I'm laughing because I just read some comments from my family that I hadn't seen before. Kirk, what a great analogy ~ Navy Seals! That's exactly how it feels! Also, what I meant by my computer slowly dying was that I would turn it on, the lights would go on but it wouldn't power up (yes I had the power cord plugged in). It did that for a little while but I think it's OK now. At least it turns on whenever I push the on button. I'm hoping it was just a glitch and everything is A. O. K.
And to Lynda, my beautiful, amazing sister, thanks so much for your supportive words! You're the best!
Let me see, where did I leave off?? What a week this has been! Monday was a teeny bit better for me since I'm starting to get the hang of how to eat, when to eat, how many electrolytes to take, how to pace my twice daily practices, etc. The days have all run together, so I can't really describe the daily slog but let me just say that today has been one of the best days of my life!! I say that only because I appreciate how relaxing, comfortable, non-stressful, on and on and on, it has been. Sunday is truly the day that will get me through the week. What I mean is that I will picture it, hold on to it, keep it fresh in my mind as a goal. Sheila and I slept until about 10:00 AM and went to the buffet breakfast ~ absolutely wonderful. Then, we came back to the room and quizzed each other to prepare for our anatomy test tomorrow. We both have it dialed in. No problema. I went to the spa and had a pedicure and a leg wax. Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! I felt like a queen! So, I have the rest of the day to do WHATEVER I want to do!!!! When I finish the blog I'm going down to the beach to buy some of the really cute sarongs they sell. Afterwards, maybe to my room to order room service and go for an early bedtime again. There is no alcohol allowed for these 9 weeks and I'm really glad of it. Otherwise, I might be tempted to go to the beach bar and order a pina colada! The last thing my system needs is alcohol.
The week went something like this: In addition to the 2 classes a day, we attended a daily lecture with Dr. T, a chiropractor with a lot of knowledge about the human anatomy and all the anatomical systems. He would usually lecture for an hour or two. We will have two tests on his lectures, one tomorrow and one next week. Bikram did a couple of his late nighters where he lectured for what seemed an eternity. A couple of nights we got into bed around 12:30AM and one night (his favorite ~ movie night) we didn't get to go to sleep until 2:30AM. That is brutal when you have to wake up at 7:00 and do it all again. Friday night, Emmy, who is 80 something years old, did a posture clinic and it was truly informative and fascinating. She had different people on the stage and was assessing their postures. It was 11:00 PM before I knew it. Emmy is absolutely my idol. She is in her 80s and you would probably say she was in her 60s if you saw her. She teaches (and practices) advanced series and let me tell you, advanced series is HARD. I've done it a few times and it always kicks my butt. Anyway, she is amazingly knowledgeable regarding the yoga and the postures. She says that she is the norm. She is what being in your 80s should be. I love her and I am determined to be in the same shape she is in when I get to be her age.
The other highlight of the week was Lillian Glass, who has a PhD in communication, blah, blah, who knows. Believe me, whatever her advanced degrees are in, it shows. She is an expert on voice projection, communication, stage presence, leadership skills, on and on. She comes into a room like a ball of fire ~ energy bouncing all over the walls. She turns on the crowd in about two seconds and everyone seems jacked up and brimming with electrical current! This is in spite of the fact that we were all exhausted. She had people come up on the stage and introduce themselves and then she would tell them how they come across and what they should work on. She showed us some exercises to improve our voices and pretty much just got us totally excited to teach yoga. I'm going to Google her and order EVERY ONE of her books. I especially like the idea of Toxic People, which is her book instructing you how to detoxify those negative folks that come into your life.
So that was the week in a nutshell. Overall, I feel a trillion times stronger today than I did last Sunday. I feel better equipped to handle whatever gets thrown at us next week ~ well, at least I hope so. We are supposed to have our Anatomy test tomorrow, then break up into our groups for posture clinics. We are going to have about 15-17 groups of people who will all do our dialogue together and perform the postures. Since I have memorized all the way up to Cobra pose, I feel like I have a head start on those who haven't even started memorizing yet.
Sheila is feeling better, by the way. She finally went to class on Saturday and today she has been up, eating and feeling pretty good. She'll be coming back strong because she's a very determined person. We have lost about 6 people so far, but I knew Sheila wouldn't be one of them. Although she is younger than all my kids (28), we have formed a bond of friendship that I hope will last forever. We are like peers in ways but in other ways we can learn from each other. She says my wisdom is a source of strength for her and her youthful enthusiasm and determination are an inspiration for me.
That's it for week two. Onward to #3! Yikes!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Ah, Saturday!
It has been so nice to actually have time to myself. After this morning's class I went back to the room for a shower, then to the buffet. My appetite has been so weird. I am almost never hungry and when I eat, I try to eat what my body is craving. After class I always want eggs and salt! They make a really good omelet at the buffet. They pour a ton of oil into the pan and fry them up! The opposite of American style. It's OK though, I don't even care if the omelets are full of fat. They taste delicious and that's all that counts. I try to eat as balanced as possible, fruits, veggies, carbs, etc. I need all the nutrients I can get.
After lunch, I came back to the room, fell asleep and slept for 3 hours! Wow, it felt great! It turns out the Sheila had 3 IV's last night. I was asleep when she got back to the room. She seems much better today and she has tomorrow to recover so I hope she'll be OK.
OK, I am having some frustrations and they must be listed:
1. I have no cash and am unable to get cash. The ATMs, I've tried 5 of them, say they can't communicate with my bank. The hotel won't cash a check. They told me that I should have let my bank know that I was going to Mexico and that a bunch of charges will be coming in. Well, I have traveled out of the country many times before but never have I had this experience. I am just doing room charges and Visa charges. Pain in the butt. The only hope I have is to call my bank Monday and tell them to give me my !**!! money! Of course that brings us to the second frustration,
2. Communication with the states by phone. I don't have an international phone plan so I am unable to call home. I set up Skype on my computer and I have tried and tried to call John. He can hear me but I can't hear him. I bought some head phones, but the Mexican head phone selection is a tad limited. I really would love to be able to make calls, but I am at a loss as to how to do it.
3. Lastly, the water. Even the bottled water tastes gross here. I don't know what it is. I'm trying to get used to it. It's not bad when you put your water bottle in the freezer overnight. When it's that cold, it's not too gross.
Well, that's it. Not too many, but still extremely challenging to my patience.
I forgot to tell you about the first night I was here. It was the Mexican independence day and they celebrate as loudly and obnoxiously as Americans celebrate the 4th of July. There was a Mariachi band playing at deafening decibels until about midnight. I had my earplugs in and it was still loud!
Sheila, you wanted to know if I've gone to the beach. Yes, I jumped in the ocean after class one day and that was awesome. Today I went out to the beach and it was just so hot and humid that I came back in. It reminded me of being in the yoga room.
I'm going to close now so I can have some dinner and go to bed early. Now is the only chance I have for sleep. I have to take advantage of it. Later.
After lunch, I came back to the room, fell asleep and slept for 3 hours! Wow, it felt great! It turns out the Sheila had 3 IV's last night. I was asleep when she got back to the room. She seems much better today and she has tomorrow to recover so I hope she'll be OK.
OK, I am having some frustrations and they must be listed:
1. I have no cash and am unable to get cash. The ATMs, I've tried 5 of them, say they can't communicate with my bank. The hotel won't cash a check. They told me that I should have let my bank know that I was going to Mexico and that a bunch of charges will be coming in. Well, I have traveled out of the country many times before but never have I had this experience. I am just doing room charges and Visa charges. Pain in the butt. The only hope I have is to call my bank Monday and tell them to give me my !**!! money! Of course that brings us to the second frustration,
2. Communication with the states by phone. I don't have an international phone plan so I am unable to call home. I set up Skype on my computer and I have tried and tried to call John. He can hear me but I can't hear him. I bought some head phones, but the Mexican head phone selection is a tad limited. I really would love to be able to make calls, but I am at a loss as to how to do it.
3. Lastly, the water. Even the bottled water tastes gross here. I don't know what it is. I'm trying to get used to it. It's not bad when you put your water bottle in the freezer overnight. When it's that cold, it's not too gross.
Well, that's it. Not too many, but still extremely challenging to my patience.
I forgot to tell you about the first night I was here. It was the Mexican independence day and they celebrate as loudly and obnoxiously as Americans celebrate the 4th of July. There was a Mariachi band playing at deafening decibels until about midnight. I had my earplugs in and it was still loud!
Sheila, you wanted to know if I've gone to the beach. Yes, I jumped in the ocean after class one day and that was awesome. Today I went out to the beach and it was just so hot and humid that I came back in. It reminded me of being in the yoga room.
I'm going to close now so I can have some dinner and go to bed early. Now is the only chance I have for sleep. I have to take advantage of it. Later.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Day 1
I'm sitting on the floor in the hallway outside my room (no internet access in the rooms!)trying to piece together what's happening here. It's kind of hard to do because it all seems to run together. OK, we woke up around 7:00 I think and I went down to the cafe for coffee and whatever I could find while Sheila stayed in the room to write in her journal (so much more romantic than blogging, but I don't get to let friends and family know what's going on unless I do it electronically!)
We went into the auditorium at 10:00 for lectures by Jim, Rajashree and, drum roll please, Bikram himself.
Bikram made a rock star entrance down the center aisle wearing white from head to toe and looking like a man of around 35 or 40. Considering he's 63, that's a considerable accomplishment. He then proceeded to talk, non-stop, for 90 minutes. He has shall we say, the gift of gab and said a lot of things that were profound and made really good sense. Of course, a lot of what he says is very un-PC and well, a little off the wall. I took the gems and let the other stuff go. I must say though, that he is a talented "stand up comic" kind of speaker. His timing is great and he is really, really funny. I was laughing out loud half the time!
After his orientation speech, we had another of those fantastic buffets. We were told to come back to the auditorium at 3:00 for the beginning of posture clinic with Bikram. That's where we have to stand up on the stage and recite Half Moon dialogue in front of everyone, including Bikram.
Sheila, my roomie, and I went back to the room to practice Half Moon with each other. She had never done it with another person, only in the mirror with herself! Luckily, Tricia, Michael and Kate at my studio had allowed me to practice on them. I didn't do it much, but I think just doing it a little was good. Anyway, when we got back to the auditorium they announced that posture clinic with Bikram starts tomorrow. Just their way of keeping us guessing.
The next hour or two consisted of meeting the staff. They all stood up and told us a little about themselves and what they would be doing at training. It was entertaining and good to know who everyone was and where they came from. The only one I knew was "Yellow" who came to the Bend studio for a while.
When that was over, we went back to the room to prepare for class at 5:00. Let me tell you, THAT was an experience!
We stood in line to get into the yoga room (there are 310 people here). The room is HUGE and rather intimidating. Mats are 6 inches apart. Lots of bodies. Bikram taught the class and it was a good one because he said he was going to be very easy on us this first time. He was easy, for him, I've taken a class from him before. Still...........it was really hard. I think just the anticipation of the possibility of getting sick or fainting or whatever really bad, embarrassing things could happen. Oh, and there's always the possibility of Bikram picking on you and making you an example of "what not to do" in front of 300 people! Lots of people were lying down for most of the class. I managed to make it through without blacking out or throwing up, so I feel lucky. It was really hot and humid. I was sweating in the initial breathing posture.
OK. it's Friday evening and I am just getting back to my blog. This is the most unbelievable experience I have ever been through in my ENTIRE LIFE!!!
I can't possibly tell you everything that has happened. The physical and emotional roller coaster ride that I have been on for the last 5 days has been almost surreal. As I type this, my roomie, Sheila is down at el doctor being given an IV for extreme dehydration. She has been throwing up since noon. The two 90 minute (mostly 2 hour) classes a day in 105+ degrees with 70 per cent humidity is, believe it or not, almost the easiest part of this whole experience. First of all, the dialogue. We have to go on stage in front of over 300 people and Bikram himself and say the right side of Half Moon posture. It was the most nerve wracking experience I've had since......well, I don't know when I've had such an experience. You are a nervous wreck as you sit in a line waiting to "go before the firing squad." Not only are you nervous about giving a 2 minutes memorized dialogue, but you are always in fear that Bikram will shoot you down. After each performance he gives his feedback. Believe me, he can be very brutal! I was shaking, palms sweating, heart palpitating........I couldn't believe how nervous I was. I have a fear of public speaking which is part of the reason I wanted to do this. Anyway, when my turn was next, I walked up on the stage, took the microphone and for some unknown reason got a lot more relaxed. I introduced myself saying that I was from Bend, Michael Harris' studio. Bikram said, "He is coming". I said "Yes, I know" and that was it. He said "Start please". There are 4 people on the stage with you that are your "students". They follow what you say. When I started talking, it just came out naturally and it ended up being kind of fun. Whew! I was glad to get it over with though. Oh, and his feedback to me was "excellent, no corrections." WHAT A RELIEF!! Sooooo, Tuesday night Bikram announced that we were going to join him watching a Bollywood movie. Let me tell you, I have seen some cheesy, bad movies in my life, but THAT one took the grand prize. It lasted until 2:00 AM and when it was FINALLY over, we all zombied out to catch the elevator to our rooms. We have an 8:30 AM class. That meant 4 hours of sleep because we have to get up at 6:00 to make the class. There is all the preparation. Water.....you just don't know how much water you need. Electrolytes....again, it's a crap shoot. When to eat, when not to eat, etc., etc...
After class, we had 2 hours of free time (!) until posture clinic. All 310 people have to stand up and do their dialogue. That takes the first week. Of course, you get Bikram's rantings to entertain you before posture clinic starts. He is truly one of the funniest humans I have ever known. At the same time, he is remarkably wise and seems to know everything about each person that stands before him to do their dialogue. He just nails you, that's all. It's a gift.
At any rate the past week has been a blur of classes, posture clinics, Bikram's lectures, grabbing food whenever possible and trying to stock up and refrigerate water in a country where you aren't supposed to even drink the water! I have a Brita water pitcher and I have been buying bottled water.
The yoga room is the hottest, most humid room I've ever practiced in, and when you add the 300+ bodies to the mix, it's almost unbearable. People are throwing up, writhing with horrible cramps, passing out and being carried away, sobbing and crying. Unreal!! (Yes, I paid for this.)I have been trying to really pace myself. I am thinking of it like running a marathon. I mean starting extremely conservatively and hoping that I'll be able to sprint later. The only problem I had was yesterday when I mixed Pedialyte into my water. I was on the verge of throwing up during the whole class. That stuff tastes like crap. I hate the smell of it, the taste, the color, everything about it. I'll never drink it again. Lesson learned. Today, I stuck to plain old water and I was fine. By the end of each class, I'm usually lightheaded and have to move very slowly, but at least I'm still among the survivors!
It's 9:30 PM and we have the NIGHT OFF!!! I plan to go sleep as long as I can until tomorrow morning's 8:00 AM class ~ class #10.
I wanted to write more detail, but I just don't seem to have anytime to myself. We have Saturday after class and Sunday off so maybe I can tell some more stories then. I'm am so exhausted, I really have to go to sleep now.
Meanwhile, buenos noches amigos!
We went into the auditorium at 10:00 for lectures by Jim, Rajashree and, drum roll please, Bikram himself.
Bikram made a rock star entrance down the center aisle wearing white from head to toe and looking like a man of around 35 or 40. Considering he's 63, that's a considerable accomplishment. He then proceeded to talk, non-stop, for 90 minutes. He has shall we say, the gift of gab and said a lot of things that were profound and made really good sense. Of course, a lot of what he says is very un-PC and well, a little off the wall. I took the gems and let the other stuff go. I must say though, that he is a talented "stand up comic" kind of speaker. His timing is great and he is really, really funny. I was laughing out loud half the time!
After his orientation speech, we had another of those fantastic buffets. We were told to come back to the auditorium at 3:00 for the beginning of posture clinic with Bikram. That's where we have to stand up on the stage and recite Half Moon dialogue in front of everyone, including Bikram.
Sheila, my roomie, and I went back to the room to practice Half Moon with each other. She had never done it with another person, only in the mirror with herself! Luckily, Tricia, Michael and Kate at my studio had allowed me to practice on them. I didn't do it much, but I think just doing it a little was good. Anyway, when we got back to the auditorium they announced that posture clinic with Bikram starts tomorrow. Just their way of keeping us guessing.
The next hour or two consisted of meeting the staff. They all stood up and told us a little about themselves and what they would be doing at training. It was entertaining and good to know who everyone was and where they came from. The only one I knew was "Yellow" who came to the Bend studio for a while.
When that was over, we went back to the room to prepare for class at 5:00. Let me tell you, THAT was an experience!
We stood in line to get into the yoga room (there are 310 people here). The room is HUGE and rather intimidating. Mats are 6 inches apart. Lots of bodies. Bikram taught the class and it was a good one because he said he was going to be very easy on us this first time. He was easy, for him, I've taken a class from him before. Still...........it was really hard. I think just the anticipation of the possibility of getting sick or fainting or whatever really bad, embarrassing things could happen. Oh, and there's always the possibility of Bikram picking on you and making you an example of "what not to do" in front of 300 people! Lots of people were lying down for most of the class. I managed to make it through without blacking out or throwing up, so I feel lucky. It was really hot and humid. I was sweating in the initial breathing posture.
OK. it's Friday evening and I am just getting back to my blog. This is the most unbelievable experience I have ever been through in my ENTIRE LIFE!!!
I can't possibly tell you everything that has happened. The physical and emotional roller coaster ride that I have been on for the last 5 days has been almost surreal. As I type this, my roomie, Sheila is down at el doctor being given an IV for extreme dehydration. She has been throwing up since noon. The two 90 minute (mostly 2 hour) classes a day in 105+ degrees with 70 per cent humidity is, believe it or not, almost the easiest part of this whole experience. First of all, the dialogue. We have to go on stage in front of over 300 people and Bikram himself and say the right side of Half Moon posture. It was the most nerve wracking experience I've had since......well, I don't know when I've had such an experience. You are a nervous wreck as you sit in a line waiting to "go before the firing squad." Not only are you nervous about giving a 2 minutes memorized dialogue, but you are always in fear that Bikram will shoot you down. After each performance he gives his feedback. Believe me, he can be very brutal! I was shaking, palms sweating, heart palpitating........I couldn't believe how nervous I was. I have a fear of public speaking which is part of the reason I wanted to do this. Anyway, when my turn was next, I walked up on the stage, took the microphone and for some unknown reason got a lot more relaxed. I introduced myself saying that I was from Bend, Michael Harris' studio. Bikram said, "He is coming". I said "Yes, I know" and that was it. He said "Start please". There are 4 people on the stage with you that are your "students". They follow what you say. When I started talking, it just came out naturally and it ended up being kind of fun. Whew! I was glad to get it over with though. Oh, and his feedback to me was "excellent, no corrections." WHAT A RELIEF!! Sooooo, Tuesday night Bikram announced that we were going to join him watching a Bollywood movie. Let me tell you, I have seen some cheesy, bad movies in my life, but THAT one took the grand prize. It lasted until 2:00 AM and when it was FINALLY over, we all zombied out to catch the elevator to our rooms. We have an 8:30 AM class. That meant 4 hours of sleep because we have to get up at 6:00 to make the class. There is all the preparation. Water.....you just don't know how much water you need. Electrolytes....again, it's a crap shoot. When to eat, when not to eat, etc., etc...
After class, we had 2 hours of free time (!) until posture clinic. All 310 people have to stand up and do their dialogue. That takes the first week. Of course, you get Bikram's rantings to entertain you before posture clinic starts. He is truly one of the funniest humans I have ever known. At the same time, he is remarkably wise and seems to know everything about each person that stands before him to do their dialogue. He just nails you, that's all. It's a gift.
At any rate the past week has been a blur of classes, posture clinics, Bikram's lectures, grabbing food whenever possible and trying to stock up and refrigerate water in a country where you aren't supposed to even drink the water! I have a Brita water pitcher and I have been buying bottled water.
The yoga room is the hottest, most humid room I've ever practiced in, and when you add the 300+ bodies to the mix, it's almost unbearable. People are throwing up, writhing with horrible cramps, passing out and being carried away, sobbing and crying. Unreal!! (Yes, I paid for this.)I have been trying to really pace myself. I am thinking of it like running a marathon. I mean starting extremely conservatively and hoping that I'll be able to sprint later. The only problem I had was yesterday when I mixed Pedialyte into my water. I was on the verge of throwing up during the whole class. That stuff tastes like crap. I hate the smell of it, the taste, the color, everything about it. I'll never drink it again. Lesson learned. Today, I stuck to plain old water and I was fine. By the end of each class, I'm usually lightheaded and have to move very slowly, but at least I'm still among the survivors!
It's 9:30 PM and we have the NIGHT OFF!!! I plan to go sleep as long as I can until tomorrow morning's 8:00 AM class ~ class #10.
I wanted to write more detail, but I just don't seem to have anytime to myself. We have Saturday after class and Sunday off so maybe I can tell some more stories then. I'm am so exhausted, I really have to go to sleep now.
Meanwhile, buenos noches amigos!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
I Have Arrived
Whew! What a cyclone these past few days this have been. Cutting to the chase, I finally got packed and ready to go. Saturday morning began at 4:00 AM. John drove me to the airport and off I went for my new, crazy, scary adventure.
After 3 flights, I was actually in Acapulco. I met a young woman named Malvika on the flight to Mexico City who as it happens is a distant relative of Bikram's. She was so fantastic and really fun to talk to. She flew from India to Mexico to go to yoga training. We were laughing about the irony in that.
She was traveling with Rajashree, Bikram's wife, except that Rajashree was in first class and we weren't. Anyway, long story short, a 15 hour travel day to be precise, we arrived at the hotel via a Bikram airport shuttle. The hotel is extremely beautiful and elegant in that old European way.
I got to my room and basically fell into bed. I was definitely hungry after subsisting on nuts and chips and basic airline junk all day, but it really didn't matter. I figured I could eat in the morning.
The following morning (this morning) I went to the buffet and bungled my way through, trying to figure out how it works. I mananged to get some fruit, cottage cheese, banana bread, OJ and coffee. I really couldn't figure out how to get to the real food. It is definitely a different culture and my goal is to be able to figure out how to get my way through a buffet here before I leave. My hacker Spanish has helped some. I have impressed some of my new friends by speaking with the people, but that's only because my new friends speak absolutely zilch Spanish. At any rate, it's so fun speaking Spanish here because most of them have such poor English skills (outside of the hotel, of course) that they seem to appreciate it when you try to speak in their language.
My roommate is named Sheila Carroll and she's from Vancouver, B.C. She seems really great and hopefully we will be compatible space mates for the next 9 weeks.
We are having an orientation at 6:00 PM. Hopefully, there will be some good information forthcoming as to what they have in store for us.
I'm gonna take it one day at a time..............
After 3 flights, I was actually in Acapulco. I met a young woman named Malvika on the flight to Mexico City who as it happens is a distant relative of Bikram's. She was so fantastic and really fun to talk to. She flew from India to Mexico to go to yoga training. We were laughing about the irony in that.
She was traveling with Rajashree, Bikram's wife, except that Rajashree was in first class and we weren't. Anyway, long story short, a 15 hour travel day to be precise, we arrived at the hotel via a Bikram airport shuttle. The hotel is extremely beautiful and elegant in that old European way.
I got to my room and basically fell into bed. I was definitely hungry after subsisting on nuts and chips and basic airline junk all day, but it really didn't matter. I figured I could eat in the morning.
The following morning (this morning) I went to the buffet and bungled my way through, trying to figure out how it works. I mananged to get some fruit, cottage cheese, banana bread, OJ and coffee. I really couldn't figure out how to get to the real food. It is definitely a different culture and my goal is to be able to figure out how to get my way through a buffet here before I leave. My hacker Spanish has helped some. I have impressed some of my new friends by speaking with the people, but that's only because my new friends speak absolutely zilch Spanish. At any rate, it's so fun speaking Spanish here because most of them have such poor English skills (outside of the hotel, of course) that they seem to appreciate it when you try to speak in their language.
My roommate is named Sheila Carroll and she's from Vancouver, B.C. She seems really great and hopefully we will be compatible space mates for the next 9 weeks.
We are having an orientation at 6:00 PM. Hopefully, there will be some good information forthcoming as to what they have in store for us.
I'm gonna take it one day at a time..............
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Three more days!!!!
How did it get to be Tuesday already??!! The bad news is that I didn't get my last day of climbing with John that I had wanted, but the really good news is that the NyQuil cure, once again, worked like a charm! I slept like the dead for 12 hours and woke up Sunday feeling great. I went to class on Monday and it was a really excellent class. Of course it was because Tricia taught. She is such a great teacher. I want to use her teaching style as a paradigm for my own. She has a way of being friendly, funny and sweet while barking out orders like a drill sergeant! She makes you want to try your best so that you can please her. I always work harder in her classes. Yesterday I was sandwiched between Collene and Christen in the mirror, both very strong practitioners. So with the combination of those two and Trish teaching, it was a stellar class.
Looks like the plan is to practice tomorrow, Wednesday, and then cool it until training. The training practices start on Monday morning and it's 2 classes a day from there on out. Except for only 1 on Saturday and none on Sunday. Whatever, I know that it's going to be really, really hard and I want to go into it as fresh as possible.
Looks like the plan is to practice tomorrow, Wednesday, and then cool it until training. The training practices start on Monday morning and it's 2 classes a day from there on out. Except for only 1 on Saturday and none on Sunday. Whatever, I know that it's going to be really, really hard and I want to go into it as fresh as possible.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
One Week and Counting
This time next week, I'll be somewhere between Redmond and Acapulco. It hardly seems possible that it's so close. I still have a bunch of stuff to buy and lots of i's to dot and t's to cross before I leave. Luckily I have a week left before I enter the planet Bikram. Last night I talked to one of our guides on the phone, Will, and he said he had a virus that's kept him sick for two weeks. OK, he put the bug in my brain and after I hung up, I started feeling tired. Psychosomatic?? Hmmm, yes probably.....well, no doubt. I was planning to meet Colette, Tyler and Kathy to go climbing today, but I had to cancel because I woke up this morning still feeling tired. Now I feel better and I'm thinking that I should stop thinking about the possibility of being sick because I might make it become a reality if I continue to focus on it.
At any rate, I polished off Tree Pose, Toe Stand and Wind Removing Pose today. So the day wasn't a loss after all. My goal was to memorize the standing postures by training time and I'm one posture ahead of that goal.
John got back yesterday and it's soooo good to have him here. He was in a "honey do" mood today and did lots of repairs around the house. I love it when he gets like this and believe me, it's not something that happens often. Tomorrow I HAVE to wake up feeling good........no options. I want to go climbing with John at least once more before training.
Michael, my studio owner, told me to take it easy with classes this last week. He suggested that I come Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
I think I'll do my good ol' tested, tried and true "NyQuil Cure" tonight. I take a dose of NyQuil and sleep for 12 hours or so and wake up feeling good as new. That's it. Yep, I'm gonna give it a try.
At any rate, I polished off Tree Pose, Toe Stand and Wind Removing Pose today. So the day wasn't a loss after all. My goal was to memorize the standing postures by training time and I'm one posture ahead of that goal.
John got back yesterday and it's soooo good to have him here. He was in a "honey do" mood today and did lots of repairs around the house. I love it when he gets like this and believe me, it's not something that happens often. Tomorrow I HAVE to wake up feeling good........no options. I want to go climbing with John at least once more before training.
Michael, my studio owner, told me to take it easy with classes this last week. He suggested that I come Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
I think I'll do my good ol' tested, tried and true "NyQuil Cure" tonight. I take a dose of NyQuil and sleep for 12 hours or so and wake up feeling good as new. That's it. Yep, I'm gonna give it a try.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Nine Days Til Lift Off
Holy cow, I can't believe it's getting so close! Bikram yoga teacher training in Acapulco begins on Sunday, September 14th. I'm leaving at the crack of dawn on Saturday. Then a 13 hour flying day to get there. No problem it will give me time to study more dialog. I have 26 postures to memorize and I'm only on #14.
I just got back from the most incredible climbing trip to Tuolumne Meadows near Yosemite Valley in CA. I met John over there and we squeezed in one more climbing trip before I leave next Saturday. What a place!!! Crisp, sunny skies and pristine, perfect granite cracks! We would wake up to 37 degrees (in August!) and it would warm up to perfect climbing weather. Oh, and the fact that it's one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on the planet doesn't hurt the experience either.
My last climb, and one I'll relive again and again, was a 5.9 crack that I led, called "Super Chicken". It was old school ratings (hard for the grade) and was PUMPY and hideously HARD!! I was sweating bullets all the way up and working like a dog. A really steep, hand crack. At the top, after 120 feet of burley climbing, I was greeted with a super sketchy, thin exit move to the anchors. Tiny, dicey and balancy. I thought I was gonna die! By the time I got to the anchor I was literally shaking! It was so amazingly awesome! When we got back to the van, around 7:00 PM, we just sat there wasted and exhausted and quaffed a cold beer to celebrate another great day on the rocks. Pushing myself silly makes me happy. What can I say?? I thought I would mellow with age like everyone else I know (except you Janet, I love ya!), but, hmmmmm... I'm still waiting for the mellowing phase of my life. Maybe when I'm 90. Or maybe not. Anyway, that could be the attraction to this 9 week yoga boot camp. I think of it as personal growth.
Whatever, Bikram yoga teacher training is my thing and it's happening. I know cause I've already paid for it and it costs a ton of money. Nothing says reality like money spent, know what I mean? I'm excited and afraid at the same time. Two classes a day 5 days a week, one class each Saturday. Oh, and did I mention class is 90 minutes of challenging (?!) postures in a 105 degree plus room? Learning over 40 pages of dialog verbatim, posture clinics, lectures, etc. etc. I can't wait to immerse myself in this stuff.
A quick thank you to Jenn Steff of Seattle who blogged during the spring teacher training. She was such an inspiration. Every morning I'd wake up excited to read her daily blog entry. She was so helpful with her list of "things to bring" and just talking about the day to day happenings at training, so the readers would know what to expect. Thanks Jenn, and I hope to meet you someday. I do go to Seattle occasionally.
I have a list a mile long of things that Jenn suggested to bring. I am going to start shopping today. I also have to make sure that the needs of the guide service and the shop are taken care of, since I won't be able to even care what happens to any of it for 9 weeks! First Ascent Climbing Services and Redpoint Climbers Supply are our businesses. Luckily, it is off season for the guide service and John will be here to deal with Redpoint issues.
My daughter Kristen just texted me that my grandbaby Aaron took his first steps today. Yay for Aaron! He's on his way ~ lookout world!
I just got back from the most incredible climbing trip to Tuolumne Meadows near Yosemite Valley in CA. I met John over there and we squeezed in one more climbing trip before I leave next Saturday. What a place!!! Crisp, sunny skies and pristine, perfect granite cracks! We would wake up to 37 degrees (in August!) and it would warm up to perfect climbing weather. Oh, and the fact that it's one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on the planet doesn't hurt the experience either.
My last climb, and one I'll relive again and again, was a 5.9 crack that I led, called "Super Chicken". It was old school ratings (hard for the grade) and was PUMPY and hideously HARD!! I was sweating bullets all the way up and working like a dog. A really steep, hand crack. At the top, after 120 feet of burley climbing, I was greeted with a super sketchy, thin exit move to the anchors. Tiny, dicey and balancy. I thought I was gonna die! By the time I got to the anchor I was literally shaking! It was so amazingly awesome! When we got back to the van, around 7:00 PM, we just sat there wasted and exhausted and quaffed a cold beer to celebrate another great day on the rocks. Pushing myself silly makes me happy. What can I say?? I thought I would mellow with age like everyone else I know (except you Janet, I love ya!), but, hmmmmm... I'm still waiting for the mellowing phase of my life. Maybe when I'm 90. Or maybe not. Anyway, that could be the attraction to this 9 week yoga boot camp. I think of it as personal growth.
Whatever, Bikram yoga teacher training is my thing and it's happening. I know cause I've already paid for it and it costs a ton of money. Nothing says reality like money spent, know what I mean? I'm excited and afraid at the same time. Two classes a day 5 days a week, one class each Saturday. Oh, and did I mention class is 90 minutes of challenging (?!) postures in a 105 degree plus room? Learning over 40 pages of dialog verbatim, posture clinics, lectures, etc. etc. I can't wait to immerse myself in this stuff.
A quick thank you to Jenn Steff of Seattle who blogged during the spring teacher training. She was such an inspiration. Every morning I'd wake up excited to read her daily blog entry. She was so helpful with her list of "things to bring" and just talking about the day to day happenings at training, so the readers would know what to expect. Thanks Jenn, and I hope to meet you someday. I do go to Seattle occasionally.
I have a list a mile long of things that Jenn suggested to bring. I am going to start shopping today. I also have to make sure that the needs of the guide service and the shop are taken care of, since I won't be able to even care what happens to any of it for 9 weeks! First Ascent Climbing Services and Redpoint Climbers Supply are our businesses. Luckily, it is off season for the guide service and John will be here to deal with Redpoint issues.
My daughter Kristen just texted me that my grandbaby Aaron took his first steps today. Yay for Aaron! He's on his way ~ lookout world!
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