I just talked with my daughter, Sandra, and she said I MUST blog about my first class while it's still fresh in my mind. Here goes:
Of course, this has been looming in my mind since I got home on Sunday. Michael had me scheduled to teach today at 11:00 AM. I've been going over my dialogue like a mad woman to be sure that I know it. I'm sure I know it, I just wasn't sure, you know what I mean??! Anyway, I'm doing the dialogue in every spare minute, including when I'm sleeping. This morning came and I woke up around 6:00 AM. All morning I practiced the dialogue in my head. As the time drew near, I was more and more apprehensive. There were times in my life when I was supposed to do public speaking and I was so terrified that I would cancel the event. It's very scary for me, since I am one of those people who think that public speaking is next to death as a fear factor. Not only that but having to say the entire dialogue and not getting my rights and lefts confused, making sure to finish in exactly 90 minutes, remembering the order of the postures, etc.
I tried turning the lights out and sitting in quiet while doing deep breathing. I couldn't focus. I turned on the TV and "Once" was playing. It's one of my favorite movies so I thought that might calm me. It didn't. I couldn't concentrate on it.
The time to leave came and I drove to Bend and to the studio. When I arrived there were 4 people that I didn't know standing there waiting for them to open the studio. They keep it locked during class time. Yikes!!! I don't know these people. Oh man, that was scary. Then I saw Gayle, Betty and Deb. I felt better seeing them there. People kept coming in. Part of it was all my yoga friends wanted to be there to support me and I love them for that. But......a bunch of people I didn't know were there too. Then, the kicker, John walked in with his yoga mat! He wanted to surprise me and I remember thinking, "I don't know if I want him to witness this!" Coleene walked in with a vase of flowers for me. What an amazing thing to do! It ended up being a full class.
Five minutes til "show time"! I felt like I was suffocating. How was I ever going to get through all 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises!!!
Michael handed me the Madonna mike and turned it on. I walked into the room and stood on the podium, looking over all those eager faces. There were so many of them! I really never saw anyone except those who were directly in front of me.
I introduced myself and said it was my first day and I just got back from training. I got a big round of applause and that was comforting.
So, I began. First, the Pranayama breathing. It felt OK, so I got through both sets. I felt strong all the way through Awkward. Then started the "left, right postures". It's really hard, since you are facing opposite them, to figure out which is right and which is left. I bungled a few and got some rights and lefts mixed up, but managed to work my way through the standing series. Well, I hit a glitch at Tree Post/Toe Stand. I couldn't remember how that went and instead of doing Tree Pose as the first set and Toe Stand as the second set, I started doing two sets of Tree. Luckily I had Molly right in front of me, and she just kept doing it the way it was supposed to be, so I caught on and ended up doing it the right way, I think. Glancing at the clock told me I was right on time. The Savasana was great cause it gave me a chance to shut up for 2 minutes.
It surprised me how hot it was in the room. I was sweating like a pig and wasn't even practicing. I guess my nerves were practicing. The people were looking like wounded soldiers and some of them were giving me evil glances. Not the teachers and the regulars, of course, but the newer people. I suppose I was holding some of the postures a little long but I wanted to say the entire dialogue as best I could. With a little help from Molly, I finally got to Spinal Twist (a/k/a Final Spinal). That's when I knew I was going to make it ~ not before! Of course, I was elated when Blowing In Firm Pose came up, because I knew that was my last posture. I thanked them, and left the room feeling like I had just run a marathon, or maybe finished a prize fight. Whatever, I did it and I can't tell you how happy I am to have come full circle and finished my first class.
Tomorrow morning is my second class, and I hope I'll be a little more relaxed. Maybe...we'll see. At any rate, my first class is done and I'll never have to have a first class again ~ that's the main thing.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Graduation
It hardly seems real that today we go up on the stage and receive our certificates from Bikram and Rajashree! Well, I can't say I haven't earned it. For sure. I have gone through some things this past 9 weeks that I never thought I could go through and................ I'm still here! Of that, I'm very proud. There is one thing for sure and that's the fact that without the help and support of the friends I have made here, I wouldn't have made it. The people are what make this training work. We are all like one huge family. There's nothing like adversity to bring people together!
To recap the week, Monday, I frankly don't even remember! It was the usual two classes and two lectures, but other than that, it's a blur. Tuesday was the day that stands out in my mind. We were waiting for Bikram and the 1:00 PM lecture and for some unknown reason, he never showed up. We were quickly herded back into the stinky, smelly yoga room where we were informed that there was to be an impromptu posture clinic. People were to go up on the podium and recite several postures in a row while the rest of us demonstrated. Needless to say, there was a huge amount of grumbling and groaning! That would mean an all day, marathon yoga class. Well, as usual, we had no choice in the matter so that's what we did. About 20 or so people went up there and we had to do the postures as they recited them. Of course, being beginners, a lot of them stumbled and held us in postures for what seemed like forever! Aarrrrggghh! Finally, they got a clue and started having us divide up into rows so the odd numbered rows did one person's postures, while the even numbered rows did the other, and so on. At least we got a little rest that way.
After that debacle, we were treated(!?) with another Bikram late night movie. One of those Indian mythology things that is played at deafening decibels until 2:00 AM. I just plugged in my ear plugs and tried to nap sitting up in the totally uncomfortable chairs they provide. So, after all day yoga and a 2:30 AM bedtime, I passed out like a rock on my bed and the 7:00 AM alarm came immediately, or so it seemed.
As an aside story, we are divided up into groups of 15 or 20 people according to our last names. I am in Group 13 and they are the best! It's funny how you get more attached to your group members than anyone else in the training. They are REALLY like family because you go through all the posture clinics together and, believe me, posture clinics are the most stressful part of the training. Anyway, each group was asked to nominate 2 or 3 people to represent us at graduation doing a dance like demonstration of all the postures. Meaning, the people in the group with the best postures. I couldn't believe it, but my group chose me as one of the people. I was honored beyond belief. I have many good postures, especially the ones that are strength dominated like Triangle, Locust, etc. However, my Standing Bow Pulling and Standing Head to Knee leave something to be desired and they are the showcase postures. We had to gather in front of Bikram while he chose the ones he wanted to do the "yoga dance". When we got to Standing Head to Knee, I fell out. Mine is just not strong enough yet to hold on indefinitely. I know it will be, but I still have some work to do. He said, "Maam, you go. Your Standing Head to Knee no good!" I thought it was funny. He also said, "No hard feelings" which was nice of him. As I said, I was honored that my group chose me and that's enough for me. It was funny because right off he eliminated everyone with a tatoo. He hates tatoos and it's kind of a shame because some of the best people in the group were tatoo people. I guess it's the first lesson in life for some of these kids that you will be descriminated against if you have large tatoos on your body.
Wednesday was interesting because we had the advanced class demonstration. We all went into the yoga room after lunch and were treated to an hour and a half of 8 or 9 people doing advanced postures. I have done advanced class several times in Bend and took an advanced seminar with Jason Winn, so I am familiar with the postures. All of them are difficult and some of them are possible only if you are strong and flexible on the Cirque du Soleil level! Bikram and Emmy were part of the demonstration. "Yellow" (her nickname) and Esak were the two super humans in the group, demonstrating postures with perfection that looked completely impossible. However, I must say that I am prejudiced here, but Emmy was the stand out.....hands down. Now, this woman is somewhere in her 80s ~ probably mid-80s ~ and she was doing things that the vast majority of 25 year olds in this country can't even think of doing. Splits, backbends, putting her foot behind her head, headstands, etc. She is ABSOLUTELY my idol and role model. I mean she is old enough to be MY mother even! I am going to be just like her when I'm her age ~ only taller ~ she's a tiny one. What an inspiration! That night we were treated (!) to a ranting, rambling 4 hour Bikram lecture. How can anyone talk for 4 hours???!!!!! To be fair, the first hour was clear and interesting but, alas, he digressed!
Friday, however, was truly magnificent! Not only did I get to have over 300 people singing happy birthday to me, but everyone was jubilant because it was the last official day of training and we only had TWO MORE CLASSES!!
Rajashree taught the morning class and it was a really good one. Bikram taught the last one and he took it kind of easy on us, which we couldn't believe. When it was time for final Savasana, everyone went crazy! Bikram always plays this cheesy disco song that he recorded after his classes are over, so he played it as we were lying in final Savasana. People started going nuts, getting up, singing and dancing, crying and hugging (sweaty bodies and all!) I remember looking for Sheila, since she has been my closest companion throughout this thing, and when I found her, we hugged and sobbed for a long time. What a celebration! Amazing!
At 9:00, we had the talent show and I enjoyed every minute of it! It didn't end until 1:30, but it was OK cause everyone was just so happy that this whole thing is finally over! There are some really talented people here. I especially enjoyed the "Saturday Night Live" type skit of two girls who meet for lunch a year after training and still display their "teacher training mentality". It was a riot. One of those things that "you had to be there" to get it.
I woke up at 8:00 this morning (I guess I'm not needing as much sleep as I used to) and my plans are to pack and go to graduation. That's it! Graduation is at 4:00 PM.
My flight leaves tomorrow at 12:15 PM. I'm meeting Kate (from Houston) and Erin (from Chicago) so we can share a cab because they are on my flight from Acapulco to Mexico City.
Thanks so much to all of you who have been emailing me and sending positive comments to me via the blog. You have no idea how much help and support you have been.
So now I go home and teach this remarkable yoga. I know my teaching career will be a journey just like the training, but I'm so looking forward to getting started with it. Nervous, but mostly excited to share all the knowledge I have gained with everyone that I can share it with.
I'm sure I will do a lot of reflection on this experience, but for now I can say that I feel such a personal growth from this. I have faced my strengths as well as my weaknesses and I plan to go out and use my strengths and try my best to work on my weaknesses and become a really great teacher someday. I know that throughout history, it's been the duty of the old to teach the young. I want to be a part of that, but I also want to revise it a bit. I want to teach the young how to never grow old!
I'll probably do this blog through my first few classes in case you're interested in seeing how things go. After that, I'll close it and start a new one when I get on with my next adventure in life, whatever that may be!
Oh, and when I get to Salt Lake City, after my flight from Mexico City, I might get out of the plane, down on my knees and kiss the ground of the good old USA!!!
Thanks for the beautiful birthday wishes and to Christen, my birthday sister, I hope yours was as great as mine was!
Love to all............
To recap the week, Monday, I frankly don't even remember! It was the usual two classes and two lectures, but other than that, it's a blur. Tuesday was the day that stands out in my mind. We were waiting for Bikram and the 1:00 PM lecture and for some unknown reason, he never showed up. We were quickly herded back into the stinky, smelly yoga room where we were informed that there was to be an impromptu posture clinic. People were to go up on the podium and recite several postures in a row while the rest of us demonstrated. Needless to say, there was a huge amount of grumbling and groaning! That would mean an all day, marathon yoga class. Well, as usual, we had no choice in the matter so that's what we did. About 20 or so people went up there and we had to do the postures as they recited them. Of course, being beginners, a lot of them stumbled and held us in postures for what seemed like forever! Aarrrrggghh! Finally, they got a clue and started having us divide up into rows so the odd numbered rows did one person's postures, while the even numbered rows did the other, and so on. At least we got a little rest that way.
After that debacle, we were treated(!?) with another Bikram late night movie. One of those Indian mythology things that is played at deafening decibels until 2:00 AM. I just plugged in my ear plugs and tried to nap sitting up in the totally uncomfortable chairs they provide. So, after all day yoga and a 2:30 AM bedtime, I passed out like a rock on my bed and the 7:00 AM alarm came immediately, or so it seemed.
As an aside story, we are divided up into groups of 15 or 20 people according to our last names. I am in Group 13 and they are the best! It's funny how you get more attached to your group members than anyone else in the training. They are REALLY like family because you go through all the posture clinics together and, believe me, posture clinics are the most stressful part of the training. Anyway, each group was asked to nominate 2 or 3 people to represent us at graduation doing a dance like demonstration of all the postures. Meaning, the people in the group with the best postures. I couldn't believe it, but my group chose me as one of the people. I was honored beyond belief. I have many good postures, especially the ones that are strength dominated like Triangle, Locust, etc. However, my Standing Bow Pulling and Standing Head to Knee leave something to be desired and they are the showcase postures. We had to gather in front of Bikram while he chose the ones he wanted to do the "yoga dance". When we got to Standing Head to Knee, I fell out. Mine is just not strong enough yet to hold on indefinitely. I know it will be, but I still have some work to do. He said, "Maam, you go. Your Standing Head to Knee no good!" I thought it was funny. He also said, "No hard feelings" which was nice of him. As I said, I was honored that my group chose me and that's enough for me. It was funny because right off he eliminated everyone with a tatoo. He hates tatoos and it's kind of a shame because some of the best people in the group were tatoo people. I guess it's the first lesson in life for some of these kids that you will be descriminated against if you have large tatoos on your body.
Wednesday was interesting because we had the advanced class demonstration. We all went into the yoga room after lunch and were treated to an hour and a half of 8 or 9 people doing advanced postures. I have done advanced class several times in Bend and took an advanced seminar with Jason Winn, so I am familiar with the postures. All of them are difficult and some of them are possible only if you are strong and flexible on the Cirque du Soleil level! Bikram and Emmy were part of the demonstration. "Yellow" (her nickname) and Esak were the two super humans in the group, demonstrating postures with perfection that looked completely impossible. However, I must say that I am prejudiced here, but Emmy was the stand out.....hands down. Now, this woman is somewhere in her 80s ~ probably mid-80s ~ and she was doing things that the vast majority of 25 year olds in this country can't even think of doing. Splits, backbends, putting her foot behind her head, headstands, etc. She is ABSOLUTELY my idol and role model. I mean she is old enough to be MY mother even! I am going to be just like her when I'm her age ~ only taller ~ she's a tiny one. What an inspiration! That night we were treated (!) to a ranting, rambling 4 hour Bikram lecture. How can anyone talk for 4 hours???!!!!! To be fair, the first hour was clear and interesting but, alas, he digressed!
Friday, however, was truly magnificent! Not only did I get to have over 300 people singing happy birthday to me, but everyone was jubilant because it was the last official day of training and we only had TWO MORE CLASSES!!
Rajashree taught the morning class and it was a really good one. Bikram taught the last one and he took it kind of easy on us, which we couldn't believe. When it was time for final Savasana, everyone went crazy! Bikram always plays this cheesy disco song that he recorded after his classes are over, so he played it as we were lying in final Savasana. People started going nuts, getting up, singing and dancing, crying and hugging (sweaty bodies and all!) I remember looking for Sheila, since she has been my closest companion throughout this thing, and when I found her, we hugged and sobbed for a long time. What a celebration! Amazing!
At 9:00, we had the talent show and I enjoyed every minute of it! It didn't end until 1:30, but it was OK cause everyone was just so happy that this whole thing is finally over! There are some really talented people here. I especially enjoyed the "Saturday Night Live" type skit of two girls who meet for lunch a year after training and still display their "teacher training mentality". It was a riot. One of those things that "you had to be there" to get it.
I woke up at 8:00 this morning (I guess I'm not needing as much sleep as I used to) and my plans are to pack and go to graduation. That's it! Graduation is at 4:00 PM.
My flight leaves tomorrow at 12:15 PM. I'm meeting Kate (from Houston) and Erin (from Chicago) so we can share a cab because they are on my flight from Acapulco to Mexico City.
Thanks so much to all of you who have been emailing me and sending positive comments to me via the blog. You have no idea how much help and support you have been.
So now I go home and teach this remarkable yoga. I know my teaching career will be a journey just like the training, but I'm so looking forward to getting started with it. Nervous, but mostly excited to share all the knowledge I have gained with everyone that I can share it with.
I'm sure I will do a lot of reflection on this experience, but for now I can say that I feel such a personal growth from this. I have faced my strengths as well as my weaknesses and I plan to go out and use my strengths and try my best to work on my weaknesses and become a really great teacher someday. I know that throughout history, it's been the duty of the old to teach the young. I want to be a part of that, but I also want to revise it a bit. I want to teach the young how to never grow old!
I'll probably do this blog through my first few classes in case you're interested in seeing how things go. After that, I'll close it and start a new one when I get on with my next adventure in life, whatever that may be!
Oh, and when I get to Salt Lake City, after my flight from Mexico City, I might get out of the plane, down on my knees and kiss the ground of the good old USA!!!
Thanks for the beautiful birthday wishes and to Christen, my birthday sister, I hope yours was as great as mine was!
Love to all............
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Week 9 Is Finally Here!
Whew! I kinda thought week 8 might be an easy deal but, of course, it was as full of intensity as the rest of them. First news is that Sheila is back! Believe it or not! She said she got back to Canada and felt fine. I guess anxiety played a large part in her illness. She seemed to think that the two classes a day were hazardous to her health because of her pre-disposed stomach problems. Whatever the reason, she spoke with Bikram and he told her to "get her lazy ass back here and finish the training!" That's Bikram, not one to spare words. She got back at 11:00 PM on Thursday. I came in from lecture around midnight and she was all settled in. As much as I enjoyed the private room for a few days, it's good to have her back! The other news of the week, the bad news for me, was that I was robbed this morning at Starbucks. Clemma and I went to do our usual Saturday shopping thing and we went to Starbucks for an iced coffee drink beforehand. I didn't realize what happened to me until I saw it so clearly in retrospect. I had my purse on the chair next to me and it was unzipped. A man, who was dressed as a businessman, came over to us and was speaking rapidly in Spanish and pointing to his Blackberry. We were looking at it and trying to understand what he was saying. Shortly after, another man came up and started doing the same thing. Apparently, while we were distracted by the first guy, the other one was sticking his hand down my purse and lifting my wallet. It wasn't until we got up and started walking toward the grocery store that I realized my purse felt awfully light. A few moments of panic, and then the realization. I really felt violated. I've never been robbed before. I knew that I had to get back to the hotel to call John because he is the master of these situations. When we got back, I called him and he immediately contacted all my credit card people and had the cards closed. It was such a relief. Luckily, my driver's license expires on Friday anyway, so it doesn't matter. I hate going to the DMV, but I was going to have to go anyway. So, other than those two monumental events, here is how the week went:
Oh, and before I start, Susie, you are a lucky woman if you go to training in the spring. Bikram announced last night that Spring 09 training will be in Palm Desert at the Marriott resort. While, Acapulco is a very exotic location, the communication from the US will be so much easier for you guys. Just being able to use your cell phone will be a huge bonus.
Monday, Bikram was back so we had his class that night. He kicked our butts and I worked hard as hell. He did the same on Tuesday and by Wednesday I was starting to get sore. Three Bikram classes in three days can kill you. Let me tell you, he can really make you work like a dog. He screams and yells and dares people to leave the room.
He lectured every night this week and his release times varied from 12:30 AM to 2:30 AM. I believe he loves the sound of his own voice. He can be as entertaining as any comedian I've seen and he can also drive you nuts with his rambling tirades. I'll give him this though, on Tuesday night, he gave us the night off for the election. We can thank Kathryn for this. She had been working on the Obama campaign before she came to training, so Monday night, she stood up and asked him if we could have some time to watch the election results. He then went on a ranting, raving tirade of how stupid these "assholes" of the last 8 years have been, and how the country is in the toilet because of them, etc. on and on. Apparently, he is an Obama guy. At any rate, we got the night off and I watched the election up until I knew Obama was going to win and then fell asleep. Of course, I'm thrilled, relieved and delighted that he won. Finally, no more of this freakin' regime that has been in power for the past 8 long years. I believe he has a vision that is on a level beyond other politicians and that he will be able to lift us up from this black hole we are in. It will take years to undo the damage, but it will happen.
OK, no more politics cause that's a dangerous subject when you have friends and loved ones who read your blog and are not so liberal as I am!
So that was Tuesday. On Wednesday night Bikram kept us up until 1:00 AM. We did our usual morning class and then for the evening class, we had a teacher from Australia. We were all shocked and secretly happy that it wasn't Bikram who would have tried to kill us again! After that class was over and everyone was lying in Savasana (the resting pose), exhausted as usual after our second class of the day, Manali said she had a surprise for us and to stay in Savasana.
Well, we just laid there like a bunch of dead dogs and we heard, "check, check, 1, 2, 3, 4", Bikram's signature entrance when he comes in to teach. Yeah, you guessed it, it was our third class for the day! Surprise, surprise. You wouldn't believe the reactions from people. There was disbelief, anger, shock, tears, lots of human emotions. We stood up to do the initial breathing exercise where you have your hands interlocked underneath your chin and you raise your elbows as you inhale. I couldn't get my elbows to go up! I was so tired from the class I just finished. It wasn't just me because EVERYONE else in the room had the same problem. People were swaying back and forth. Bikram was laughing and saying we all looked like dead meat! To shorten this story, I started out very weak but I gained momentum as the class went on and I did almost all the postures and never had to leave the room. People were running out in a mass exodus to get more water, others were fainting, throwing up, having to be carried out.....it reminded me of the first week! Bikram said that this was a test of how you handle adverse conditions that are handed you in life. I was happy to know that my way was to resist in the beginning, but eventually, resign myself and just do the best I could. One guy who is a former Navy Seal was dry heaving in Balancing Stick. Now that's determination! Bikram wasn't through with us because later, at lecture, he kept us up until 2:30 in the morning. We were all so tired, it was unbelievable. Then, of course, we got 4 hours of sleep and it was morning and time for another class. And I thought the 8th week was going to be easy! The fun never stops here. I am sore in places I never thought existed. It's a good soreness, though. I know I have reached new depths in my body. My practice is stronger in some areas, but in other areas, I have had to step back a little and learn some techniques that I didn't know about before. I might not be able to kick as high in Standing Bow, but I am much stronger in it so I know that eventually, I'll be able to kick higher than before.
For daytime lectures, Bikram has been going through each of the postures and explaining them fully. He has people come up on the stage and he adjusts them in the proper alignment. This information is invaluable since he is the guy that designed this series of postures, and he knows more about the alignment than anyone I've ever seen. I can't tell you how much deeper my understanding of the postures has become after this training. After practicing regularly for 4 and 1/2 years, I thought I knew all about the alignment before I came here. Not. It's been quite an education.
We have also had quite a few teachers come up and tell their stories of their first class. Some are nightmares, and most are not pretty. I'm only expecting to live through it and to finish in as close to 90 minutes as I possibly can. To those of you who are going to be there, please don't expect much. That way, I won't feel pressured. If I can get you in and out of all the postures, it will be a success in my book! They say it takes around 6 months of teaching to start feeling comfortable with it and to be able to bring your personality into the whole thing. Michael said my first class is scheduled for 11:00 AM on Wednesday, November 19th. At first, he said 9:00 AM but he changed it.
Well, it's Sunday morning and I thought I'd get my blog published yesterday, but Sheila and I were sitting on the floor in the hallway (the only way you can get online) last evening, typing away on our blogs when Clemma walked over to us and asked us if we wanted to go out to dinner in Acapulco at a restaurant where you can watch the cliff divers.
She offered to front me the money for the evening since I am destitute at this point without my wallet. As tired as I was, it sounded like a great idea at the time. Sheila and I both wanted to go, so Clemma, Sheila, Dawn, Sandra and myself took a cab into town for a little evening adventure. The restaurant was beautifully situated on a cliff side and the view of the divers was perfect. It was all lit up and very dramatic. We watched a few divers and it's pretty amazing since they dive from 110 feet into 14' deep water. I loved watching them climb up the rock face to get to the platform. It was wet and slippery looking and it was probably a 5.7 or so (for those who understand climbing ratings), so it was almost as impressive as the diving! The food was mediocre but, as usual, we had a long, fascinating conversation. Dawn is a forensic psychologist from Portland and Sandra lives in Phoenix and hopes to open her own Bikram studio in 6 months. We had lots of fun gossiping about all the teachers and other trainees! We got back around 10:30 and hit the bed for our long, Saturday night slumber. Sheila and I both woke up around 9:00 AM feeling like new souls. I had weird dreams that consisted of me spouting strange versions of the dialogue.
So once again, it's Sunday and I have a whole day to do whatever I want. I'm looking forward to this last week because the teachers have been telling us that it will be filled with fun things. Oh, I truly hope they aren't setting us up! I don't completely trust them. It's my last Sunday in Acapulco however, so I am starting the countdown until I finally leave for the good ol' USA!!!
I will try to post an entry next Saturday. We aren't having a class (only 10 more classes to go!), so I might have some time. The graduation ceremony is Saturday evening. Can you believe it??!! I'll be a certified Bikram yoga teacher in less than a week!!! Without a doubt, the most difficult process I've ever been through in my life but I feel very strongly that it will pay off with huge rewards when I'm settled into a regular teaching schedule. I wasn't even sure when I started this process that I would really enjoy teaching this yoga, but I am convinced now that it will be the best decision I've made in a long time. Here is one of the reasons that I feel good about this. Gayle, who is a good friend from the Bend studio and my adopted sister (since people are always getting us confused with each other), sent me an email and PLEASE forgive me Gayle, but I wanted everyone to see what you said:
"Betty and I will be sure and mark our calendars for 11:00am on the 19th. Have no fear about teaching your first class. We are all so happy for you and find it amazing that you took time out of your life to become a Bikram Instructor. You could stand up on the podium and do nothing and your fans would still cheer you on. We are all your friends and want nothing but the best for you."
Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about! I love those guys at BYB!
Until graduation............
Oh, and before I start, Susie, you are a lucky woman if you go to training in the spring. Bikram announced last night that Spring 09 training will be in Palm Desert at the Marriott resort. While, Acapulco is a very exotic location, the communication from the US will be so much easier for you guys. Just being able to use your cell phone will be a huge bonus.
Monday, Bikram was back so we had his class that night. He kicked our butts and I worked hard as hell. He did the same on Tuesday and by Wednesday I was starting to get sore. Three Bikram classes in three days can kill you. Let me tell you, he can really make you work like a dog. He screams and yells and dares people to leave the room.
He lectured every night this week and his release times varied from 12:30 AM to 2:30 AM. I believe he loves the sound of his own voice. He can be as entertaining as any comedian I've seen and he can also drive you nuts with his rambling tirades. I'll give him this though, on Tuesday night, he gave us the night off for the election. We can thank Kathryn for this. She had been working on the Obama campaign before she came to training, so Monday night, she stood up and asked him if we could have some time to watch the election results. He then went on a ranting, raving tirade of how stupid these "assholes" of the last 8 years have been, and how the country is in the toilet because of them, etc. on and on. Apparently, he is an Obama guy. At any rate, we got the night off and I watched the election up until I knew Obama was going to win and then fell asleep. Of course, I'm thrilled, relieved and delighted that he won. Finally, no more of this freakin' regime that has been in power for the past 8 long years. I believe he has a vision that is on a level beyond other politicians and that he will be able to lift us up from this black hole we are in. It will take years to undo the damage, but it will happen.
OK, no more politics cause that's a dangerous subject when you have friends and loved ones who read your blog and are not so liberal as I am!
So that was Tuesday. On Wednesday night Bikram kept us up until 1:00 AM. We did our usual morning class and then for the evening class, we had a teacher from Australia. We were all shocked and secretly happy that it wasn't Bikram who would have tried to kill us again! After that class was over and everyone was lying in Savasana (the resting pose), exhausted as usual after our second class of the day, Manali said she had a surprise for us and to stay in Savasana.
Well, we just laid there like a bunch of dead dogs and we heard, "check, check, 1, 2, 3, 4", Bikram's signature entrance when he comes in to teach. Yeah, you guessed it, it was our third class for the day! Surprise, surprise. You wouldn't believe the reactions from people. There was disbelief, anger, shock, tears, lots of human emotions. We stood up to do the initial breathing exercise where you have your hands interlocked underneath your chin and you raise your elbows as you inhale. I couldn't get my elbows to go up! I was so tired from the class I just finished. It wasn't just me because EVERYONE else in the room had the same problem. People were swaying back and forth. Bikram was laughing and saying we all looked like dead meat! To shorten this story, I started out very weak but I gained momentum as the class went on and I did almost all the postures and never had to leave the room. People were running out in a mass exodus to get more water, others were fainting, throwing up, having to be carried out.....it reminded me of the first week! Bikram said that this was a test of how you handle adverse conditions that are handed you in life. I was happy to know that my way was to resist in the beginning, but eventually, resign myself and just do the best I could. One guy who is a former Navy Seal was dry heaving in Balancing Stick. Now that's determination! Bikram wasn't through with us because later, at lecture, he kept us up until 2:30 in the morning. We were all so tired, it was unbelievable. Then, of course, we got 4 hours of sleep and it was morning and time for another class. And I thought the 8th week was going to be easy! The fun never stops here. I am sore in places I never thought existed. It's a good soreness, though. I know I have reached new depths in my body. My practice is stronger in some areas, but in other areas, I have had to step back a little and learn some techniques that I didn't know about before. I might not be able to kick as high in Standing Bow, but I am much stronger in it so I know that eventually, I'll be able to kick higher than before.
For daytime lectures, Bikram has been going through each of the postures and explaining them fully. He has people come up on the stage and he adjusts them in the proper alignment. This information is invaluable since he is the guy that designed this series of postures, and he knows more about the alignment than anyone I've ever seen. I can't tell you how much deeper my understanding of the postures has become after this training. After practicing regularly for 4 and 1/2 years, I thought I knew all about the alignment before I came here. Not. It's been quite an education.
We have also had quite a few teachers come up and tell their stories of their first class. Some are nightmares, and most are not pretty. I'm only expecting to live through it and to finish in as close to 90 minutes as I possibly can. To those of you who are going to be there, please don't expect much. That way, I won't feel pressured. If I can get you in and out of all the postures, it will be a success in my book! They say it takes around 6 months of teaching to start feeling comfortable with it and to be able to bring your personality into the whole thing. Michael said my first class is scheduled for 11:00 AM on Wednesday, November 19th. At first, he said 9:00 AM but he changed it.
Well, it's Sunday morning and I thought I'd get my blog published yesterday, but Sheila and I were sitting on the floor in the hallway (the only way you can get online) last evening, typing away on our blogs when Clemma walked over to us and asked us if we wanted to go out to dinner in Acapulco at a restaurant where you can watch the cliff divers.
She offered to front me the money for the evening since I am destitute at this point without my wallet. As tired as I was, it sounded like a great idea at the time. Sheila and I both wanted to go, so Clemma, Sheila, Dawn, Sandra and myself took a cab into town for a little evening adventure. The restaurant was beautifully situated on a cliff side and the view of the divers was perfect. It was all lit up and very dramatic. We watched a few divers and it's pretty amazing since they dive from 110 feet into 14' deep water. I loved watching them climb up the rock face to get to the platform. It was wet and slippery looking and it was probably a 5.7 or so (for those who understand climbing ratings), so it was almost as impressive as the diving! The food was mediocre but, as usual, we had a long, fascinating conversation. Dawn is a forensic psychologist from Portland and Sandra lives in Phoenix and hopes to open her own Bikram studio in 6 months. We had lots of fun gossiping about all the teachers and other trainees! We got back around 10:30 and hit the bed for our long, Saturday night slumber. Sheila and I both woke up around 9:00 AM feeling like new souls. I had weird dreams that consisted of me spouting strange versions of the dialogue.
So once again, it's Sunday and I have a whole day to do whatever I want. I'm looking forward to this last week because the teachers have been telling us that it will be filled with fun things. Oh, I truly hope they aren't setting us up! I don't completely trust them. It's my last Sunday in Acapulco however, so I am starting the countdown until I finally leave for the good ol' USA!!!
I will try to post an entry next Saturday. We aren't having a class (only 10 more classes to go!), so I might have some time. The graduation ceremony is Saturday evening. Can you believe it??!! I'll be a certified Bikram yoga teacher in less than a week!!! Without a doubt, the most difficult process I've ever been through in my life but I feel very strongly that it will pay off with huge rewards when I'm settled into a regular teaching schedule. I wasn't even sure when I started this process that I would really enjoy teaching this yoga, but I am convinced now that it will be the best decision I've made in a long time. Here is one of the reasons that I feel good about this. Gayle, who is a good friend from the Bend studio and my adopted sister (since people are always getting us confused with each other), sent me an email and PLEASE forgive me Gayle, but I wanted everyone to see what you said:
"Betty and I will be sure and mark our calendars for 11:00am on the 19th. Have no fear about teaching your first class. We are all so happy for you and find it amazing that you took time out of your life to become a Bikram Instructor. You could stand up on the podium and do nothing and your fans would still cheer you on. We are all your friends and want nothing but the best for you."
Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about! I love those guys at BYB!
Until graduation............
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Week 7 Is Gone
Week 7. Well, that's one I'll remember. Just when I think it can't get any wilder, crazier and off the map, it does.
Going back to Monday, if I can. All the days and weeks seem to meld into one long 50-50, equal and simultaneously arduous and ecstatic trip. Monday and Tuesday were hell because we had posture clinics both in the afternoons and evenings. Let me reiterate on the posture clinics. The afternoon one is 4 and a half hours long and the evening one is twos hours long (from 9 to 11 PM). The whole time is anxiety filled because we have to stand up and recite a posture in front of 30 or so people, plus the 3 or 4 proctors who are writing things down as you speak. They are judging your dialogue, posture, command, loudness, enunciation, clarity, levity, energy, etc., ad nauseum. It causes such pressure because you are trying your best and having to remember to incorporate everything into one 4 minute session is very stressful. I remember when I was learning to play tennis and I had to remember to keep my eye on the ball, bend from the knees not the waist, get my racket back, position myself on the court strategically, determine where I was going to hit the ball before I made the shot, etc. After a while, of course, it was all second nature, but in the beginning you had to consciously remember these things. The other issue is that the posture clinic instructors are all different. Some expect perfect dialogue, others are more interested in energy, others in whether you smile or not. It just makes it more difficult because you really don't know what they are going to be looking for, so you have to try for the whole package.
I'm trying to get across the fact that these dialogue clinics ARE VERY STRESS INDUCING!! So, having had two days full of them along with our two yoga practices a day, we were exhausted souls by Wednesday. To add to all this, Sheila's health had gone south to the point where she was vomiting all her food and water and had to go down for another IV. She ended up in a Mexican hospital where they put a tube down her esophagus and looked into her tummy. She has a hietal hernia, along with severe gastritis (pardon my medical spelling, because I have no idea). Long story short, I came back from class on Thursday morning and she was sitting in the floor, holding a barf bag, looking pitifully up at me and saying, "Carol, I don't think I can do this any more." I took her to the infirmary and the doc said he thought she should go back to Canada to get medical attention. After all, it's free for her in Canada and in Mexico she didn't know what it would cost. Also, the medical hospitals in Canada are superior.
She resigned herself, Rusto came over and we spent the last night in the room, me, Sheila and Rusto with Sheila hooked up to an IV so she'd have the strength to go home the next day. So she left. That's it. She's gone. It was astounding that she made it this long. Six and a half weeks. We are hoping that she'll be able to come back to spring training and just do the last month in order to graduate. Bikram has to make that decision though. He's coming back tonight.
OK, that being said, the stress of Sheila being sick on top of the two days of posture clinics were taking their toll. I can't explain how challenging it is to be going through this and having this downer of a roommate situation. My maternal instincts are strong and I was trying to take care of her and worrying about her while still trying to maintain my place in this really tough program.
Interestingly enough, my yoga classes last week (we've done 76 now!) were all really good. I felt strong and did all the postures with gusto. Maybe the yoga was my release. My posture clinic dialogue presentations were lackluster however. Ivan, who is from the Czech Republic and in my group, came over to me and said "You need a massage". He said he could see a black cloud around my neck and shoulders and I that I seem to be carrying incredible tension there. Later, someone else in my group said that he told another woman, who was having stomach pains, that she had some problem in her ovaries. When she checked it out, she found out that she had ovarian cysts. Hmmmmmm.....well, I've never been much of a believer in "woo woo" stuff, as John calls it, but I am now convinced that some people have a really well developed sixth sense. How the hell would he have seen that in me otherwise? I am going to get my massage this afternoon. I saw Ivan again on Saturday, after Sheila left, and he smiled and said, "What happened? Your cloud is gone."
Yes, my cloud was lifted and, of course, I miss Sheila a lot but I am a new person. My old energy is back and I am having fun again. I am also enjoying the private room after having a week of doctors, nurses and staff members parading in and out of it.
Going back to early in the week. After two days of high stress, we had the joy and privilege (it doesn't take much to elate us these days) of Jon Burras who is known as the "fascia guy". He gave a total of four lectures on the power of attraction and fascia.
He's a really interesting speaker. A yoga teacher (ironically, not Bikram) from southern California. One of his lectures was on the power of attraction. A theory that basically says you get what you focus on or what you truly believe is reality. I really believe in this because I have inadvertently practiced this for most of my adult life. At least, since around age 35 or so. I felt he went a little too far with this but, for the most part, he was right on. I think that's the case with a lot of these people. They have outstanding concepts that can be carried to extreme, but if you take the concept and stop at a reasonable place, it is really valuable information.
The fascia thing is another story. It's an area that medical science is just starting to understand. The tissue that surrounds, muscles, organs, ligaments, tendons, etc. ~ the fascia, is what can be changed and developed and allow you to regain flexibility, strength and function of your entire body. When the fascia is dried up and of of whack, you are stuck. He says that yoga is the only way to work on your fascia. There was a whole lot more to his hours of discussion, of course, but if you want to know more his web site is jonburras.com.
On Friday evening, Halloween, everyone wore orange and back yoga outfits to class. Some people wore makeshift costumes. One guy wrapped toilet paper all over himself and came as a mummy. He posed for pictures in Half Moon. A riot! It was fun and festive and we were hoping for the night off but alas, not in the cards. We should have focused more on that expectation!
It ended up being a great night though because Lynn Whitlow did a lecture on the business end of teaching and opening a studio. She is an interesting speaker and her talk was filled with really helpful information. We all came to lecture in costumes. Well, most of us. People had gone "all out" and bought costumes. I didn't have one, but I have always been pretty good in the creativity department (self back-patting visual), so I took and long, dark shawl that I bought on my Zara shopping trip and wrapped it around my head, leaving only a slit for my eyes. I wore black flowy yoga pants and a long black tunic top. I went to Clemma's room and knocked on the door, when she answered I said "trick or treat". She squealed cause she didn't recognize me. When I went in, she was lamenting that she had no costume. It turned out that she had a Zara shawl also, as did her roommate Brit from Norway. I wrapped their shawls for them just like mine and we all three huddled together as a group of women in burkas. Under those burkas, we are all blue eyed blondes, but who knew?! We were a huge hit! Everyone wanted pictures with us. It was especially fun being anonymous and seeing everyone's surprise when they discovered who we were. After the lecture, Manali did another of her amazing chants. He voice is so beautiful and she sits on the stage peacefully while chanting a beautiful Indian poem. We all sit there nodding off.
The other noteworthy event this week was the arrival of Ren, teacher from LA. He is HILARIOUS! He flaunts his gayness with pride and it's beautiful to see! He talked a little on Thursday night when he arrived. He was a hairdresser with clients like Meg Ryan and he gave up this lucrative career to teach Bikram. He told of his meeting with Bikram and how he just wants to teach in LA and never own a studio. He just loves teaching. He said, "If you see me swishing around the lobby somewhere, just stop and say Hi!" Adorable. His class Thursday night was the most fun we've had yet. He talks exactly like Dana Carvey's Franck Eggelhoffer (Fronk), the wedding planner, in Father of the Bride. He said at one point in the class to a trainee, "LOVE your tan, is it natural?" I love this guy.
OK, I think that about covers week 7. Last night, Clemma, Tom, Kathryn and myself went out to Zibu for a night away from the compound. It is a very pricey ($70 each without drinks) restaurant but worth every penny. The food was Mexican Thai and it was DIVINE!!! We had such a great evening. Great food, great company.....all the makings. Clemma is a GP physician from Minnesota, Tom is a retired Oncologist from Portland and Kathryn is a writer and professor from New York City. And, of course, me the retired Interior Designer, and current owner and operator of a rock climbing guide service and retail rock shop! We are all well over 50 and we called it a night with the "grownups". We sat for hours and talked (with no wine mind you) and it was glorious! I can't wait to hook up with all of these people after training.
The proverbial shitola will hit the fan this week because the Boss is back. Who knows what we are in store for. At least I can say without hesitation that I'm ready for whatever they dish out!
I plan to study this afternoon for Spinal Twist, the "final spinal" posture. No more to memorize after that! I just have to go back and review them all later a zillion times! Then, a massage, then to bed. I'm excited about tomorrow cause I always love Monday yoga classes. I am renewed and revitalized and ready for more. Also, on Mondays our group practices on lines 1, 2 and 3 which are in the front of the room so you can actually see yourself in the mirror. That's a rare treat with 300 people in the room. It helps your focus and balance.
I saved the final news for last. Michael told me that he scheduled me to teach my first class on Wednesday, November the 19th! OMG, I'm actually going to teach! I know there will be a ton of people in the room because he scheduled me for the 9:00 AM class. That's always a busy class, but I suspect that my buddies from that class will all want to be there (I hope so anyway), so the room might be full. I guess it doesn't matter if there are 10 or 50 people, it's still the same. As long as I'm surrounded by my teacher friends and class friends (remember our "camel toe" idea girls), I'm sure I'll survive the class. Actually, I'm not nearly as nervous as I was when I thought about teaching before I went to training. Don't get me wrong, I'm nervous, just a little less so. I feel somewhat empowered by all the dialogue that I've learned. If I can just get it out!!! Whatever happens, I know I will have all of your support.
My love and don't love list for this week:
Love:
The yoga
Ren
Zibu
Monday classes
My new private room
Jon Burras lectures
Lynn Whitlow
The incredible growth and development I've experienced
Only one more dialogue to learn
The fact that I'm scheduled to teach and I'm not dry heaving and
breaking out in a rash with anxiety
The exciting news that I talked to John today and he was on his way to the 9:30 class!
Don't loves:
My private room with no Sheila
The creepy new rashes that break out periodically from three hours a day practicing in a hot, humid, petri dish yoga room with over 300 people.
Rude people in the yoga room. Hard to believe some of these folks are going to be teachers since they are clueless as to the existance of others. Most are great, mind you.
OK, I'm signing off for this week. Until next weekend everyone ~
Going back to Monday, if I can. All the days and weeks seem to meld into one long 50-50, equal and simultaneously arduous and ecstatic trip. Monday and Tuesday were hell because we had posture clinics both in the afternoons and evenings. Let me reiterate on the posture clinics. The afternoon one is 4 and a half hours long and the evening one is twos hours long (from 9 to 11 PM). The whole time is anxiety filled because we have to stand up and recite a posture in front of 30 or so people, plus the 3 or 4 proctors who are writing things down as you speak. They are judging your dialogue, posture, command, loudness, enunciation, clarity, levity, energy, etc., ad nauseum. It causes such pressure because you are trying your best and having to remember to incorporate everything into one 4 minute session is very stressful. I remember when I was learning to play tennis and I had to remember to keep my eye on the ball, bend from the knees not the waist, get my racket back, position myself on the court strategically, determine where I was going to hit the ball before I made the shot, etc. After a while, of course, it was all second nature, but in the beginning you had to consciously remember these things. The other issue is that the posture clinic instructors are all different. Some expect perfect dialogue, others are more interested in energy, others in whether you smile or not. It just makes it more difficult because you really don't know what they are going to be looking for, so you have to try for the whole package.
I'm trying to get across the fact that these dialogue clinics ARE VERY STRESS INDUCING!! So, having had two days full of them along with our two yoga practices a day, we were exhausted souls by Wednesday. To add to all this, Sheila's health had gone south to the point where she was vomiting all her food and water and had to go down for another IV. She ended up in a Mexican hospital where they put a tube down her esophagus and looked into her tummy. She has a hietal hernia, along with severe gastritis (pardon my medical spelling, because I have no idea). Long story short, I came back from class on Thursday morning and she was sitting in the floor, holding a barf bag, looking pitifully up at me and saying, "Carol, I don't think I can do this any more." I took her to the infirmary and the doc said he thought she should go back to Canada to get medical attention. After all, it's free for her in Canada and in Mexico she didn't know what it would cost. Also, the medical hospitals in Canada are superior.
She resigned herself, Rusto came over and we spent the last night in the room, me, Sheila and Rusto with Sheila hooked up to an IV so she'd have the strength to go home the next day. So she left. That's it. She's gone. It was astounding that she made it this long. Six and a half weeks. We are hoping that she'll be able to come back to spring training and just do the last month in order to graduate. Bikram has to make that decision though. He's coming back tonight.
OK, that being said, the stress of Sheila being sick on top of the two days of posture clinics were taking their toll. I can't explain how challenging it is to be going through this and having this downer of a roommate situation. My maternal instincts are strong and I was trying to take care of her and worrying about her while still trying to maintain my place in this really tough program.
Interestingly enough, my yoga classes last week (we've done 76 now!) were all really good. I felt strong and did all the postures with gusto. Maybe the yoga was my release. My posture clinic dialogue presentations were lackluster however. Ivan, who is from the Czech Republic and in my group, came over to me and said "You need a massage". He said he could see a black cloud around my neck and shoulders and I that I seem to be carrying incredible tension there. Later, someone else in my group said that he told another woman, who was having stomach pains, that she had some problem in her ovaries. When she checked it out, she found out that she had ovarian cysts. Hmmmmmm.....well, I've never been much of a believer in "woo woo" stuff, as John calls it, but I am now convinced that some people have a really well developed sixth sense. How the hell would he have seen that in me otherwise? I am going to get my massage this afternoon. I saw Ivan again on Saturday, after Sheila left, and he smiled and said, "What happened? Your cloud is gone."
Yes, my cloud was lifted and, of course, I miss Sheila a lot but I am a new person. My old energy is back and I am having fun again. I am also enjoying the private room after having a week of doctors, nurses and staff members parading in and out of it.
Going back to early in the week. After two days of high stress, we had the joy and privilege (it doesn't take much to elate us these days) of Jon Burras who is known as the "fascia guy". He gave a total of four lectures on the power of attraction and fascia.
He's a really interesting speaker. A yoga teacher (ironically, not Bikram) from southern California. One of his lectures was on the power of attraction. A theory that basically says you get what you focus on or what you truly believe is reality. I really believe in this because I have inadvertently practiced this for most of my adult life. At least, since around age 35 or so. I felt he went a little too far with this but, for the most part, he was right on. I think that's the case with a lot of these people. They have outstanding concepts that can be carried to extreme, but if you take the concept and stop at a reasonable place, it is really valuable information.
The fascia thing is another story. It's an area that medical science is just starting to understand. The tissue that surrounds, muscles, organs, ligaments, tendons, etc. ~ the fascia, is what can be changed and developed and allow you to regain flexibility, strength and function of your entire body. When the fascia is dried up and of of whack, you are stuck. He says that yoga is the only way to work on your fascia. There was a whole lot more to his hours of discussion, of course, but if you want to know more his web site is jonburras.com.
On Friday evening, Halloween, everyone wore orange and back yoga outfits to class. Some people wore makeshift costumes. One guy wrapped toilet paper all over himself and came as a mummy. He posed for pictures in Half Moon. A riot! It was fun and festive and we were hoping for the night off but alas, not in the cards. We should have focused more on that expectation!
It ended up being a great night though because Lynn Whitlow did a lecture on the business end of teaching and opening a studio. She is an interesting speaker and her talk was filled with really helpful information. We all came to lecture in costumes. Well, most of us. People had gone "all out" and bought costumes. I didn't have one, but I have always been pretty good in the creativity department (self back-patting visual), so I took and long, dark shawl that I bought on my Zara shopping trip and wrapped it around my head, leaving only a slit for my eyes. I wore black flowy yoga pants and a long black tunic top. I went to Clemma's room and knocked on the door, when she answered I said "trick or treat". She squealed cause she didn't recognize me. When I went in, she was lamenting that she had no costume. It turned out that she had a Zara shawl also, as did her roommate Brit from Norway. I wrapped their shawls for them just like mine and we all three huddled together as a group of women in burkas. Under those burkas, we are all blue eyed blondes, but who knew?! We were a huge hit! Everyone wanted pictures with us. It was especially fun being anonymous and seeing everyone's surprise when they discovered who we were. After the lecture, Manali did another of her amazing chants. He voice is so beautiful and she sits on the stage peacefully while chanting a beautiful Indian poem. We all sit there nodding off.
The other noteworthy event this week was the arrival of Ren, teacher from LA. He is HILARIOUS! He flaunts his gayness with pride and it's beautiful to see! He talked a little on Thursday night when he arrived. He was a hairdresser with clients like Meg Ryan and he gave up this lucrative career to teach Bikram. He told of his meeting with Bikram and how he just wants to teach in LA and never own a studio. He just loves teaching. He said, "If you see me swishing around the lobby somewhere, just stop and say Hi!" Adorable. His class Thursday night was the most fun we've had yet. He talks exactly like Dana Carvey's Franck Eggelhoffer (Fronk), the wedding planner, in Father of the Bride. He said at one point in the class to a trainee, "LOVE your tan, is it natural?" I love this guy.
OK, I think that about covers week 7. Last night, Clemma, Tom, Kathryn and myself went out to Zibu for a night away from the compound. It is a very pricey ($70 each without drinks) restaurant but worth every penny. The food was Mexican Thai and it was DIVINE!!! We had such a great evening. Great food, great company.....all the makings. Clemma is a GP physician from Minnesota, Tom is a retired Oncologist from Portland and Kathryn is a writer and professor from New York City. And, of course, me the retired Interior Designer, and current owner and operator of a rock climbing guide service and retail rock shop! We are all well over 50 and we called it a night with the "grownups". We sat for hours and talked (with no wine mind you) and it was glorious! I can't wait to hook up with all of these people after training.
The proverbial shitola will hit the fan this week because the Boss is back. Who knows what we are in store for. At least I can say without hesitation that I'm ready for whatever they dish out!
I plan to study this afternoon for Spinal Twist, the "final spinal" posture. No more to memorize after that! I just have to go back and review them all later a zillion times! Then, a massage, then to bed. I'm excited about tomorrow cause I always love Monday yoga classes. I am renewed and revitalized and ready for more. Also, on Mondays our group practices on lines 1, 2 and 3 which are in the front of the room so you can actually see yourself in the mirror. That's a rare treat with 300 people in the room. It helps your focus and balance.
I saved the final news for last. Michael told me that he scheduled me to teach my first class on Wednesday, November the 19th! OMG, I'm actually going to teach! I know there will be a ton of people in the room because he scheduled me for the 9:00 AM class. That's always a busy class, but I suspect that my buddies from that class will all want to be there (I hope so anyway), so the room might be full. I guess it doesn't matter if there are 10 or 50 people, it's still the same. As long as I'm surrounded by my teacher friends and class friends (remember our "camel toe" idea girls), I'm sure I'll survive the class. Actually, I'm not nearly as nervous as I was when I thought about teaching before I went to training. Don't get me wrong, I'm nervous, just a little less so. I feel somewhat empowered by all the dialogue that I've learned. If I can just get it out!!! Whatever happens, I know I will have all of your support.
My love and don't love list for this week:
Love:
The yoga
Ren
Zibu
Monday classes
My new private room
Jon Burras lectures
Lynn Whitlow
The incredible growth and development I've experienced
Only one more dialogue to learn
The fact that I'm scheduled to teach and I'm not dry heaving and
breaking out in a rash with anxiety
The exciting news that I talked to John today and he was on his way to the 9:30 class!
Don't loves:
My private room with no Sheila
The creepy new rashes that break out periodically from three hours a day practicing in a hot, humid, petri dish yoga room with over 300 people.
Rude people in the yoga room. Hard to believe some of these folks are going to be teachers since they are clueless as to the existance of others. Most are great, mind you.
OK, I'm signing off for this week. Until next weekend everyone ~
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Where Did Sunday Go??
Suddenly it's Sunday evening and I don't understand where the day went. I went down to brunch this morning and the Veranda was closed. To catch you up, we have a brunch buffet every day in the Chula Vista restaurant. By Friday we are sick of the food there so it's nice to have the Veranda available on weekends. It's similar but has slightly different food and linen tablecloths. Well, this morning the Veranda was closed. Big bummer! I went to the Chula Vista, met up with Clemma, my new friend, and proceeded to go through the buffet line filling my plate with lunch stuff, since they didn't have pancakes and smoked salmon, my favorite weekend meal at the Veranda. I sat down, took a bite and couldn't deal. I'm not so good at eating real food for breakfast. It usually has to be specifically breakfast food for me. I dumped the plate, went back and got some fruit, yogurt and some bread. Better than nothing. This food thing is a real issue here.
Last night's party was good. The food was great and it was a beautiful evening on the beach. There were fireworks and marshmallows being toasted over a hug bonfire. Clemma and I left around 9:00. When I came back to the room, Sheila wasn't there. I went to bed assuming that she was out for a walk. As time passed and I was nodding off, I had this realization that she might be in the infirmary since she was complaining about stomach pains earlier. I got dressed and walked down to there and there she was. She was lying there on the exam table all curled up and looking miserable. She seemed to be in good hands so I went back to bed. I heard her come in, very vaguely, around midnight and when I woke up this morning, she was gone again.
I went down to the infirmary again and she was hooked up to an IV. Poor kid, she has been through hell with her stomach. Rusto, her boyfriend, showed up around noon and I had to take him in to see her. He took care of her the rest of the day.
I met Clemma on the beach around 1:00 PM and we studied on the beach and learned most of Head to Knee with Stretching post. It is a really tough one. Later, I came back to the room and hammered out Half Tortoise and got Camel fairly well in the old bean. That means, I only have Rabbit and Final Spinal to do. I feel good about what I got done, but I wish I had done more because I have a feeling we are going to finish up with dialogue this week. Five hours of studying is as much as I think I have in me today.
I found out that Bikram isn't coming back until the Monday after Halloween. That is good news. It means we get sleep this week.
OK, I'm going to start a continuing list of things that I love and things that I don't:
Loves:
Sheila
A handful of new friends that have become really close: Clemma, Dawn, Vickie and Carolyn come to mind first
Doing the yoga
Being in Acapulco when it's colder than hell in Bend
Trying to speak Spanish
Learning the reality of the mind-body connection ~ first hand experience
Doing the yoga
Meeting people from all over the world who become instant family
Putting myself "out there" and dealing with the consequences ~ some good, some bad
Doing the yoga
Going to new places in my postures
The "good guy" posture clinic instructors
Don't loves:
The humidity
The food
This damned hotel, with its damned Mariachi band
The lack of internet in my room
The lack of phone communication, other than the half-assed Skype
The "bad guy" posture clinic instructors
Missing friends and family
I might continue this since it lets me get everything out, good and bad. As long as the good outweighs the bad, I guess I'm still OK!
Love to all and I'll let you know on Saturday how this week goes. Wish me luck!
Last night's party was good. The food was great and it was a beautiful evening on the beach. There were fireworks and marshmallows being toasted over a hug bonfire. Clemma and I left around 9:00. When I came back to the room, Sheila wasn't there. I went to bed assuming that she was out for a walk. As time passed and I was nodding off, I had this realization that she might be in the infirmary since she was complaining about stomach pains earlier. I got dressed and walked down to there and there she was. She was lying there on the exam table all curled up and looking miserable. She seemed to be in good hands so I went back to bed. I heard her come in, very vaguely, around midnight and when I woke up this morning, she was gone again.
I went down to the infirmary again and she was hooked up to an IV. Poor kid, she has been through hell with her stomach. Rusto, her boyfriend, showed up around noon and I had to take him in to see her. He took care of her the rest of the day.
I met Clemma on the beach around 1:00 PM and we studied on the beach and learned most of Head to Knee with Stretching post. It is a really tough one. Later, I came back to the room and hammered out Half Tortoise and got Camel fairly well in the old bean. That means, I only have Rabbit and Final Spinal to do. I feel good about what I got done, but I wish I had done more because I have a feeling we are going to finish up with dialogue this week. Five hours of studying is as much as I think I have in me today.
I found out that Bikram isn't coming back until the Monday after Halloween. That is good news. It means we get sleep this week.
OK, I'm going to start a continuing list of things that I love and things that I don't:
Loves:
Sheila
A handful of new friends that have become really close: Clemma, Dawn, Vickie and Carolyn come to mind first
Doing the yoga
Being in Acapulco when it's colder than hell in Bend
Trying to speak Spanish
Learning the reality of the mind-body connection ~ first hand experience
Doing the yoga
Meeting people from all over the world who become instant family
Putting myself "out there" and dealing with the consequences ~ some good, some bad
Doing the yoga
Going to new places in my postures
The "good guy" posture clinic instructors
Don't loves:
The humidity
The food
This damned hotel, with its damned Mariachi band
The lack of internet in my room
The lack of phone communication, other than the half-assed Skype
The "bad guy" posture clinic instructors
Missing friends and family
I might continue this since it lets me get everything out, good and bad. As long as the good outweighs the bad, I guess I'm still OK!
Love to all and I'll let you know on Saturday how this week goes. Wish me luck!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Week 6 ~ In The Past!
It's really hard to believe we are starting week 7! It still seems like we have another lifetime to go, but 3 weeks sounds OK to me.
This week can only be characterized by the arrival of Rajashree (Bikram's wife). She floated into our world like Glenda the good witch of the north (from the Wizard of Oz) in a giant pink bubble, waved her magic wand and all was well. We were all stressed to the max after last week's excessive number of posture clinics. Her classes are soothing and calming. Not easy, mind you, but not aggro. Just really perfect. We had lectures and posture discussions all week. I actually only performed 3 postures last week ~ a far cry from the week before. We spent two afternoon sessions going over each posture. The trainees would come up to the stage and she would discuss the posture and give her assessment and corrections. It was extremely educational and we got invaluable information for use in teaching. For some reason, however, it seemed that everyone was extremely tired. Even though it was a much easier week overall than the past few weeks. We got to bed by 11:30 every night. Seven and 1/2 hours sleep is a major luxury here! I think the tiredness was a result of the cumulative effect of the whole training. We all made it through though with 11 more classes under our belts. We have now had 65 classes! Wow! I told John this morning, on the phone, that it seems like doing two classes a day has become a part of life. Get up, brush your teeth, go to class, etc. Of course, when I get home, I might sleep for two days, I don't know!
I think things will heat up again next week because Bikram is coming back into town and Rajashree left yesterday. That means those 2:00 AM bedtimes. Sandra, you asked me what he talks about until 2:00 in the morning. "You have no idea" (said with thick Indian accent) is the only way I can describe it. He says that all the time. He was right when he said that to us in the beginning of training. We definitely had NO IDEA! He talks about life in general, yoga philosophy, etc., all peppered with those outrageous stories of his. I have never heard anyone that can tell a story like him. Half the time you are laughing so hard you can't breathe! Also, you wanted to know how you stay awake. Believe me, plenty of people don't. They have to keep rousting people from sleep because Bikram considers it very rude when people fall asleep when he's lecturing (I suppose that's a reasonable assessment), so the teacher assistants go around waking them up. Also, I've never known anyone who can talk for four solid hours and seem to be just getting warmed up. He is an amazing human being. His genius is only exceeded by his wackiness!
Oh, and your other comment, San, was that I need to eat to keep up my health. Well, I am doing that but believe me, it's not easy. I am never hungry. I only eat because I have to eat for energy and strength. It's not just me though. Everyone says the same thing. Doing so much yoga just does that to you. I am eating when I need to eat and that's about it. I am also craving strange stuff that I haven't eaten in 30 years, like Cokes and potato chips. I just eat them when I crave them and I don't worry about it. Basically, I'm feeding my body what it craves. I also crave fish, vegetables and rice so it's not all junk food. It's a really interesting process because I got a sore throat last week and in each class I would lose tons of mucous (sorry) until finally after three days the whole thing was out of my system. I've never seen anything like it!
Michael showed a video of a news show on KOHD in Bend. It was an interview with Rajashree when she was there doing a seminar. I was sooooo homesick watching it. I got a glimpse of my wonderful teacher and friend Tricia. I almost cried! Also, it featured a lot of shots of Kathy doing some of her perfect postures. She looked so beautiful and graceful. I wanted to be there and give her a hug. I was looking for others in the crowd that I might recognize. I saw Jerry Lopez but I couldn't pick out anyone else.
I am getting ready to start memorizing Half Tortoise Pose. I have memorized 20 so far and I have 5 more to go. We aren't going to perform Final Breathing, I don't think. Rumor has it that Bikram is going to do the breathing exercises with us separately. Not in posture clinic, that is.
It's kind of scary to think what might be in store for us in the next 3 weeks, so I guess I'll just relax and take it one day at a time. Tonight the hotel is throwing a barbeque for us at 7:00 PM. I'm going to go for a short while, but as usual, I want to do my Saturday night Rip Van Winkle imitation.
I'm going to go to Mega for supplies, then come back to the room for a rest before the party tonight. So I guess I'll end for now. Hopefully, I can do a Sunday evening post tomorrow. If not, I'll be back next week. Bye for now!
This week can only be characterized by the arrival of Rajashree (Bikram's wife). She floated into our world like Glenda the good witch of the north (from the Wizard of Oz) in a giant pink bubble, waved her magic wand and all was well. We were all stressed to the max after last week's excessive number of posture clinics. Her classes are soothing and calming. Not easy, mind you, but not aggro. Just really perfect. We had lectures and posture discussions all week. I actually only performed 3 postures last week ~ a far cry from the week before. We spent two afternoon sessions going over each posture. The trainees would come up to the stage and she would discuss the posture and give her assessment and corrections. It was extremely educational and we got invaluable information for use in teaching. For some reason, however, it seemed that everyone was extremely tired. Even though it was a much easier week overall than the past few weeks. We got to bed by 11:30 every night. Seven and 1/2 hours sleep is a major luxury here! I think the tiredness was a result of the cumulative effect of the whole training. We all made it through though with 11 more classes under our belts. We have now had 65 classes! Wow! I told John this morning, on the phone, that it seems like doing two classes a day has become a part of life. Get up, brush your teeth, go to class, etc. Of course, when I get home, I might sleep for two days, I don't know!
I think things will heat up again next week because Bikram is coming back into town and Rajashree left yesterday. That means those 2:00 AM bedtimes. Sandra, you asked me what he talks about until 2:00 in the morning. "You have no idea" (said with thick Indian accent) is the only way I can describe it. He says that all the time. He was right when he said that to us in the beginning of training. We definitely had NO IDEA! He talks about life in general, yoga philosophy, etc., all peppered with those outrageous stories of his. I have never heard anyone that can tell a story like him. Half the time you are laughing so hard you can't breathe! Also, you wanted to know how you stay awake. Believe me, plenty of people don't. They have to keep rousting people from sleep because Bikram considers it very rude when people fall asleep when he's lecturing (I suppose that's a reasonable assessment), so the teacher assistants go around waking them up. Also, I've never known anyone who can talk for four solid hours and seem to be just getting warmed up. He is an amazing human being. His genius is only exceeded by his wackiness!
Oh, and your other comment, San, was that I need to eat to keep up my health. Well, I am doing that but believe me, it's not easy. I am never hungry. I only eat because I have to eat for energy and strength. It's not just me though. Everyone says the same thing. Doing so much yoga just does that to you. I am eating when I need to eat and that's about it. I am also craving strange stuff that I haven't eaten in 30 years, like Cokes and potato chips. I just eat them when I crave them and I don't worry about it. Basically, I'm feeding my body what it craves. I also crave fish, vegetables and rice so it's not all junk food. It's a really interesting process because I got a sore throat last week and in each class I would lose tons of mucous (sorry) until finally after three days the whole thing was out of my system. I've never seen anything like it!
Michael showed a video of a news show on KOHD in Bend. It was an interview with Rajashree when she was there doing a seminar. I was sooooo homesick watching it. I got a glimpse of my wonderful teacher and friend Tricia. I almost cried! Also, it featured a lot of shots of Kathy doing some of her perfect postures. She looked so beautiful and graceful. I wanted to be there and give her a hug. I was looking for others in the crowd that I might recognize. I saw Jerry Lopez but I couldn't pick out anyone else.
I am getting ready to start memorizing Half Tortoise Pose. I have memorized 20 so far and I have 5 more to go. We aren't going to perform Final Breathing, I don't think. Rumor has it that Bikram is going to do the breathing exercises with us separately. Not in posture clinic, that is.
It's kind of scary to think what might be in store for us in the next 3 weeks, so I guess I'll just relax and take it one day at a time. Tonight the hotel is throwing a barbeque for us at 7:00 PM. I'm going to go for a short while, but as usual, I want to do my Saturday night Rip Van Winkle imitation.
I'm going to go to Mega for supplies, then come back to the room for a rest before the party tonight. So I guess I'll end for now. Hopefully, I can do a Sunday evening post tomorrow. If not, I'll be back next week. Bye for now!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Week 5, Terminado
Here is a photo of all the women over 50 in training! Super girls! I love them all.
The weeks go by fast here because we get up in the morning and go to yoga class, then we have lunch and practice our dialogue. Next it's posture clinic for 3 hours, then yoga class again. Afterwards, it's dinner and practice our dialogue. Then it's 9:00 and time for lecture or another posture clinic until 11:00 PM. When Bikram lectures, of course, it is anywhere from 12:00 t0 2:30 AM. Weekends are the only time I have to stop and think where I am, what day it is, what month it is, etc.
As for week 5, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times", to quote Dickens. A roller coaster ride is the analogy that comes to mind.
Monday started out with Michael Harris, my studio owner arriving in town. He stood up to introduce himself to all the trainees on Monday night at the lecture hall. He then proceeded to introduce me as the only trainee from Bend. He went on to say that I was a rock climber, owner of the premier rock climbing shop and guide service at Smith Rock. He also said that he wouldn't be doing the yoga today if it weren't for me. He said I was his inspiration, at 63 years of age and still climbing and doing Bikram yoga regularly. Wow!! That felt really good. I really wasn't expecting that from Michael. He's not one to express himself as to where you stand with him. I wasn't sure. At the same time, I'm glad to know, that his opinion of me is positive.
OK, well that was Monday. Tuesday, he taught the evening class and what a class it was!! It was full of fun and energy and everyone here is in love with him. Now for the really interesting part. Picture the yoga studio....I can't even guess as to how big it is, but it comfortably holds over 300 people. The podium is about 15 feet off the floor. We had just finished Awkward when Michael said, "Carol, come up here please." Well, you can imagine my state of panic and sheer terror when he said that! I thought he wanted to show everyone what not to do in Awkward, because my Awkward is so bad! I went up there and he took his Madonna style head mike off and put it on my head. He said, "Do Eagle, right side". I didn't have time to totally freak out, I instantly knew that I had no choice. As Bikram says, "Lock the knee, no choice!!!!" Michael left me up there by myself and there I was with my mike on looking over a sea of over 300 people looking up at me. I have no idea what came over me, but I just said, "Arms over your head sideways (the beginning of the dialogue for Eagle) and when everyone brought their arms up, it was such a feeling of, well, a combination of power and total adrenalization (is that a word?!), that I just kept going. The dialogue came out and I have no idea where it came from. It just came. At the end, when I said "change", I had a rush of adrenaline like I had just climbed to the top of a grueling 5.10 crack at Yosemite Valley! I wasn't myself again until the standing series was over!
People came up to me for days congratulating me and I felt so good. They said I was up there doing it from them. "One of us, up there teaching." It was truly an amazing experience. Yeah, it was and I thanked Michael for giving me that opportunity, although if he had asked me I would have said, "Absolutely NO!!!!!" As it turned out, I didn't have time to even think what was happening, let alone to get nervous.
But, as it goes in teacher training from hell, the next day I blanked in Tree Pose at posture clinic. That was my first experience blanking. It really sucks. You are up there doing your best with teachers grading you and everyone watching and you blow it. After I blanked and finally remembered where I was in the dialogue, the rest of Tree and the whole of Toe Stand was pathetic. I never regained my confidence. I got a mediocre review and for the rest of the day I was feeling down and frustrated. That's what I mean by the roller coaster ride. Kimberly, I'm wondering if this might have been a "psychosomatic sympathy connection" with you because you told me about your experience blanking on Tree Pose!! Whatever, it was good in the end because I got shot down and I believe you need to get shot down occasionally in order to learn from it. I have tried ever since to really concentrate on the pose and what they are doing in the pose so I don't get lost. It really helps to go through the body parts as you are telling them what to do with with each body part one at a time.
Friday was another story. We were working on Cobra for Friday. Well, I figured that I'd coast through afternoon posture clinic and deliver Cobra on Friday night since I barely had it memorized. Sooooo, at lunch some of my fellow trainees were saying that we would probably get through Cobra at the afternoon clinic. I got really stressed about it, knowing that I'd have to memorize Cobra completely in about one hour, that is if I skipped lunch. I didn't want to skip lunch since you really need food to keep you going here. I filled my plate at the buffet and took two bites and that was it. I couldn't even force myself to eat cause I was so nervous. Bad move. Sheila and I went outside to practice Cobra and we did it for each other a few times. Needless to say, I wasn't prepared in class but I went up there and actually got through the posture. Not bad. I got a pretty good review and it was over. Since we go directly from posture clinic to afternoon yoga class, I had a really tough class and nearly blacked out on my way out of the room afterwards. A direct result of having no food for lunch. The saga continues........Friday night at posture clinic, I knew I could coast and wait until Monday to do Locust. When I got to posture clinic, everyone was telling me that they weren't ready for Locust......YIKES!!! That meant that I'd better learn it because if nobody volunteers, they call you up. About 3 people (the rock stars) did Locust and the rest of us were all sitting there like deer in the headlights, hoping beyond hope that our names weren't called. First they called David Ryan, a guy from New York. David went up timidly and actually did a really good job even thought he didn't really know the dialogue too well. The whole time this is going on, I'm trying to memorize the lines as people did them. Thank goodness I did because they called me next! BAM! Just like that. Same as when Michael called me up to the podium, only difference being that I knew the dialogue for Eagle. I told them that I didn't know the dialogue very well, I had only started learning it that evening but I'd do the best I can. He asked me how long I'd been practicing and I said 4 and 1/2 years. He said to just deliver the posture the way I remember having been told how to do it in class for all this time. That really clicked, so I channeled my inner Tricia, Kate, Michael, Delana, Molly, (my homies) and of course, Kimberly and just went with it. I got the best review I've had yet!!! Knock me over with a feather. They said I sounded like I really knew the dialogue. Well, I guess I can learn a lesson from that whole experience. I was really lucky that time, but I'd better stop figuring that I won't have to do a posture in posture clinic. I have to go into posture clinic ready to do whatever posture they ask for. Also, now I have to go back and memorize Locust because I want to know it when I'm actually teaching. That would truly suck to have to teach it when the dialogue isn't in my hard drive. I'm realizing what a great tool the dialogue is.
Saturday, glorious Saturday. Mark taught the class and he is so cool it's beyond belief. He is great in posture clinic too. He made us laugh, the temp wasn't too hot and he didn't push us too hard. Perfect for a Saturday. Afterwards Clemma, Vickie, Patty, Denise and I all went "off campus" and into Acapulco to shop at Zarra. This is a store that has great clothing for cheap prices. I'd never heard of it. Anyway, our cabbie was named Tao and he spoke very little English. I am feeling so much better about my Spanish here. I'm able to communicate so much more than I could before. I think it's just being immersed that helps. I think if I lived here for 6 or 8 months, I could get up to the level of a 5 year old speaking English. Right now, I'm about age 2 or 3. I can communicate but very basically. I was the only one in the cab that spoke ANY Spanish at all, so I had to tell him where to take us and all that. It was really fun! Zarra was a blast! Just the girls out shopping. Such a nice change from yoga camp. I spent $100 and got 6 items. Unreal! It's nice to have some new stuff to wear to posture clinic. I'm really sick of my same old stuff. I know it will be a morale booster!
Afterwards, we went to Mega to stock up on basics and back to the hotel. Sheila's boyfriend, Rusto, is here and they got another room. I had the night to myself and went to sleep at about 9:00 after a delicious room service meal.
This morning I had brunch with Clemma, Rennet and Lindsay. They're all from Minneapolis. I really love the people I've met here. It's so nice to have each other for support.
It's now 6:30 and I have been studying since 1:00 PM. It's just what I have to do, rest day or not. I ordered room service again....just because. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss everyone in the "real world"!
It's on to week 6!
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