Day 4 - Bikram Yoga Challenge: Rocked Triangle!

From October 2008 Yoga Competition

Me in Bow Pose at the 2008 Yoga Championships

No tattoos today. No flying sweat. Just yoga. Today's class was noticeably better than yesterday, I went in with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised at what I was able to do. I was worried after taking 3 classes in a row that my body would be fatigued and my practice would suffer a bit. Plus, I have been eating more raw foods like making my own green juice, trying to be more healthy, and changing my diet always impacts my practice. But today was a good day, my balancing series was better, I stayed in Triangle and Fixed Firm worked on "fixing" my knees.

The balancing series was better today. I was able to balance longer and go farther in Standing Bow which for some strange reason has been hard for me lately. It is one of those things you just have to keep working on. I've started practicing balancing on one leg while I brush my teeth. I have a Sonic Care toothbrush so I use it to time 1 minute for each leg. I just balance on one leg while I brush, then switch to the other. Whola! Teeth clean, balancing practiced!

And wow, Triangle! I stayed on all 4 of the Triangle poses, two on each side. I didn't even set my mind to do it, I just did the posture and tried to stay focused. On the right side I kept looking up at my hand, stretching toward the ceiling, watching the sweat roll down my arm. Before I knew it, the posture was over and we have moved to the other side. Left side, just kept looking at my hand, stretching up and trying to raise my chest so my fingers at my toes weren't crammed against the floor. And then done! To me, finishing Triangle is like climbing a mountain. I have such a hard time doing it but once it is done, I feel such a sense of accomplishment.

There is a posture on the floor, Fixed Firm Pose (Supta-Vajrasana), I use to be able to do with no problem. I have noticed lately and in particular today that my knees and my thighs have a stretching pain that didn't use to be there. Not a sharp, bad pain but a stretching pain like my muscles and my ligaments are tight. This is probably due to my running and perhaps that evil stair climb I did.

Fix Firm Pose is where you sit with your legs bent, butt on the floor and your calves and feet out to the sides of your thighs. Then, without lifting your knees off the ground, you bend backwards and lay on the floor. It creates a wonderful stretch in the knees and thighs! It is common for the knees to spread apart, the key is to keep them on the floor. Not trying to brag but I can get my knees together and keep them on the floor. Lately this has been harder and when I press my knees down and together, I can feel a real stretch in my knees and thighs. It is a good thing, it means the yoga is fixing what the rest of my interests damage. And that is one of the great things about Bikram Yoga, it heals, and in amazing ways. Things you didn't even know where wrong can be fixed.

Tomorrow's class should be interesting, I am getting up early and taking the 5:30 am class to make sure I get in my class for the day. It is my last day at my corporate job so I am celebrating after work. YEA! I haven't taken a 5:30 class in over a year, I hope I do well! Off to bed, happy reading! Namaste

Altus Athletic 6-Inch by 24-Inch Foam Roller

GoFit 6-Inch by 18-Inch Foam Roller with Core Performance DVD