Week 6: Bikram TT is a lot like running a marathon.

This week was a mentally tough week for me.  One of my posture clinic mates is a running coach back home. She made the analogy that TT is like running a marathon & I agree. Although she has run 36 and I have run 9 or 10, I understood when she said posture #18 is like mile #18 of a marathon. We have 26 postures to learn. A marathon is 26.2 miles long. Miles 18-25  are so tough because at that point your feet have blisters, blisters may be bleeding, you may feel dizzy and wondering why the f*** am I doing this???? Crowds are usually few and far between and it takes a lot of mental strength at this point because even if your body can handle it, your mind is telling you to stop at the next gas station and take a cab back home. Maybe no one will even notice.  

My mat, pumpkin & water in the hot room.

But I am determined to become a good teacher. And from what I keep hearing, it is a life long journey. I will need to study the dialogue for the rest of my life. 

We had double posture clinics last week and had to deliver sometimes 2 in one day. It's difficult to keep up the energy to do double yoga classes and be present for 6 hours of the same posture. Being present is hard work. I had to dig deep, REAL deep, to get up and deliver 2 in one day. 

 I was going through Bollywood withdrawl . I went to an optional Hrithk movie ( Dhoom 2) I only watched about 45 minutes because the tent was soooo cold and the subtitles ended. I did get my pic taken with Boss though! The weekends fly by. Sundays are all about GCL ( Groceries, Coffee, Laundry-- Thanks Jersey Shore!) I felt so sore and exhausted that I sat around the pool the remainder of the day and studied with my Swedish homegirls.

The marriage of Yoga & Fascia explained.

This week was dubbed "Fascia Week" by the staff. It was inspired by Jon Burras ( JonBurras.com), apparantly.  Monday and Tuesday we were given lectures by Mr. Burras,  who while admitting he had no medical credentials, took 8 hours to share his perspective of the the world with us. When I walked into the the lecture tent, I saw the dry erase board had "Fascia & Yoga", "Emotional Anatomy", & jonburras.com  written on it. Kristina and I immediately looked at his site on my iphone, between his website and the strange props on the stage ( saran wrap, red & blue tinted sunglasse, mini skeleton) I decided to keep an open mind & "trust the process".

His perspective gradually started to induce rage in me. I tried to keep and open mind as he stated these were his opinions and he was only simply asking us to listen. It was really tough and I was slowly enveloped in a cloud of rage. Here are some of the things he told us:

"All doctors make MINIMUM $400k per year. They WANT you to be sick"

Mr. Burras helps us understand Fascia by using Saran Wrap

"Gyms are just training people for war"

"Running can kill you"

"Vaccines are full of toxins"

"Bones float in a sea of fascia"

"Cancer patients create the cancer in their minds because they want attention"

"Let me tell you a story about my patient who gave herself breast cancer because she wanted attention from her husband".. The last one was a crowd favorite. The list goes on and on and an and the students' reactions were comical, to say the least.

Our class was divided into 2 groups: Those who were so impressed by Burras and nodded in amazement when he mentioned that our emotions are determined at conception. He never answered the questions asked by someone with a logical question ( say an MD?) and always answered "I'll get to that later". Later came & went and I left his lectures with a growling stomach and a sore ass.

My friend Johan dressed up for Halloween!

Both my emotions and yoga were an emotional roller coaster this week. I had a lot of personal issues ( non-yoga related) to deal with and it kept me from focusing on memorizing postures and keeping a clear head during yoga. I even forgot to eat a snack during the break twice this week because I was taking care of personal things on the phone. I ate peanut butter and banana sandwiches twice about 1/2 hour before Bikram's 5pm class.  This caused me to vomit during two classes this week. I ran out the yoga tent first time, but have since learned to bring a ziploc bag and an extra towel to hide such indiscretions. Ewwww!   

Friday was a fun class. We were allowed to wear Halloween costumes. Because I was so tired, I simply wore orange and black. There were some creative costumes and it made the class so fun! Then Bikram threw a pizza party for us at 7:45 pm and it was just what we needed. Yum!

Costumes

Signing off for now. Namaste.

Week 5 Done- And I'm Still Standing ( Sort Of)

Last week was a blur to me. 

Bikram was back in full force and we had 3 very late nights. Monday, Wednesday and ( I think!) Thursday we were in the lecture tent watching movies until 3:30 am. Tuesday night was optional so I opted out and studied dialogue until 1 am with Group #9. Anyone who knows me well knows I normally prefer to be tucked away in my bed before midnight...but somehow I managed with about 10 hours of sleep the entire week.

Surprisingly  I managed to stay wide awake for two of the three movie nights. I have discovered I LOVE Bollywood Movies.

Monday night we watched several episodes of  Mahabharat, is a successful TV series based on the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. The 94-episode series originally ran from 2 October 1988 to 24 June 1990. Apparently, It was shown in the UK by the BBC, where it achieved audience figures of 5 million, unheard of for a subtitled series being aired in the afternoon. The shows have very important messages ( too many to name here) but I think my ADD kicks into high gear because my eyes could NOT stay open for the show. Monday's episodes consisted of a monologue and it was enough to keep me form nodding off.

Rohit! Koi Mil Gaya

Wednesday and THursday we watched Koi... Mil Gaya and its sequel Krrish starring my new crush Hrithik Roshan. KOI MIL GAYA, is about a mentally handicapped man named Rohit who receives superhuman powers from a space alien. KRRISH is the  sequel, which then tells the story of Rohit's son, Krishna. KRRISH also unleashes India's first film superhero according to Bikram. This probably has something to do with this film breaking all sorts of Indian box office records. I heart Hrithik Roshan! So happy Bikram throws some eye candy our way.

Krrish!!!!!

Yoga is going well. I had  11 wonderful classes last week but by Saturday afternoon  my knees were aching and I had pain in every crevice of my body. My friend Katy and I decided to get foot massages at Karma Relaxation Spa. Our foot massage was an hour of the best full body massage ever. I hurt in places that I didn't even know could hurt! We now have standing appointments every Saturday. It's what gets me through the week now. I am just exhausted and sleep deprived but somehow still managing to deliver in Posture Clinic. I did Tree Pose and Toe Stand and got great feedback. Just need to look at the bodies more. I start on the floor series Monday. Part of me is afraid I will forget Half Moon! 

I am learning how strong my body really is. I can put it through a lot and it won't give up on me. Bikram always says our bodies can do amazing things, but we are nothing if we don't know how to use it. He says most people are just wasting their lives away and I totally agree with him. I am beginning to see the potential I have in myself as a teacher. Already, I have been pushed way out of my comfort zone just by coming here to this training. The friends I have made so far have already become some of the best friends I have ever had, and just for that I am grateful.

My roommate and I continue to make our meals together. Here is a sample menu of my day ( pretty much been the same for 5 weeks!)

6:30 am:  Oatmeal & banana

10:30 am:  minestrone soup & fruit; chips & salsa

Noon: Turkey sandwich, apple, peanut butter 

1-4pm: apple, cheese, peanut butter & banana sandwich

7:30pm: greek salad!!!

11pm-4am: candy, corn chips, protein bars..anything to  keep me awake.

I continue to miss my husband and my comforts of home. But we skype once a week and he is busy with school. He is so supportive and  knows my life is changing for the better. I also got to see my dog Pepper while skyping with my mom.