Day 7 - Bikram Yoga Challenge: Coming to Class Counts

 

Image: bela_kiefer / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I am sitting in a Starbucks writing my blog and freezing, wishing I was in the heat of the yoga room I JUST got out of. Never satisfied, that's me! :) I am eating a yogurt parfait with a fork because Starbucks for some reason can't seem to order enough spoons, or figure out how to go to the store to get more. This is the third time I've been to a Starbucks, bought a yogurt, only to be told AFTER I purchase it that they are out of spoons. People, really. This is very simple, you know you have inventory of yogurt and you can see you don't have enough spoons. Quick solution, go to the store and get some plastic spoons! I was too hungry and exhausted from yoga to argue with the lady at the counter, I just took the fork and tried to eat my yogurt. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, the granola pieces kind of filled in the open spots in the fork, making it more like a spork. Ok, done eating, feel much better...and less hostile over the fork issue. I might need to got back to yoga, I think yoga is suppose to calm you and make you more at peace!

Day 6 is done. Class was good, I felt strong through most of the class. I'm somewhat anticipating the day my body revolts from going to class every day. So far each class has been better than the last but I know there will be a day I can't do one or more of the poses I normally can do well, it is just one of those things about yoga, you never know how your body is going to react. Bikram Yoga is meant to be a daily practice so going everyday shouldn't be a problem but there are always good and bad days and sometimes the bad days can creep up on you.

The guy next to me was taking his second class. It's unfortunate I have peripheral, I caught myself noticing him and I wanted so badly to help him with his form or tell him to breathe, he was struggling so hard. The first few postures I heard grunting and pained moans like someone far away was being beaten. I was thinking to myself, "om my gosh, who is that? What are they doing?" It was only after a few more postures I realized it was the guy next to me! The poor guy was struggling so hard to do each posture.

I've never understood grunting while working out. Does that really help? I've tried it and it just makes my throat hurt. And I've tried scrunching my face like I see people doing and all it does is wrinkle my face. I don't see any benefit to my workouts by doing these things. But I know people do it and some do it without realizing it, I suspect this poor guy today was doing just that. He made it through class though, I was impressed, he tried every posture the best he could and stuck in there.

I saw him after class and congratulated him on his class. He chuckled and said, "Thanks, I don't know what I'm doing in there." "Yes, but you came to class and that is what counts," I said. And that pretty much sums up class 6. Namaste

 Natural Fitness Powerhouse Mat $ 18.77
Hugger Mugger Earth Elements Eco Exercise/Yoga Mat 5mm (72-Inch, Sky/Ocean)  $36.07

Day 6 - Bikram Yoga Challenge: Why is it so HOT in here?!

Courtesy of Image: federico stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Class was PACKED today! It was like a 90 minute sauna soak with 60 + of my closest friends, and I do mean close, we were all mat to mat. You gotta love the New Years Resolution crowd, they have good intentions, only time will tell if they can stick it out. It is not easy to stick out Bikram Yoga, you kind of have to want to torture yourself every time you come to class. This is pretty much the hardest thing I've done, except maybe for running the San Diego Marathon and even then, I only did that once. I torture myself with Bikram Yoga, by choice, daily. Each time, working my hardest, irritated at the heat, loving the heat, hating the sweat, needing the sweat, loathing the discomfort, loving the challenge and all the time waiting for when all those things don't bother me anymore.

Today a few of my "issues" got the best of me and I wanted to leave the room in the floor series. I didn't, but I wanted to. Two things kept me there, one, I am going to teacher training and you just can't leave the room if you plan on being a teacher and two, the room was so darn packed, I probably would never have made it to the door!

We had made it through about 2/3 of the class when my mind started focusing on the heat. I have no idea if it was hotter than 105 degree or not, and really, it doesn't matter. It can be 100 degrees, 105 degrees or higher and it all feels the same when the mind chooses to focus on it. Hot is hot at that point. There is a tipping point when it comes to thinking about the temperature in the room. It is normal to think it is hot, I mean, it is 105 degrees with 40% humidity. But there is a big difference between thinking it is hot and letting it go and letting the mind focus on the heat to the point that you THINK it is TOO hot.

Sometimes I lay in Savasana and think, "man, it's so hot, PLEASE turn on the exhaust!" Is it hotter some days than others? Sure. Are the hotter days the days I wish for the exhaust or hope the teacher will open the door to turn the heat down, letting in nice cool air? Not necessarily. It is all in the mind. If I allow my mind to THINK it is hot, well, the mind will tell the body it is hot, too hot, and it needs to leave the room. If my mind isn't thinking about the heat, it is amazing, I can go through the whole class and not really know if it is hot or not. Of course it is hot, it is Bikram Yoga, but the question of hot enough or too hot doesn't come up.

Today I let my mind get the best of me and at one point I could tell my mind was too focused on the heat and the new exhaust system because I kept thinking about when the instructor might turn the exhaust on or off. I kept wishing for it to be on, then I started wondering, "did she turn it on or off last time?" and the whole time I was thinking "man it is hot in here!" It is a mental battle with myself some days. It usually happens about the time we do Half Tortoise. As I lay in Savasana between poses, my mind starts to tell me it is too hot and I have to tell myself it is NOT too hot, that everything is fine, that the temperature doesn't matter. Today I chant in my head (because we are not allowed to talk) "It's not hot, you can do this, you are almost done." I do the same thing when I run to help get me to the finish line. Then right before Stretching I thought to myself, "you are in the home stretch" and I pictured myself running down Bishop Ave towards Davis today in my 5k and I knew I could make it through class.

And of course, I made it through and didn't die. Class 6 done! And I love the torture so as you might imagine, I will be going to back tomorrow for more. Namaste

Join the 2010 Bike Run Yoga Challenge


Beyond Yoga Supplex Racer Back Camisole (Black, Large) $ 57.00


American Apparel Women's Stretch Cotton Yoga Pant, Small, Black $14.00

Dash for the Beads, a Race Against the Hills

From 2010 Dash for the Beads

At 6:30 am I crawled out of a warm bed, walked half asleep to the bathroom and wondered why I was getting up so early on a Saturday morning! Eyes still half closed I rummaged around for my running capri's, still annoyed with the guy at Run On that convinced me to NOT buy long pants. I contemplated wearing a long sleeve shirt and wished I had a white long sleeved shirt to wear under my race day shirt, no such luck, so tank it is. I found my purple fleece which went with my Dash for the Beads race tee and found my other necessary running gear; watch, hat, headband, "stuff" waistband holder and race number. I headed out the door and was automatically annoyed again with the Run On guy, it was FREEZING outside. BRRRR. Goodness, what was I thinking wanting to run? It is too cold to run, should have stayed in bed. Thank goodness my friend Jessica wanted to run or I might have just called it a day after I walked outside.

From 2010 Dash for the Beads

The Dash for the Beads 5K run benefited the Bishop Arts District. The proceeds from the event went to the Light Up Bishop Arts Project where, as it was explained, the group wants to wrap trees along the streets with lights all year round to help beautify the area. The Bishop Arts District is an eclectic area with unique shops and a flavorful group of people milling around. It had some wonderful old buildings with funky businesses that look like they have been there forever. It reminded me a lot of South Congress in Austin.

This was the first time for this event, it was pretty cool to be part of the inaugural run. Plus, I liked that it was outside of my normal running area. I typically train (when I train) and end up running racing in the same general area- it gets a little boring. This race gave me a good opportunity to run some where new and get out of my comfort zone.

There was a costume aspect to the run, which I did not participate in, but plenty of other people did! It was great, there was Pooh, a chicken, lots of jesters, Jersey Shore look-a-likes, ladies in pink tutu's and other crazy costumes. I have a hard enough time running as it is, I don't need a costume to add to the mix. I did wear some Mardi Gras beads which swung around and made a lot of noise as a ran. I'm not sure if they were more of a distraction or annoyance during the run.

From 2010 Dash for the Beads

As we stood around waiting for the run to start, the announcer lady asks, "How many Oak Cliffers are there?" Lots of people raised their hands. "Those of you from here know about our hills," she says. HILLS? Jessica and I both look at each other and at the same time say, "Hills? No one said anything about hills." We crack up laughing. I hate hills. I haven't run hills in a long time so the idea of running hills today did not excite me. But heck, I was already there, so I made the most of it. I think to myself, "It is only a 5k, I'll be done soon enough."

The chicken is apparently the guide, he is on a bike and is suppose to lead us around the route. Of course, I am slow so I only saw the chicken for a second before people ran in front of me. Jessica and I started together and quickly she got farther and farther away from me. I saw her from behind for a few blocks before the masses rushed ahead and covered the distance between us. It wasn't but a few minutes into the run when my shins started to tighten and I knew it was going to be a hard race. I made it to mile 1 at 11:40 and knew I needed to pick up the pace but just couldn't. My shins were really hurting and all I could think about was how it was only a 5k race and I didn't need to push myself to the point of hurting myself, if I had to walk, well, I was going to walk.

About 1.5 miles in there was a turn around and I saw Jessica, waved, then started up the hill. I couldn't do it, or more accurately, I didn't want to do it so I walked. My shins felt like they did when I ran my marathon last year and my feet just fell flat to the ground, my legs were so tight, they barely bent. I did a walk run pace through 2 more hills and made it to Bishop Ave. I knew I was close, Bishop and Davis was were we started so all I had to do was run down Bishop and I would be done. Thank goodness Bishop was relatively flat. I turned up the tunes and just kept running. I looked down at my watch and the time was 34 minutes. I estimated I had at least 3 - 4 minutes of running left. I started to feel irritated with myself for being so out of shape but quickly talked myself out of that bad thought. I am not in bad shape, I am just not in running shape.

From 2010 Dash for the Beads

I was next to 2 of the Jersey Shore look-a-likes and felt the need to beat them to the finish so I picked it up a little and just kept running. Then up ahead I saw a street light. "Is that Davis?" I can't tell. I squint to look at the street sign but I was too far away from it, I couldn't tell if there were 5, 6, or 7 letters on the sign. UGH, I think to myself, "what if I have to run PAST the street light? MUST find out if that is DAVIS!" I kept running and finally I could see the sign, yes it is Davis! YEA! I picked up my speed, I did it! I was almost there...I run around the corner, wave at the photographer and ease into the finish. My watch said 37 minutes. Not my best time but I consoled myself with the fact that I am not trying to win, or even, beat my times (apparently). If I was, I would actually run once or twice before a race!

Winner of the Pet Costume Contest:

From 2010 Dash for the Beads

Other pics from Dash for the Beads

Day 5 - Bikram Yoga Challenge: Proper Form is Key

From October 2008 Yoga Competition

Me in Stretching at 2008 Championships

Today was my last day at my "regular" job, to celebrate some girl friends of mine and I went out for a few drinks and dinner. In anticipation of this fun evening, I decided yesterday I would take the 5:30 am class today. I think the last time I took the 5:30 am class, there were about 8 people. Today the first three rows were full, there must have been over 30 people! All those people created great energy, perfect for an early morning class.

Day 5 and each class seems to be getting better. Class was good today; I made it through Triangle again without falling out and David gave me a great tip to help me with my alignment. I had been stretching my arm up and bending my neck so I could look up at my fingertips. Instead David said to stretch up and look basically through my armpit, then just my eyes should look up. It is a completely different stretch in the neck and much harder! I like it when they give corrections like that, who knows how long I had been doing it incorrectly. I could have started out doing it right, then slowly adjusted the posture to where it was comfortable, losing the basic form. It is always good to learn ways to bring the pose back into proper form.

David mentioned in class today, it is always better to do a posture the right way and maybe not go as far then to go really far or deep and lose the proper form. You can actually hurt yourself if you don't listen to the dialog and do the posture the correct way.

Tomorrow I am running in the Dash for Beads benefiting the Bishop Arts District in Dallas, THEN, taking yoga so I am sure I will have much to report tomorrow. Until then, be bendy!

Namaste

Beyond Yoga Supplex Original Pant (Black, Small)

Bella Cotton Spandex Yoga & Workout Pants. 810 - Medium - Black