When You Have No Control, What Do You Do? Go to Yoga.

It's Saturday, I'm sitting outside at Starbucks, enjoying a latte, watching the world go by. I've done my laundry and grocery shopping for the week and am soaking up the moment. One week of training is done! It went by fast, it seems like just yesterday I was checking in at the Las Vegas Hilton, feeling nervous about who my roommate might be, what the training schedule would be like and when the late nights would start. All my questioning (in my mind) was answered the first week.

My roommate, Lara, is great, we were both relieved to have each other as roomies. Of course, she hasn't seen the overly anal retentive control freak side of me, yet. Hopefully the yoga will work its magic before that side comes out! I think I've been pretty easy going though, as best as anyone could expect.

The environment here is out of my control so there really isn't any point in worrying about it or being annoyed with it, that energy needs to be saved for practicing yoga twice and day. I knew it would be like this going in and really, it is a piece of cake compared to some kinds of training. You just have to be in the right mind set to accept the teachings.

Last night we didn't have lecture after class so Mark, Nicole and I went to Firefly, a restaurant owned by a Bikram Yoga student, it was recommend to us by Lisa, an owner here in Las Vegas. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. We decided we would each order what we wanted and then share, so we each shot off 3 or 4 dishes to the server and devoured the bread they had brought. Each time the guy brought food, we ate it like it was our last meal. With every new thing he brought he took away the empty plates, it was like a revolving buffet. So good.



We did 10 classes this week, we only had one class our first day, Monday. Our class today was great, our teacher taught in English and Spanish, my second like that in the last two weeks! It makes it more challenging because I can't understand a word being said so I don't know when to move or come out of a pose. All that means is I end up holding poses way longer, probably not a bad thing.

He made a point today of telling people to not leave the class, which in my head I knew would be a challenge for some people. It seems like some people come from studios that allow them to leave for the smallest thing. Not at my studio, we don't leave for anything. The only time I ever left during a class was when it started raining and the top was down in the car, I had to run and put the top up. Other than that, I have never left the room. I'm too self conscious, I would never what to be embarrassed if I left! There is a reason they don't want people to leave the class. Not only is it disruptive and makes people lose their concentration, it also changes the energy in the room, which effects everyone's practice. So today, it was interesting, we were on the floor so I couldn't see but someone tried to leave the class! LOL The teacher shouted out, "where are you going?!" LOL I was laughing inside, poor person. But everyone else did really well, no one left, which was such a change from the previous classes where it seemed like people leave if they have the slightest tingle like they need to pee. Hold it in people! We are in a yoga class!

Anyway....we are done for the day, just one class today and no more class or lecture until Monday. I already found a dollar store and bought some cheap crap, did my laundry and bought a few groceries for the upcoming week. I think the rest of the day might be spent pool side with my good friend, Mr. Dialog. He and I will be dating for the next 9 weeks for sure and it may end up being a life long marriage.

Why You (I) Should Not Eat Corn Beef Hash Before Yoga

If I eat the buffet every day, I doubt I will lose any weight, which was one tiny goal of mine while at training. Not weight so much as fat. The buffet at the hotel is pretty good, if you like what they have...and I do. They have fresh fruit, good chocolate cake, gummi bears, salmon, cheese enchiladas, and best of all....corn beef hash. Yes, that's right...corn beef hash. I LOVE corn beef hash. I know it isn't good for you but I don't care. I use to love it when my dad would make it with eggs sunny side up. He would make the hash and make holes for the eggs and cook the eggs right in the same pan. I was only disappointed I had to SHARE the hash with the rest of the family. But not here! Here, I get to eat as much as I want...and I had a BIG helping today. Plus I had a piece of cake. hehehehe

In the afternoon class I had second thoughts about eating corn beef hash every day though. One, my sweat stinks! ICK! I am pretty sure it was the corn beef hash was seeping out of my pores, I am sure it pleased my yogi neighbors. And two, my sweat was slippery, my foot was slipping in Tree Pose which rarely happens anymore. (Slippery means grease and crap is coming out in the sweat, yummy huh?!) Good news, I was SWEATING which means it was hotter! yea!

Lesson of the day: Be good to your neighbor. Don't eat crap. Crap in is crap out and the yogi sitting next to you doesn't want to smell it!

Off to lecture....more reciting of Half Moon Pose.

Fashionistas, Locusts and a Little Rain

Today as I was getting ready for morning class I for some reason started thinking of yoga clothes, brands and if  at some point I would be able to distinguish seasons like I did when I worked at Express. Back in the day us "Express" peeps use to be able to tell what season clothes were from. "That's from Spring '95." So as I am getting ready, this thought floats through my mind. Then I get to class and our instructor was giving corrections to people and identifying them by they clothing, "Purple Shakti....Tonic shorts...Shakti top..." It made me chuckle inside because of my fleeting thought while getting ready and because that is probably how I will have to identify people at first. What I thought was impressive was her ability to know what brand it was. I know most of the clothes have little symbols on them but some of the symbols are small and on the side. Now if she had said what season it was from I would have been totally amazed. She probably knew but who else really pays attention to those silly details? Only fashionistas I guess.


Class was good, it rained today. It sounded like a million locusts descending down upon us, popping against the tent top. It was perfect really, a whirring, swirling sound right when we laid down for Savasana. I laid in Savasana watching tiny drops of water touch the fabric draped above us to hide the roof structure. I wondered how many drops it would take make the water drop all the way down to us on the floor. But it never did; it stopped raining before we were done with the floor series. The good news is rain means water and water all over everything hopefully means humidity in the yoga room.

On the downhill side of the first week....still standing....

Jackets Needed in Las Vegas at Bikram Yoga Teacher Training? Yes...

When I was packing for training I thought maybe I was packing too many yoga jackets, that it probably would be warm in Las Vegas and I wouldn't need them. But I decided to pack them because I am partly a fashionista and well, they matched my yoga pants. Las Vegas seems to be going through some odd weather, or maybe the cool weather is perfectly normal, I don't know. What I do know is it is windy and cold and walking to and from the yoga "camp" is quite chilling. Going to the morning yoga class today, I wore a long sleeved shirt, yoga jacket and capris and I was wishing I had my Eeyore fleece my grandma gave me a few years ago.

On my way to afternoon lecture I was behind a yogi wearing a North Face jacket. North Face jackets always remind me of a friend who LOVED North Face, I never understood the fascination. As the wind was blowing through my hair, and my clothes I clutched my snuggie tight against my chest and noticed the yogi in front of me seemed perfectly comfortable; I was beginning to understand the deal with North Face.

I am sure I will survive, how long can it be cold in the desert anyway? Soon it will be scorching and I will wish I had less clothes, not more. Glad for the snuggie...it is perfect to wrap up in for evening lecture.