The End of the Beginning

It has finally come to end. I have officially made it through teacher training! I don’t feel like I can say that I am a teacher yet until after I teach my first class.

But….holy crap…..I teach tomorrow! OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!! That is a trip.

I stopped writing on this blog halfway through cause it was just too hard to sum up everything that was going on. And it still is. Teacher training is something that you just have to experience to really understand. It’s been crazy, fun, emotional, challenging, character-building, rewarding, frustrating, awesome……all at once.

And today, I just feel weird. I am sitting at the airport feeling a little bit lonely. I have been surrounded by 400 people for two months and even when I felt like I was getting some privacy there were still people around. I know that this is just the beginning but I miss my roommate already. We became like an old married couple! We are lucky.

I don’t know what to write so here are a few things that were said during training that I thought were important enough to write down.

Three things that make a solid yoga practitioner according to Emmy Cleaves: Frequency, Precision, Intensity.

‘Change your mind.’

‘Don’t encourage your problem so that it becomes your personality.’

‘Kill ‘em with kindness’

‘Do your karma yoga and just let god and nature do their thing’

‘Compassion is staying still while others spin their wheels’

‘Lose the pain, gain the energy’

‘Try to be the best that you can be so that you can help others’

‘We sell life’

‘The life battle is the biggest battle in the world’

‘A brave warrior cannot take shortcuts’

‘Set a good example cause the next generation will follow’

‘If anyone can steal your happiness or peace then you are the loser and they are the winner.’

‘You’re born to give not to get’

‘Give with zero expectations’

‘Too good is no good’

For as badly as I wanted it to end some days I am surprised at how sad I feel right now. But I can change my mind and that is what I am going to do right now. Life is good. This is just the beginning and I have made some incredible friends. I can now travel all over the world and visit these new friends and spread the yoga. It is all good :)

‎and there will come a time when differences will no longer harass you

Change your mind

I love Saturdays. Bikram thinks that westerners use the word love too freely! We love everything! I have always loved getting up and going to practice (whether it be yoga or rowing) first thing on a Saturday morning. And this morning was no different. Even though my body was a little tight I still managed to work really hard. And then the rest of the day is just bliss. You can fully enjoy yourself knowing that you took the time to do something for yourself in the morning.

We had an excellent teacher this morning, Ben from Austalia. He reminded me of a very important thought process during class today. He said 'all you have to do is CHANGE YOUR MIND'. This is especially true for me right now while at training and have found myself bothered about some things. All I have to do is change my mind about the things that I think are bothering me. I have the ability to change the way that I think of those things. I can choose to not let them bother me. Another example is of a woman that is in my posture clinic group who completely believes that she is incapable of learning the dialogue. She has convinced herself that she can't do it. All she has to do is change her mind - and believe that she can learn the dialogue, that it is possible. So, there it is. CHANGE YOUR MIND. About anything. It's pretty cool.

Okay –so it’s time for an update. Well, the game has definitely changed around here over the past two weeks. I kinda feel like I’ve been bitch slapped. But, I had to have known that it was going all too well. Bikram came back at the beginning of last week and our nights of going to bed by 11:30pm were long gone.

Week 5 turned out to be so much more difficult than I had anticipated. Many others also seem to hit a wall and were struggling. Emotions of all sorts were running high. I wasn’t really upset but just felt a bit daunted by each day. It was a hard week but when it was all said and done it still went by very quickly. Week 6 turned out to not be nearly as challenging as I had expected it to be, and it passed very quickly. I guess it’s another example of learning to let go of expectations.

The pace of posture clinic has really picked up and we are on Bow pose now, which is pretty close to the end of the class for those of you who aren’t familiar with the practice. I am still doing well with the dialogue but I did have my first dialogue block since training started. I was delivering Locust pose and I totally forgot the dialogue. I actually paused long enough that the evaluators had to tell me to keep going. Arrrgghhh……I was frustrated afterwards cause I had been doing so well in posture clinic and I didn’t handle the block very well. If we blank out we are suppose to just figure out a way to keep going cause if that were to happen in class you have to fake it til you make so that your students have no idea. Today was a better day for posture clinic – I delivered Full Locust and afterwards was told that I could teach today, which is good since I will really be teaching in 3 weeks. Holy crap! It’s all really happening.

On that note – I am on the teaching schedule to teach the morning after I get home. Just knowing this is really motivating me to work hard on the dialogue. Not only learning it verbatim but really learning how to deliver it in a way that motivates and inspires students. It is a learning process that will go on as long as I teach but even now it is important to take the first step beyond just regurgitating words that we have memorized.

Okay – enough of that. I’m boring you. But, that’s a given cause who really is interested in reading about yoga unless you are a yogi. As for the hot room – weeks 3 and 4 were reasonable as far the temperature went. There were a couple of classes that even felt cold. Weeks 5 and 6 were more humid, which generally means more challenging. I like it a little hot so I can’t complain. My struggles in the room have mostly had to do with my own physical abilities. As I wrote in the last post – my body is feeling sore. Now, 6 weeks later it is feeling really sore. As long as you try the right way you will get 100 percent of the benefits so that’s what I am trying to do.

We had a pizza party tonight to celebrate 6 weeks at camp, as well as Halloween. There was SOOO much pizza it was crazy. Music was played, everyone danced and then we were told that we had the rest of the night off, which is huge right now! Yay!

Okay – to be honest, I am not feeling as peppy and optimistic as I was a couple of weeks ago but it is still all good. This too shall pass and I will be back to myself before I know it. Nothing that some yoga can’t take care of :)

On a whole other note – I have a new niece, Serafina. I will meet her when I return home. It is a challenge to stay present here at training when you know so much is going on at home. I will be living in Sidney when I go back so I will be living closer to my family than I have in over a decade. Pretty cool that we will all be able to spend lots of time together. My nephew, Sam, is the coolest kid ever and I’m sure that he will rub off his new baby sister.

Hope everyone is well. 3 more weeks…..whoot whoot.

Man, life is good! Where to start…..we are officially done with week 4. I still feel like a million bucks, although my body is definitely sore at this point. I did have a really great class yesterday morning though. I didn’t expect it to take 4 weeks (I thought it would be sooner) for my body to start to feel sore so I’m pretty happy about that.

So, how did week 4 go? Bikram has been out of town for the past two weeks so we have been getting a good amount of sleep each night, which really helps the cause. He is back this week and will be around until the end so who knows how the rest of it will play out. I have learned that it is best if you just stay present and stop trying to figure out what is going to happen tonight or tomorrow or this week or next week. You hear so many people talking as if they are in the know of what is happening or going to happen. Things change, things happen so it would be nice if some people would just stop acting as if they know more than others. And that brings me to my emotion of the week – irritation! Yes, I have been quite irritable. Not sure why. Maybe it’s because we’ve been doing the exact same thing for a month and we have still another month to go. Maybe it’s cause there is no privacy or time to just relax. Or, maybe it’s cause you hear people saying ridiculous things all the time and you just think to yourself ‘what the hell are you even talking about’. Just a bit of a rant there........sorry.

For the most part everyone here is doing really well. I am constantly amazed at the strength of everyone in class. We have had many of the staff teach this week, which has been really cool. It’s easy to forget that they are also teachers. They have all taught really wonderful classes – very inspiring.

Posture clinics – we are now working through Triangle posture, which is pretty much the half-way point in class. I have been doing well and am pretty happy about how I’ve done so far. I was a bit disappointed after Triangle on Friday cause I felt that I could have done a better job but I taught myself a good lesson. I wasn’t really feeling the energy of the posture clinic on Friday but I got up to say triangle anyways and I shouldn’t have – should’ve waited until Monday. Patience…..it slipped my mind.

We have our last anatomy test tomorrow. Our anatomy teacher, Dr. P was awesome. If all of my university professors were like him I may have gone to class more often! He knew how to keep our attention, even at 10 o’clock at night. He rocks – and is totally hilarious. He is an ER doctor and anatomy professor in Las Vegas and if he ever decides to quit his day jobs he could most definitely become a stand-up comedian. The other cool thing about Dr. P is that since he started teaching anatomy at teacher training in 2009 he has taken up Bikram yoga. So, while he was here he took most of the yoga classes with us, which is so cool. I have found that sharing the room with somebody is quite the bonding experience. You feel like you have an extra special connection with someone that you have practiced beside.

Ok – on to week 5. What will it bring? Who knows! I am still a bit surprised with myself cause it just seems to be going really well. I will continue to believe that I can do whatever I put my mind to. We have the power to convince ourselves of anything, whether it is be positive or negative. I just have to remember to take my own advice sometimes, especially when I feel myself getting worked up about something. It’s all a matter of perspective!

I'm in for the ride of the next 5 weeks and am very grateful for all the good that is in my life. Positive creates positive.

Hope everyone is well.

Week 3

Another week is gone. I feel like I've been here for two months but at the same time it has passed so quickly. I can feel the fatigue setting in now. My muscles are just plain tired. I have been good mentally it is just fatigue. I do have to say that the experience of rowing in university is definitely helping me out. We are dealing with many of the same emotions, struggles, physical challenges that I had to deal with as an athlete. I find myself drawing on those experiences all the time right now. And, I hear the teachers and staff saying the exact same things that I say to my athletes as a coach. But, we have only been here for three weeks so it could be a different story at the end of next week. It's pretty cool though to be able to feel like I will be able to pull this off. People are starting to get cranky but for the most part everyone is doing really well.

Also - I actually had the flu last week. You don't really have the option to participate so you just have to suck it up. But this practice actually helps you to feel better when you are sick so you just have to deal with it and get in the room and before you know it's all better. It took about two days and then it just turned into a bit of a cold. But, even with that you just truck on. One of the things that I would always tell my rowers is that 'our bodies are capable of much more than we give them credit for' and it is totally true. Many others are also sick but everyone is dealing and we are all happy that the weekend is here and we get a day and a half of rest.

We are going through such an intense cleansing process. I will learn, while here, exactly what is going on inside but this is more than just exercise. Yoga does heal and the more stories that I hear the more that I am in shock of how amazing the practice is. There is scientific reason and explanation for what is going on. It is healing, medicine, prevention all at once. But, this yoga is hard and that's why so many people would rather just go to the doctor and get a prescription. They have been talking about how this 90-minute series is the prescription. And, it's not only for the physical aspect but also for the mental - the same applies. A couple of years ago, I'm pretty sure that I could have gone to a doctor and got a prescription for an anti-depressant but instead I went to yoga and it was hard but it worked. Don't worry - they are not brain-washing me to the point where I am going to come home unrecognizable! But seriously, by committing to this practice it gives you the freedom to live the best life possible.

As for lectures, we started anatomy this week, which will last through the end of next week. It is pretty cool to learn what is going on with the yoga and the body. It is all very valuable and we will be tested on it so we can’t let it go in one ear and out the other. And besides, by knowing this info we will be able to answer all of those questions that students ask after you sputter off in class about how it heals bones to skin, fingertips to toes. It’s all true.

We are also right into poster clinic now. Poster clinic is when we get to deliver the other postures in front of a group (about 40 people) as well as teachers, who give you feedback. I am through Standing Head to Knee and so far, so good. My studying is going very well and I feel prepared as far as dialogue goes.

So, that’s about it for now. On to week 4. Oh yeah, we had a teacher from home visit this past week. She taught a class here, which was so cool. To have a familiar voice was more soothing that I ever thought it could be. I had such a good class.

Ok, that’s about it. Hope everyone is well.

The heat in the room is like fight club - you don't talk about it!

Where to even begin…….?

The first week is done! It’s weird to sit down right now and try to sum it up. I guess that I’ll just tell you how it went and hopefully some other thoughts come out along the way. I didn’t take any notes during the week and to write about what happened on Monday and Tuesday seems like so long ago. So, note to self – write some thoughts at the end of each day and this task of blogging will be much easier.

Let me first talk about our accommodations, etc. The hotel that we are at is very nice. It is a pretty huge compound with several buildings, pools and restaurants. My roommate and I are in a tower that is very close to where the lectures and classes take place. We have a pool beside our building, as well as the laundry. I think we lucked out as far as convenience goes, although no one is too far either.

We met Bikram himself for the first time on Monday and he spoke with us for about an hour about training and what he thinks it will bring to us. Then on Monday evening we had our first yoga class that was also led by Bikram himself. The room was not very hot and he was pretty nice given that it was his first time with us….he went easy! Then beginning Tuesday it was full-on. Two classes a day with lectures in the afternoon and evenings/night. The body is already feeling it after only one week!

As a part of training each trainee has to deliver (say) the first posture (half-moon) on stage, in front of Bikram and all the other students (381 of us). It is nerve-racking to say the least. I am a get-it-over-with kind of person so I didn’t want to wait too long to go. It is first come, first serve and I just wasn’t aggressive enough to get up there the first day. I did manage to deliver the second day though and was scared crapless. I pulled it off though, which I am still a bit surprised about. Bikram has some crazy ability to just listen to a person and know all about them so you can imagine that I thought that he was going to see right through me. I ended doing well and he said some very nice things to me. I felt extremely better afterwards. So, with 381 people we have still not gotten through everybody. We also had the great pleasure of watching two Bollywood movies this week! Way to start off with a bang! I knew it was coming though – I had been warned. It is like a right of passage if you want to become a part of the family. Lectures and posture clinics will begin once we get through every trainees half-moon delivery. I am looking forward to that.

As for our actual practice – the room was not very hot for the first few classes. But they managed to sort it out and it got crackin on Wednesday evening. It was very humid and I had my first self-doubt at that time. I haven’t had any moments of question about ‘why am I here’ but rather ‘am I going to be able to make it through this’. I had a couple of classes in a row where I felt like absolute crap so I decided to try electrolytes on the advice of EVERYONE around. And it actually made a difference! From Thursday morning on I was feeling good again. And, at Saturdays class felt I was a million bucks.

I’ve already met lots of cool people and can’t believe that it’s only been one week. I think that by the end of it all I am going to be sad to be leaving. And, the thought of going to back to normalcy is just weird at this point. Our room is like out little sanctuary right now.

As for being back in San Diego….well, during the week you almost forget where you are at. But, with the weekends off we might be able to venture about a bit. We'll see as the weeks pass and how much energy we actually have come weekends. We went to the beach today, which was so nice. It was a bit of a trip to be out and about today and to be seeing the city again. My gosh, I miss the weather here.
Today was gorgeous. Not a cloud in the blue sky, a perfect day for lounging on the beach, studying dialogue.

As for my own personal thoughts/reactions/growth…..I am doing exactly what I am meant to be doing right now. It is crazy how everything falls into place. Bikram has been talking a lot about trying the right way. ‘Try the right way and don’t give up. That’s the ultimate destination.’ I have heard that line before. For the past couple of years I have been trying live by my own motto of ‘work hard, live right and good things will come your way’.

Also – for the past six months or so I have been working on my patience. Patience for answers, patience while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, patience for the rice to cook, patience for events to unfold, etc. I didn’t know if it would work but I thought about it all the time when I was being challenged. And I think that my patience has actually improved. Well, now I can’t forget about it or stop working on it but I am going to start working on my own discipline. I have always been a bit of a rebel and to actually be participating in a program that pushes me to the edge of my comfort level will be a good first challenge with this new goal in mind. I’ll let you know how that goes.

So, that’s about it for the first week. I can’t believe that I am here. It is so great. I feel good – like I am doing exactly what I should be doing. I will be in touch. Hope everyone out there is as good as I am. If not then ask yourself why not and then ask yourself what you are going to do about it. And, if you’re not sure where to begin try starting in the yoga room – it’s a pretty amazing place.

Here we go!

The adventure of teacher training has officially begun. I am sitting in the Victoria airport, bright and early on my way to San Diego. I had another dream about yoga last night so I know where my head is at. I feel a bit weird though – excited yet nervous. I’m not overly emotional about the situation but still really looking forward to it. I’m ready to go and do this. I feel like I’ve overpacked but whatever, and I even omitted some stuff last night after I weighed my bag. I don’t even have enough yoga outfits to get me through 11 classes a week but I’ll sort it out. I do have a stuffy from Sam, a magic bullet, tea pot, dishes, a bunch of other kitchen stuff and even a couple of my Henckle knives. My soup was confiscated at security so that lightens my load a bit!

I guess the adventure started to sink in at the beginning of August when I began practicing at the Sidney studio. It was at that time that I got serious about learning dialogue and started spending many hours a day hanging out at the yoga studio. The intention was to study, which we always managed to do but there was a lot of general yoga talk that always extended the sessions. It was awesome. Who knew that I would find a yoga home in Sidney! It’s just another circumstance that reminds me to ‘never say never’. I’ve been known to make a few definite statements that I’ve had to later retract. You just never know where the journey is going to take you and how your mindset can shift as you go along. I can catch myself now as I’m about to say something along the line of “I’ll never…..or I would only ever…..”. You know, those concrete statements that make you sound so confident and important and judgmental. Yeah, I’m trying to avoid those as much as possible these days :)

Now onto San Diego. I don’t even know where to begin. Basically, I will be practicing twice a day during the week, once on Saturdays and Sundays we rest. Between classes and in the evenings we will have lectures and posture clinics. So, for anyone that thinks that I’m going on a yoga holiday please just go ahead and change your mind. It sounds like it’s going to be a very challenging experience and when it’s all said and done I will be able to teach Bikram yoga. Wow – that is crazy and seems so far away at this point but as I’ve written a couple of times throughout this blog…time flies, whether we like it or not.

I’m not sure how much I am going to be able to write during the next 9 weeks. We won’t have much free time. I’m looking forward to being out of touch for awhile. Hopefully I can write enough so that those who care can keep up with the process but I’ll have to see how my time management goes.

Okay – until next time. I’m still kinda wrapping my brain around this one. It’s another Fall with another new adventure. Life is good.

Study, Study, Study - Yoga, Yoga, Yoga

Heya!

So I have been basically been practicing yoga and studying dialogue. I did my first back-to-back double this past Saturday. I have done quite a few doubles now but never back-to-back and it was pretty fun. I felt like a million bucks in my first class and then just tired but mentally okay in the second class. I had half a banana in the 30 minute break between and that sat in my stomach for about the first 30 minutes of the second class. A bit of energy helps but if I do it again I'll have to sort it out some other way cause food is not a good option with so little time.

I can't even describe in words how excited I am about training and San Diego. I have spoken about the fact that I was not in a good place when I moved away from San Diego and for some reason I am SOOOOOOOOO excited to go back. It's funny cause that city always kinda pissed me off when I lived there but I think I am starting to understand it all now. I was pissing myself off - it wasn't the city. I'll see how I feel once I'm there again but I think that might the case!

There are a couple of other themes that I can seem to get out of brain lately either. The first being Costa Rica - I am drawn to that place. Holy cow - I don't know what my deal is but I am always thinking about it. And, then I'm also thinking about surfing constantly. I don't even really surf. I mean, I have surfed, but I'm not good and I am certainly not a surfer....but I'm a thinking a lot about surfing. I even watched two surf movies in the last two days. So, I guess I am doing more than just studying dialogue and practicing yoga! Just realized that now as I write this!!! I don't know how those two are going to play out in my future but they are consuming my thoughts when I turn my brain off of yoga. Gosh life is good.......all I think about is yoga, dialogue, San Diego, Costa Rica and surfing - no worries!!!! I have nothing to complain about :)

Also - in my last post I wrote that no one really cares about my postures in class. Well, apparently they do. If I want to talk the talk then I need to walk the walk! I have to start kicking my leg out AND KEEP KICKING IT OUT throughout all of standing head to knee. Got a bit of flack after class yesterday for slacking off in that posture. Time to get real and make it happen. I was making excuses for myself and as soon as I got called out I realized that I had been letting myself off the hook. I didn't practice today so tomorrow it will be time to walk the talk! Is that how that saying even goes? You know what I mean though!

Whoop whoop - 25 days until San Diego! CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for neglecting the blog....

I have been busy with summer coaching and just returned from Ontario, where we had our last regatta of the season. I am now done coaching and am in full-on yoga mode. I have moved out of my place downtown and am living with family in Sidney, which means that I am spending a lot more time at the studio out there.

I can't believe that I leave in just over 4 weeks to start training. I am now working hard to learn the dialogue, which is way harder than I ever imagined it would be. I have the guidance of an experienced teacher, which has been huge as I totally underestimated the difficulty of actually saying the dialogue out loud in front of somebody. I am so grateful to have a partner to work with.

I'm not exactly knocking out the postures yet but I'm making progress....that is until yesterday - I felt like I was a 10-year-old again at piano lessons and I hadn't been practicing my scales and I just didn't even know where to begin. You just sit there feeling like a dumb-ass, wasting somebody else's time. Well, that was me with the dialogue. But, then there was this morning when I stood up on the podium with a microphone and spoke to an empty room and managed to deliver Half-moon pose and most of Awkward before stumbling. It felt so cool! I felt so cool! And, it felt so right :) I guess it's all a part of the process - just like practice - you have your good days and your not so good days but they all serve a purpose and you take them for what they are, you don't make too much of them and you move on.

As for my practice in the room - I have not been as strong as I usually am. I'm not sure why but I'm trying not to worry too much about it. I am just committing to each day, each class, each posture, each breath and the rest will take care of itself. I am concluding that the only reason that it is bothering me is because of my own ego - because does anyone else really care if I am not kicking my leg out in standing head to knee or if I am not touching my forehead to the floor during standing separate leg stretching pose? - NOOOOO! That's right - nobody else cares but me....so, it's time to let go! We'll see what Bikram has to say about that though....

Okay - that's about it. Not much to update. This blog probably won't become interesting until I actually get to San Diego but I will try to write anyways, just in case someone is interested.

Here are some parting words that have been inspiring me to live the best life possible.

FAITH, SELF-DISCIPLINE, CONCENTRATION, PATIENCE, DETERMINATION, GRATITUDE, COMPASSION, KINDNESS, COURAGE, LOYALTY, SELF-AWARENESS, RESPECT.

I also have a wise friend who shared 4 mottos that he tries to apply to his everyday...

1. Be true to your word
2. Don't make assumptions
3. Don't make it personal
4. Do your best

So, there it is - some food for thought!

The Interconnectedness of the Universe

Sometimes you just have to wonder if this is all really a coincidence. To me, there are some things that just fall too perfectly into place for it to be a coincidence.

Pretty much everyday I go to the Bikram Yoga website to look at whatever, usually the job postings for 'teachers wanted'. So, yesterday I do the usual but there was something different about the teacher training page, which I noticed right away since I go to the website all the time......teacher training is NOT in Vegas this fall.....it is in SAN DIEGO! WHAT?!? I had been warned that it could change locations on us and sure enough, it did.

Hmmm.....how do I feel???? I left San Diego at such a weird time in my life, after living there for 4 years. I didn't leave on good terms and have always felt that I didn't have closure there. But, I figured that moving on and working through those negatives emotions was the way to get closure. And, now a couple of years later and having worked through alot of those emotions I feel like I am in a really good and healthy place in my life. But, there's always been something with me and that city that I didn't feel was finished, although I never knew what to make of that feeling. I just left it alone and figured that the journey would take care of it all. And, now this? SO WEIRD! Is this going to be the closure that I always felt I needed? Who knows?!?

I started practicing Bikram's in San Diego. I was first introduced to this amazing practice at the La Jolla studio. I knew that I loved it from the first class but because of my negative state of mind it was so hard for me. It is the only studio where I have walked out of class, cried in class, drove there and then drove away because I couldn't handle walking in and looking at myself in the mirror. I feel like going to training there is sort of like coming full circle with this decade of my life. (side note - I turn 30 while at training). I get to return to San Diego to accomplish something so positive. The irony of it all is crazy.

In my last post I said that I felt like I was going completely in the right direction and this news has absolutely just sealed the deal. I don't think that this could have been scripted any better. I do think though that I am going to have to work through alot of emotion while there. From what I have read everyone works through a certain amount of emotion during training, depending on what they hold inside. I think, for me, there is going to be alot going on emotionally and mentally. I can't wait, I am so ready for all of this.

As for my practice over the last couple of weeks.....I only practiced 3 times the week following the 30-day challenge and guess what....I didn't feel as great as when I was practicing everyday - big shock! The mini break is over and I will be back to 5 days a week, at least. I cancelled my membership to the Y so it's either yoga or running as far as workouts go.

Less than 3 months to the start. I am patiently waiting but I am pretty excited about all of this. The interconnectedness of the universe is at work and I feel calm knowing that it is all going to work out just as it should....The good, the bad. The ebbs and flows. SO WEIRD!

Progress

It feels like I have made lots of progress in my world of yoga since my last post. I finished a 30-day challenge, tried a new studio in Vancouver and finally had a meeting a local teacher/studio owner to talk about training and so on. It's been a good month and the yoga wheels in my brain are spinning with all the possibilities that I will have following training.....I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!

So, first off I finished the 30-day challenge. It was good to get in the mind-set of yoga everyday and making that commitment because it won't be long before I am in Vegas practicing everyday, twice a day. I found the challenge to be the most difficult around 12 days in. You're not quite halfway but you're already feeling a bit tired and it takes a lot of positive self-talk and motivation and dedication (especially when you're living your normal life). I found that my legs got super tired by the end of the challenge. Once you are able to get really deep into the postures you really start to use your legs, so between that and riding my bike everywhere I was definitely feeling it.

But, more exciting than finishing the 30-day challenge was the opportunity to practice at the Commercial Drive studio in Vancouver last weekend. I love going to new studios. I liken it to getting a new stamp in your passport! I went to class on both Saturday and Sunday. Both classes were very humid, but Sunday's was crazy compared to what I am used to in Victoria. I always call myself the heat nazzi though so I can't complain. It was the first class that I've had in a VERY long time where I felt like my head was going to explode from heat claustrophobia. The teacher, Christian, was also awesome - one, if not the best I've had. He was making people laugh, calling people out on their crap, then cracking more jokes and then telling everyone to suck it up about the heat. It was really fun and I sweat more than I think I ever have!

Then....I finally got to sit with one of the studio owners in Victoria. We had a good chat about teacher training and then bascially what to expect following training. I have started to work on the dialogue as well....oh, just 43 pages to memorize verbatim. I have half of half moon pose done. I guess it's progress!

Aside from all that - everything else is as usual. If you didn't know that I was going to teacher training my life would seem to be the same day after day right now. But, really, in my head all I can think about is yoga, yoga, yoga. I am already thinking about the possibilities once I am done training. I would love to open my own studio and I know exactly where but that is for future talk on the blog. Who knows where this is going to lead me but I absolutely, without a doubt, feel like I am going in the right direction. The thought of it all almost makes me giddy!!!

Until next time :)

Part Deux

Heya! So, I am back after a bit of a hiatus. Life has been life so there hasn't really been anything to blog about. I have been thinking ALOT about the journey that we are all on and where I feel that it is leading me. And, it is now the right time for me to go to teacher training for Bikram's yoga.

I started practicing over 3 years ago back in California. I still remember my first class....I went in a bit cocky. I generally work out about 6 days a week and I thought that, although it would be challenging, I would be able to make it through no problem. Well, I did stay in the room but I certainly didn't make it through class. I pretty much laid on my mat for half of it. But, I went back the next day and the day after that and then the day after that. And, from there it is history. Over the course of the 3 years I have had the opportunity to practice in many different places including San Diego, Berkeley, Bangkok, Costa Rica, Washington, Oregon, Victoria.

For the better part of the time since I began in 2007 I practiced 3 times a week but over the past year I have been going at least 5 times a week - unless it's racing season. I just find that I feel so great and my outlook and perspective about everything is so much better when I practice alot. I have a bounce in my step and a confidence from the practice that no other form of exercise has ever given me. I feel like a million bucks after class.

Having been a rowing coach for the past 7 years I know that coaching, teaching and generally inspiring others is what I am meant to do. And, I have been trying to figure out what kind of teaching I am meant to do. I had all of these ideas in my head when the answer was right in front of my face the whole time! My sister actually mentioned becoming a teacher a couple of years ago when she would come to class with me but I brushed it off. But, I understand that when the time is right it is right. We experience exactly what we should be experiencing for that given moment.

So, this blog is going to be about my journey leading up to teacher training as well as my time at teacher training. Although, from what I've heard and read there probably won't be much time to write while I am actually there. I think that it is important for the people that are a part of my life to understand what is going on with myself and yoga. It is hard to express all of my thoughts in regards to practice so maybe this will give you more insight into bikram's and what it contributes to my outlook.