Straighten your wrist

Went to 7:30AM class this morning with Tanya. I lover her classes! During half moon, she said to "straighten your wrist" and I didn't think much about it. She then came and corrected me when my hands were over my head. I didn't realize that my wrists were bent. When she helped realign them, it felt strange. They didn't feel straight, but when I looked in the mirror, they were straight. I've been doing the posture wrong this whole time. It made me really appreciate the dialog that much more....like a church steeple.

Classes have been somewhat strong the past week. They continue to feel HOT, but I am learning to really concentrate on my breath and to try to eliminate motions that are not required. Don't think, just do. The past two days have been a bit of a struggle with eliminating with motions that are not required as I got a hair cut and am still trying to figure out the best way to tie it/manage it for yoga. I use to have really long hair and it was easy to just tie it back for yoga. But I've cut it to a length that is not easy to tie back. I think in a few days I will get us to it and not really notice it anymore.

I had a yoga dream last night. I was dreamt that I was a teacher's training and that Bikram was being really hard on me. I think I do want to go to TT one day, but not in the near future. I can't imagine 9 weeks away from the husband and kids. I know they'd be fine, but I don't think I'd be fine.

Catching up

At one point I was down 9 classes and never thought I'd be able to make it up. Many times I contemplated quitting the challenge. I got behind due to two reasons: laziness, and another spur of the moment vacation with the family to Mt. Washington for some skiing.

But I'm happy to say, I am now only down 4 classes!!!! I've did two doubles last week, and three doubles this week (and it is on Thursday). Last night I only did one class and felt kinda guilty for not doing a double. Richard and I have found a good time for doubles - 6AM and 9:15AM. It gives us about an hour and a half between classes for some food and coffee at Starbucks. The 9:15AM class is usually the stronger class for me as I find the coolest spot in the room and I am more bendy (even though it is a morning class) due to it being my second class. Today after 9:15, I felt so strong, that I even contemplated another class, but didn't have any gear. But three classes in a row is a bit crazy! With all the doubles, I've been doing laundry everyday this week. Between laundry, yoga and family, there doesn't seem to time for much else.

The challenge is coming to an end. We only have 17 days left. I can't believe there is little over two weeks left. It feels like its been a really looooooong challenge, but on the other hand, it feels like it's gone by quick. I'm planning for doubles on Monday & Tuesday. And maybe another double before the weeks out. If I can do that, it'll be coasting until the end of the challenge. The Husband is away for a week, so I will most likely be heading to Victoria so I can get some help with the kids in order to get to class.

The crazies

So many people have been talking about the crazies during the second 30 days of the challenge and I thought to myself, "I don't think I'll get them". Was I WRONG!!!! It hit me big time the past two days. So much so that it caused me to miss class yesterday. After a full morning of being in tears, I was too drained and dehydrated to attempt class. A headache stayed with me all day until I went to bed. I was a bit of a mess today too, but I made myself go to the last class of the day (9:30) even though it meant I would miss watching The Great One (Wayne Gretzky) light the olympic cauldron.

At first I didn't like the crazies! I didn't like all the emotions that were coming up. But when I listened to them, I realized why I felt that way and where it stemmed from. After that, I felt a whole lot better. I felt that growing up, a lot of responsibilities were put on my to take care of my siblings. Now I feel I have a big responsibility to take care of my kids and husband. I feel that I am always taking care of everyone and that no one is taking care of me - not even myself. I also felt that when I made yoga a priority, that it affected my kids/husband and I felt guilty. After letting the emotions out, I realize that I have to make yoga a priority, I have to take care of me, and I have to NOT feel guilty about it because if I do all those things, it makes me a better mom/wife. I just need to let the guilty go. I am amazed each day what this yoga can do!

Today is the first day of Olympics. Vancouver is crazy!!! The energy and buzz around town is so thick, you could almost reach into the air and grab it. There were only 7 people in tonights class. I've never seen it so quiet. I'm sure people were either at the opening ceremonies, or downtown or at home watching it on tv. I'm excited for the next two weeks. I just have to remember to get yoga in.

Lost track

I've lost track of what day I'm on with my challenge. All I know is that I am once again down 4. After my triple the other day to make it down 2, I got sick and skipped yoga on the weekend. I was congested and tired so I spent most of the weekend in bed when my family didn't need my attention. I felt guilty about skipping yoga but didn't want to push myself and get more sick. I took class on Monday. I decided to find a spot in the back and take it easy on myself. I didn't want to be there but felt amazing afterwards. During class, the forward bends made my congested head feel like it was gonna explode. After class, I felt great. I think it was the right thing to go to class and sweat it out. I am not 100% yet, but getting there and I truly feel that the yoga helps, even though I don't want to go.

For today's class, I took it easy again in the back row. I did all the postures and felt great after class. Lately, I have been finding the challenge difficult. So difficult, that I want to throw in the towel. But, my friend Richard convinced me to keep at it. So, I am just gonna plug away at it. I just need to get back into a groove and slowly work away at my 4 class deficit.

The next two weeks are really going to be a challenge. It is my husband's birthday, my oldest son's birthday, and the olympics which I have some tickets to.  I just have to do one class a day to not get more in the hole. It will be a crazy time!

Triple to make it down 2

Did my first triple today. I was behind 4 classes (3 from my trip and one from yesterday) and wanted to make some of them up.  I shouldn't have skipped class yesterday. I didn't really have a good excuse except for watching 'Grey's Anatomy' and eating chips.

Went to 9:15 this morning, 7:45 and 9:30 tonight. The morning class was surprisingly strong. I was flexible - quite unusual for the mornings. The 7:45 class wasn't too bad either. By 9:30 though, I found it quite challenging. More mentally them physically. The room was on the cooler side - just the way I like it. I just kept pushing through. I only sat out one side of balancing stick. The teacher encouraged us to just keep with the dialogue and not to stop. It helped.

I am now only down 2 classes. I am beginning to find the second 30 days more challenging then the first. I remember that from my last 60 day challenge. The second 30 is more mental. I'm just going to keep plugging away one day at a time.

Stiff

I am finding morning classes difficult as I am much stiffer. However I like getting my yoga class outta the way before I start my day. What I have realized is that I must work harder in the morning classes and I like that. Morning classes humble me and makes me appreciate the flexible evening classes.

I have yet to do a double to make up the 3 I am down. Maybe a more attainable goal is to try to do one double a week for the next three weeks.

I intended on going to a morning class today but didn't make it. So it'll be 9:30 tonight. I will enjoy the late evening class. But I find the evening classes make me full of energy and I am up until 1am.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Day 31 Keeping at it...

Well, today was 2:30 class. It was HUMID in the torture chamber today. So humid that I was dripping during the first set of breathing. The weather has been unusually warm around here and it has been raining a lot. I am sure that contributes to the high humidity. I find it difficult to focus on my breath when the humidity is so high. I had a decent class. Sat out one set of locus. I made the mistake of eating lunch at 1. All the pressure on my stomach made me want to vomit.  I find that I can't eat a meal 2.5 - 3 hours before class.


Now that I am almost 30 days into my challenge, this might be a good time to review my goals and see how the progress is coming.....


Be in the moment, no fidgeting, or wiping. Completely focus. Right now, I find myself in a bad habit of being kinda 'lazy' in my triangle set-up. I put my arms down, don't get my thigh completely parallel...etc.
My focus has gotten a lot better.  I find that if I just focus on the dialogue and not anticipate, that class goes by much quicker. I have really been working on triangle. After a tip/demonstration from an instructor to put more weight on the front heel, turn the back foot slightly, bend the thigh to parallel and then only twist the arms - triangle has almost gotten easier. The first day after the demo, I got a compliment in triangle. I rarely receive compliments in that posture. With the new knowledge, coupled with a nice compliment, triangle might be one of my new favorite postures :)

Standing head to knee: by the end of the challenge, I would love to be able to get my forehead to my knee and hold it. Right now I can kick out, bend my elbows, tuck my chin in, but the forehead just won't touch my knee.
My forehead is slowly but surely getting closer to my knee. I am really making an effort to get my forehead to knee and elbows down during the sit ups and I think it is paying off.

Standing separate leg head to knee: I struggle with this posture a lot. I find it one of my toughest. By the end of the challenge I would like to be able to consistently get my forehead to knee with my hands in prayer.
I have been really trying hard in this posture. On my right side, I am able to get my forehead to knee and get my hands in prayer for half the time. I realize that my hips are aligned and that is what I am really concentrating on right now. As for the left side, I am able to get my forehead to knee, but not with my hands in prayer. In time....


Standing Bow: hold the posture for one minute. On a good day, I fall out of it twice.
I am finding the most progress in this posture. Some days I am able to hold at least one side for the full minute. I started not bring my body down so much and work on the endurance first. 

Locust: I struggle with lifting both legs up. I hesitate often in this posture. I would like to be more consistent and give it 100% each time.
This is the one posture that I am not really making progress. When I lie on my elbows, I have sharp pains in my right elbow. It feels very strained. I know I am suppose to feel pain in my elbows during this posture, but if I push it, the pain persists outside of class. When I first started practicing, the pain wasn't as severe and never lasted after the posture. So most days, I barely lift both legs. 


Rabbit: I want to be able to get my forehead to touch my knee and lift, lift, lift! Compression postures are very difficult for me.
Happy to say that I am making some progress in this posture. Before the challenge I find myself making all sorts of excuses NOT to get into this posture and if I did get in, I wouldn't really try to get my forehead to touch my knees. Now, I am happy to say I am consistently getting in the posture and consistently getting my forehead to touch my knees. I rarely get the cramp in the abdomen so I know I need to suck it in more and lift more.
Spine twist: to be able to grab my inner thigh.
Still a ways to go in this. Sometimes I think my arms are too short to be able to grab my inner thigh. It just doesn't reach. 


Water intake: cut down my water intake to two times a class (after standing series and before fixed firm)
I am still consuming a lot of water. It has just been so humid. I have water during party time, after standing series, fixed firm and sometimes after rabbit. The next 30 days, I am gonna try to take out the water after rabbit.


Now I just need to keep going to class, knock out some doubles, and things should just keep progressing....

Day 30 - Letting go.

Today marks day 30 of the challenge and I am at 27. I was really hoping to be even at the 30 day mark but life got in the way. But I'm not letting it get me down. 3 doubles to make up won't be too difficult. I am planning on doing two doubles this week and the other next week. Goal is to be even by day 45.

Since my last blog I've had some tough classes. Classes where I felt like I was on fire. Classes where I was just plain lazy. Classes where the monkey mind just would not quiet down. Rough. Rough. Rough. So I was really looking forward to my vacation with my husband and kids to Disneyland for 6 days. When I first started the challenge I didn't want to go away and miss classes but I found a really cheap deal and just couldn't pass it up. I *banked* two classes before vacation and was intending to take at least two classes while on vacation. If I stuck to my goals, I would only be down one class. But Disneyland was soooo much work!!!! I almost need a vacation from vacation. We would be at the park walking from 9:00AM until 8PM. That didn't leave me much time to take class. Instead of stressing over missing classes, I just enjoyed my time with my family and resigned to the fact that I am down 3 classes. Normally this idea would stress me out and I'd throw in the towel, but this challenge seems different to me. I am more calm. More focused and determined. Able to let go of things that don't serve me, let go of all things negative.

I am finding that this challenge is more emotional then physical for me. Since starting the challenge I have had many dreams about my father (who passed away in 2004). In all of them he is in the yoga room with me. And in one of them he says it is time for him to go and that he is at peace and that everything is alright. And that he just wanted to say bye. I wasn't there when he passed away and I think that has really haunted me for the past 6 years. Through this yoga, I am beginning to let that go. I miss him every day, but I am beginning to start forgiving myself for not being by his side during his final hours.

When I started this yoga, it was all for the physical rewards. But the more I practice the more I realize how it has changed me and continues to change me - mind, spirit and soul.

Day 4, 5 & 6: Good days, not so good days

Day 4 was fantastic!!! I had a strong class. I was surrounded by yogis with very strong, focused practices and it pushed me farther. I could feel their energy and really fed off it. Didn't skip any postures. Standing bow is slowly getting better.

Day 5 was 9:15AM. Felt stiff. I find I have a really tough time with compression postures in morning classes. Separate leg forehead to knee and rabbit are extremely difficult. I can barely get my forehead to knee even with my hands separated and my knee bent.

Day 6, another 9:15AM class. I am finding the morning classes fit best in my schedule during the week. I drop off my kiddos at school for 8:45 and it gives me plenty of time to get to the studio. And after class, I have just enough time for a quick breakfast and shower before picking them up at 11:45. Even though I am more stiff and find compression postures difficult in the morning, I like to check yoga off my 'list' early on in the day otherwise I feel it weigh heavily on my mind until I go.

I chatted with another yogi that I have seen at the studio frequently. She mentioned that she did a 30 days straight in November without realizing it. I told her about that 101 challenge. Hoping she'll join. She's gone every day this year already. It'd be encouraging and inspiring to have others at my studio join.

Something the teacher said today really hit home with me, "The postures will always be the same, but no two classes will ever be the same". I find that I am hard on myself when one day I have a strong practice, but the next day I can barely make it through. But I am slowly beginning to realize that no two days will every be the same, and that there will be good days and some not so good days. Reading other 101 bikram participants blogs has really helped me accept my not so good days because I see that other people also have those days. Thanks everyone!

Day 3: From A to Z

7:45 tonight. It is amazing how a challenge can make me go to yoga when I am not 'feeling' it. Usually when I'm not feeling it, I just bag it and have a night in. But because I am doing a challenge, I dragged my butt off the couch and tonight I was soooo happy I did. I felt nauseous all day - not sure why. Before class I decided to have a coconut water and leave all expectations at the door. As a result, I had a very strong class, one of the strongest I've had in awhile. I set up in the front row to push myself tonight and not slack off in any of the postures or take a knee. There is no rule at our studio about taking a knee in the front row, but I've made that rule up for myself. If I am going to go front row, I will do all postures.

I was able to put my hands in prayer and get my forehead to knee in separate leg head to knee today, but only on the right side but both sets. This is one of the more challenging postures for me. I was also able to do both sets of rabbit AND feel the stretch in my spine. I guess compressions are getting a little bit easier for me. I just have to remember that the postures that are the hardest are the ones I need the most. In stretching pose, I relaxed more and straightened out my spine and found I was able to get my forehead to touch my toes.

Tonight, the teacher said something interesting. He said that Bikram decided on 26 postures because there are 26 letters in the alphabet. There is that saying, "From A to Z" (meaning you've covered everything). After the 26 postures, we've worked our entire body, inside and out...from A to Z.

I'm thinking of taking my kids to Disneyland for a week later this month, so that means I might miss some classes. In order to account for that, I think I am gonna start doing a double or two over the next few weeks to 'bank' them incase we do take off to Cali. And if we don't go, I'll just have classes in the 'bank' and that ain't a bad thing :)

Day 2: 90 minutes of moving meditation

Didn't make it to 7:30AM this morning as planned. The snooze button on the alarm clock won out. Instead I went to 2:30.  I find my body stiff and unforgiving in the mornings and after yesterday's tough class, I needed all the help I could get. I usually like to set up in the front row. I find the mirrors help me focus and balance. I know that I should mix it up. Class was quite busy today and the front row was already full when I entered. I set up in the back row, right next to the door (one of the coolest spots in the room). I saw a sliver of myself in the mirror; enough to help with my balance.

Because I was not able to see myself fully, I had to listen to the dialogue and to my body. By focusing on the dialogue, I found myself more still and focused. I was able to hold both sides of the second set of standing bow for the full time. I think being in the back helped with my focus. I didn't have to look in my own eyes, see the strain in my face, or second guess myself. When it got tough, I just took another breathe and before I knew it, it was time to come out of the posture. Now to work on the first set.

When it was time for the last breathing exercise, I found myself thinking, "So this is what they all mean when they say it is 90 minutes of moving meditation". Class flew by without me sitting out any postures. I was in the moment and when things got tough, I remembered to breathe. I'm looking forward to more classes like today's. But I know that there will be good classes and not so good classes. Bring it on!!!

Day 1: It can only get better

Went to 4:15 today. What a tough class. The room was packed wall to wall with yogis starting the new year doing something amazing for themselves. The temperature was 115 and humidity was high. After the second posture, I was already a prune. I haven't had a class this tough in a very long time. I sat out one set of balancing stick, one set of standing separte leg forehead to knee, one set of cobra, one set of camel, one set of rabbit....it doesn't sound like I did much of the class at all :) During balancing stick I felt nauseous and tried to just breathe but couldn't get a handle on it until after rabbit. I suppose that is the price one pays for only doing yoga twice in the last two weeks. It felt like my first class all over again. But on the bright side - class can only get better.

I am planning on a 7:30AM tomorrow. I think I need to try to get the class done before the day starts. Have a good one everyone!