard day of my week. 8 classes! So exactly when was I going to fit a yoga class in? It was either going to have to be yoga or a nap today. So nap out and yoga in. 4pm class at Midtown location. I got an extra bonus in that Georgia was my instructor again. Great way to start Day 5!
Already I notice that I'm feeling much different in my mind and in my body. I'm calmer, less distracted, more focused, more alert. The heat is still there but it's becoming like a welcome foe and sometimes friend. The habit of coming every day for 5 days is starting to sink in and I find myself surrendering to the process.
The thing about yoga is that there are so many lessons to be learned on the mat. For me...patience, letting go of control. The list really goes on. And so on Day 5, I'm starting to make the connection between the anxiety that I bring to class that plays out in my head and the anxiety that plays out in my head all day long. I'm starting to understand that the way that I approach my yoga practice is the same way that I approach my life.
But for now, I'm really happy with myself. Happy that I gave myself the gift of 90 minutes that was devoted entirely to the care of me today. Happy to be happy!
Already I notice that I'm feeling much different in my mind and in my body. I'm calmer, less distracted, more focused, more alert. The heat is still there but it's becoming like a welcome foe and sometimes friend. The habit of coming every day for 5 days is starting to sink in and I find myself surrendering to the process.
The thing about yoga is that there are so many lessons to be learned on the mat. For me...patience, letting go of control. The list really goes on. And so on Day 5, I'm starting to make the connection between the anxiety that I bring to class that plays out in my head and the anxiety that plays out in my head all day long. I'm starting to understand that the way that I approach my yoga practice is the same way that I approach my life.
But for now, I'm really happy with myself. Happy that I gave myself the gift of 90 minutes that was devoted entirely to the care of me today. Happy to be happy!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 4: Monday, 11/21/11
Day 4!!!!!! After last night's 7pm class, having to do yoga again at 11:30am was not something that I was really looking forward to. But 11:30am was what was going to work with my schedule today and 11:30am meant that I got to take my favorite Bikram Yoga instuctor. Georgia.
Just to fill you in on a little bit about Georgia, she was one of Bikram himself's first students when he arrived in Honolulu to teach in 1971! Just saying she is a phenomenal powerhouse doesn't even begin to describe what makes Georgia's classes special.. One of the things that I love about Georgia is that just being in her space and presence demands that you elevate to your A++++ game. She has a gift for getting the best out of everyone in the room and navigating the class so brilliantly that you don't mind giving that extra percent that others can't seem to acces or that I can't seem to access by myself.
I hadn't been in one of her classes in a couple of years and she came over to talk to me after class. I told her how exceptional she is as an instructor. She said that the class today was so special for her. Special because it was a really strong group and special because everyone was working together with minimal distractions and lots of focus and positive energy.
She was right. It was the most special group I had practiced with so far. Each moment of class. Each posture. Each breath. There was an undeniable synergy and flow. It doesn't always happen but when it does, it is pure magic.
Even more magical though is when you are blessed with the opportunity to be in the space of someone like Georgia who always makes you feel good, who always brings out the best in you, who fills your cup up so that you want to give more to everyone else. And what makes her special most of all is her humility. Even though I had complimented her on how great she is, she turned it around and put the focus on how a great class is really about the students. A priceless lesson on Day 4!
Just to fill you in on a little bit about Georgia, she was one of Bikram himself's first students when he arrived in Honolulu to teach in 1971! Just saying she is a phenomenal powerhouse doesn't even begin to describe what makes Georgia's classes special.. One of the things that I love about Georgia is that just being in her space and presence demands that you elevate to your A++++ game. She has a gift for getting the best out of everyone in the room and navigating the class so brilliantly that you don't mind giving that extra percent that others can't seem to acces or that I can't seem to access by myself.
I hadn't been in one of her classes in a couple of years and she came over to talk to me after class. I told her how exceptional she is as an instructor. She said that the class today was so special for her. Special because it was a really strong group and special because everyone was working together with minimal distractions and lots of focus and positive energy.
She was right. It was the most special group I had practiced with so far. Each moment of class. Each posture. Each breath. There was an undeniable synergy and flow. It doesn't always happen but when it does, it is pure magic.
Even more magical though is when you are blessed with the opportunity to be in the space of someone like Georgia who always makes you feel good, who always brings out the best in you, who fills your cup up so that you want to give more to everyone else. And what makes her special most of all is her humility. Even though I had complimented her on how great she is, she turned it around and put the focus on how a great class is really about the students. A priceless lesson on Day 4!
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 3: Sunday, 11/20/11
I don't know much about most things, but there is one thing that I know for sure. The more you do something, the more you practice anything...progress happens. And so on Day 3, I walked into the HOT room after a long day of teaching classes. 7pm class at 72nd Street location. The last class of the day... the room is always hotter and 72nd street location always feels way hotter than the other locations.
I was rushing from my last set of classes on the upper west side. Definitely not the way I like to arrive to a class. But when you're doing 30 days of non stop yoga, you fit it in when you can. I'm struck that after only 3 days, I'm sitting taller, standing taller and feeling more open in my body and my mind. It was apparent from the first moment I walked into the studio that tonight's challenge was going to be the heat.
That's the thing about Bikram. The 26 postures are really easy to execute. The Challenge is doing the practice in the heat. Which is the real reason I'm drawn to this Challenge. Sitting with discomfort is something that is good practice so I embraced that challenge tonight. As I fought the heat and all the feelings and emotions that come from being overwhelmed at times in a posture, it occurred to me that in only 3 short days the class was not getting any easier. The class was getting way harder.
Harder because I was pushing more and allowing myself to go deeper in each posture. Harder because my body was understanding and remembering where to go and how to go there more completely. And thus the work begins on Day 3. An ex Coach of mine once told me that "It has to be ugly before it can be pretty." And yes the work tonight felt "ugly" in many places but I look forward to the beauty which is the reward of patience and hard work and the eventual letting go and just letting the practice happen.
That's the thing about progress. It only happens one day at a time!
I was rushing from my last set of classes on the upper west side. Definitely not the way I like to arrive to a class. But when you're doing 30 days of non stop yoga, you fit it in when you can. I'm struck that after only 3 days, I'm sitting taller, standing taller and feeling more open in my body and my mind. It was apparent from the first moment I walked into the studio that tonight's challenge was going to be the heat.
That's the thing about Bikram. The 26 postures are really easy to execute. The Challenge is doing the practice in the heat. Which is the real reason I'm drawn to this Challenge. Sitting with discomfort is something that is good practice so I embraced that challenge tonight. As I fought the heat and all the feelings and emotions that come from being overwhelmed at times in a posture, it occurred to me that in only 3 short days the class was not getting any easier. The class was getting way harder.
Harder because I was pushing more and allowing myself to go deeper in each posture. Harder because my body was understanding and remembering where to go and how to go there more completely. And thus the work begins on Day 3. An ex Coach of mine once told me that "It has to be ugly before it can be pretty." And yes the work tonight felt "ugly" in many places but I look forward to the beauty which is the reward of patience and hard work and the eventual letting go and just letting the practice happen.
That's the thing about progress. It only happens one day at a time!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 2: Saturday, 11/19/11
There are some things that are within our control and many that are not. Yesterday was such an amazing start to my 30 days of hot yoga that I took it for granted on many levels. First, the teacher Kathryn was simply spectacular. An amazing presence, soothing voice, the ability to say exactly the right thing at the right time. Tremendously gifted individual.
It was my intention to make her class again today but opted for the 7pm class instead.When I walked into the studio tonight, I made another choice. Patrick, as you will recall from yesterday's blog, who was my 30 Day Challenge buddy in 2004 and who is now a Bikram Yoga instructor was such a pleasure to practice next to last night. Standing next to him simply elevates your practice. So when I walked into the studio and saw Patrick I should have set up court next to him but opted for a space on the other side of the studio instead.
Big mistake as I ended up next to obnoxious loud breathing guy who spent most of the class blowing his nose and coughing loudly! I'd like to think of myself as tremendously focused but in such close, hot quarters, this was no bueno. The instructor tonight kept blab, blab, blabbing about things that took too long to connect to a point and I found myself getting a headache just trying to listen to her while really just wanting to yell at the top of my lungs "Shut the F*** up!" Obviously on Day 2, I have not yet learned the yogic art of patience, no judgement and real focus. Just as I thought that I could not take any more I heard her say to me "Loi you need to make sure your foot is flat on the floor." "Which foot?" I asked. "Your left one" she said sweetly. OMG my left foot wasn't flat on the floor!!! I had been thinking as she was blabbing on that after years of on again/off again Bikram classes, my positioning on this one posture was always off and I didn't quite know why. And just like that she fixed something that no one else had ever noticed!
Which got me thinking. How often do I miss out on getting the lesson out of a situation because I either become a creature of comfort or habit or start to tune someone out because I think that what they are saying or doing has limited value. On Day 2, it's a great lesson to learn that out of the MORE challenging situation comes the biggest rewards and sometimes out of the mouth of the most unlikely source comes the most valuable information.
It was my intention to make her class again today but opted for the 7pm class instead.When I walked into the studio tonight, I made another choice. Patrick, as you will recall from yesterday's blog, who was my 30 Day Challenge buddy in 2004 and who is now a Bikram Yoga instructor was such a pleasure to practice next to last night. Standing next to him simply elevates your practice. So when I walked into the studio and saw Patrick I should have set up court next to him but opted for a space on the other side of the studio instead.
Big mistake as I ended up next to obnoxious loud breathing guy who spent most of the class blowing his nose and coughing loudly! I'd like to think of myself as tremendously focused but in such close, hot quarters, this was no bueno. The instructor tonight kept blab, blab, blabbing about things that took too long to connect to a point and I found myself getting a headache just trying to listen to her while really just wanting to yell at the top of my lungs "Shut the F*** up!" Obviously on Day 2, I have not yet learned the yogic art of patience, no judgement and real focus. Just as I thought that I could not take any more I heard her say to me "Loi you need to make sure your foot is flat on the floor." "Which foot?" I asked. "Your left one" she said sweetly. OMG my left foot wasn't flat on the floor!!! I had been thinking as she was blabbing on that after years of on again/off again Bikram classes, my positioning on this one posture was always off and I didn't quite know why. And just like that she fixed something that no one else had ever noticed!
Which got me thinking. How often do I miss out on getting the lesson out of a situation because I either become a creature of comfort or habit or start to tune someone out because I think that what they are saying or doing has limited value. On Day 2, it's a great lesson to learn that out of the MORE challenging situation comes the biggest rewards and sometimes out of the mouth of the most unlikely source comes the most valuable information.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge--Day 1: Friday, 11/18/11
The first day of anything is both easy and hard. As I discovered today, the hard part is finding the time in my schedule to do anything daily let alone yoga. I had done this challenge before in 2004 but really out of necessity. My mom had just passed away and the yoga kept me together both emotionally and physically. It was my safe place for 43 days in a row. I learned many truly amazing things in those 43 days. Since then, I have been in and out of Bikram Yoga. I guess you could say that I have a love/hate relationship with it. I love the practice but the sameness of the 26 sequences ends up boring me invariably. But, I can't deny that the contentment I found in those 43 days was something special; Something that I need at this particular moment in my life.
I ended up at a 7:30pm class tonight and one of the few open spaces when I arrived was next to Patrick, one of the Bikram instructors. Patrick and I did the 30 Day Challenge together all those years ago, so it really was special and coincidental to practice next to him tonight. And so it begins...Day 1 done. In the beginning of class, the instructor mentioned one of the students was on his 134th day of Bikram Yoga!!! Makes 30 days seem like a breeze.
That's the easy part...the first day of any challenge. Hard to get started, but so easy if you can do it one day at a time!
I ended up at a 7:30pm class tonight and one of the few open spaces when I arrived was next to Patrick, one of the Bikram instructors. Patrick and I did the 30 Day Challenge together all those years ago, so it really was special and coincidental to practice next to him tonight. And so it begins...Day 1 done. In the beginning of class, the instructor mentioned one of the students was on his 134th day of Bikram Yoga!!! Makes 30 days seem like a breeze.
That's the easy part...the first day of any challenge. Hard to get started, but so easy if you can do it one day at a time!
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