My challenge ended last Friday at 5:30 PM. Thank you to all the yogis who congratulated me. My special thanks go to Elaine, Debby and Adam who always give me a smile when I walked in the studio.
I must admit 60 days was a bit long, but also must admit that I enjoyed every day and every minute of it. I feel my postures have improved and I now get more benefit from each posture. I know how to align my hips, relax my shoulders, keep my eyes open, lift my right or left buttock up, I really try to touch not my nose or eye but my forehead to my knee, and concentrate when Elaine calls for tremendous concentration.
I randomly stumbled into a Bikram yoga studio sometime in 2008. I really did not know what "hot yoga" meant. Boy, was it hot in there. It was hot hot. My lungs were burning and I could not drink enough water during the class and afterwards. I found the first class so challenging that I decided I would never go back. As challenging as it was, there was also a part of me enjoyed it very much and wanted to experience it again. After few classes I found myself looking forward to everyday. Today I practice Bikram Yoga every day and lack of a better term I am hooked.
Bikram Yoga is a perfect combination of concentration, strength, balance, discipline and good work out. I encourage everyone to give a chance to Bikram Yoga. For me it is a life long journey. I will keep practicing it as often as I can which may mean every day:)
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Fanatic or Evangelical?
54 days ago I committed myself to Bikram Yoga 60 Day Challenge. It has been a great experience so far. I am very happy with the changes that have taken place mentally and bodily. I, however, wonder if I became a fanatic Bikram Yoga follower or better yet, a Bikram Yoga - evangelist. My Aha! moment came the other day when I was spending an afternoon with friends, I recommended doing Bikram Yoga to everyone and insisted that one must experience it to believe it.
What does that make me? I got to let it go.
Today I am taking a day off because of knee pain. I think I will recover faster if I rest. So, why am I feeling like I am missing something? There is a class everyday and instructors are as good as it gets. I do not have a favorite, (well maybe; some days Debby, other days Adam).
In any case, I think I have to lighten up and look forward to everyday as a new experience and enjoy sweating with other yogis.
What does that make me? I got to let it go.
Today I am taking a day off because of knee pain. I think I will recover faster if I rest. So, why am I feeling like I am missing something? There is a class everyday and instructors are as good as it gets. I do not have a favorite, (well maybe; some days Debby, other days Adam).
In any case, I think I have to lighten up and look forward to everyday as a new experience and enjoy sweating with other yogis.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Listening
I was told that 60 day Challenge is a life altering experience.
Well, I have to admit after 30 days I can feel and see the changes have been taking place bodily and intellectually. Some of them are simple stuff like, my waistline is smaller, I am more aware of how I stand, walk. I am centered. I do not get irritated easily, I listen better therefore instructions make sense and help me to improve.
The other evening during Bikram class I found myself doing the Tree Pose which has been a challenge for me. It is one of those awkward poses you see in the magazines and think that this is the reason I should not try yoga.
It was unexpected, unintended. It just happened. I was able to do this pose because I listen better. Instructions made more sense than ever. I leaned down from my hips, streched the spine, lifted my buttocks and I was sitting on my one leg.
I have a lot of listening to do before I can perfect my Tree pose. No matter what, I felt like a baby who took her first step.
Well, I have to admit after 30 days I can feel and see the changes have been taking place bodily and intellectually. Some of them are simple stuff like, my waistline is smaller, I am more aware of how I stand, walk. I am centered. I do not get irritated easily, I listen better therefore instructions make sense and help me to improve.
The other evening during Bikram class I found myself doing the Tree Pose which has been a challenge for me. It is one of those awkward poses you see in the magazines and think that this is the reason I should not try yoga.
It was unexpected, unintended. It just happened. I was able to do this pose because I listen better. Instructions made more sense than ever. I leaned down from my hips, streched the spine, lifted my buttocks and I was sitting on my one leg.
I have a lot of listening to do before I can perfect my Tree pose. No matter what, I felt like a baby who took her first step.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Day 25
I have always been an athletic person and started working out in the early 1980s when Jane Fonda called us to aerobic dancing and told us that it was the key to live forever. I run, lifted weights, biked, danced to African music, you name it, I have done it.
Except YOGA. I avoided yoga with all my heart. I found it boring, did not think it was a real exercise. Plus, new age music and the incense they burnt made me nauseous.
As I matured or shall we say, as I got wiser in my choices, I realized my body was aching and my knees were hurting. I knew I had to find a gentler way to work out. I thought swimming was a great option. That lasted several months as my chemically processed hair turned green, I realized that i was spending too much time and money at the hairdresser.
20+ years later, here I am in a 90F degree room with bunch of sweaty people. I am following the stern but detailed directions of my instructors. I try my hardest to bring my baby fingers together, making sure my hips are even, my legs are straight, and I am working on pressing my forehead to my shins without leaving any space between, I want to look like a grilled cheese sandwich, nothing hanging nothing loose, upper and lower body parts pressed to each other. Yes, my friends I am doing Bikram Yoga and loving every minute of it.
Except YOGA. I avoided yoga with all my heart. I found it boring, did not think it was a real exercise. Plus, new age music and the incense they burnt made me nauseous.
As I matured or shall we say, as I got wiser in my choices, I realized my body was aching and my knees were hurting. I knew I had to find a gentler way to work out. I thought swimming was a great option. That lasted several months as my chemically processed hair turned green, I realized that i was spending too much time and money at the hairdresser.
20+ years later, here I am in a 90F degree room with bunch of sweaty people. I am following the stern but detailed directions of my instructors. I try my hardest to bring my baby fingers together, making sure my hips are even, my legs are straight, and I am working on pressing my forehead to my shins without leaving any space between, I want to look like a grilled cheese sandwich, nothing hanging nothing loose, upper and lower body parts pressed to each other. Yes, my friends I am doing Bikram Yoga and loving every minute of it.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
50 more days
Fifty more classes left to meet the challenge and I am loving every minute of it. 50 more times to stretch and kick..50 more times to go back.. all the way back..waaay back..50 more classes to try my hardest to see the back wall of Bikram Yoga Studio's back wall. I have to remind my mind to stay focused 50 more days. My mind takes off in the middle of intense Bikram move to places that it should not be travelling. That is when my legs start wobbling and I loose the focus and I hear the instructor calling us back to our center 10 more seconds to stretch and kick.. harder you kick easier it gets. I am convinced that my mind has its own mind and yoga brings it back.
I was lucky enough to visit the great Angkor Wat temples of Khmer Empire in Cambodia(in 2007). I remember the stories drawn on the temple walls. It seemed like they were so concerned about the balance of life. It was the focus of their life; the snake was stretched by elephants and monkeys. Elephant is pulling the head, monkey pulling the tail of the snake. Under the snake carvings there were carvings related to daily lives of the common people, some cooking rice, some bathing, kids playing etc. These carvings had a profound effect on me. For centuries people strived to stay focused and balance their lives. If it worked for them, balancing and focusing should work for me too.
I was lucky enough to visit the great Angkor Wat temples of Khmer Empire in Cambodia(in 2007). I remember the stories drawn on the temple walls. It seemed like they were so concerned about the balance of life. It was the focus of their life; the snake was stretched by elephants and monkeys. Elephant is pulling the head, monkey pulling the tail of the snake. Under the snake carvings there were carvings related to daily lives of the common people, some cooking rice, some bathing, kids playing etc. These carvings had a profound effect on me. For centuries people strived to stay focused and balance their lives. If it worked for them, balancing and focusing should work for me too.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Starting
I committed myself to”60-day challenge” of Bikram Yoga. It means I will not miss a day of Bikram Yoga for 60 days. I found out about it when I was searching for a Bikram Studio for my son who lives in Palo Alto, CA.
I thought it may help to speed up the winter months and it would be my little secret if I could only keep it to myself that is until I blurted out to Elaine the other evening after a class. Now I am double committed; I can not let myself or Elaine down.
Elaine suggested that I should chronicle my experience on FaceBook for my fellow yogis. So I will try to write about it daily and hope to inspıre others along the way,
Today will be my 7th day and I must admit this commitment has been a bit of an inconvenience since I now have to organize my days around 530 PM class. There was a concert I opted not to go and decided that I didn't have to see that French art movie. These are the few sacrifices so far but I keep thinking about the end result when I will be able to stand on one leg without wobbling and I can already hear Debbie complementing me while I am doing Dandayamana Janushirasana pose. That is one of the rewards worth working towards.
I thought it may help to speed up the winter months and it would be my little secret if I could only keep it to myself that is until I blurted out to Elaine the other evening after a class. Now I am double committed; I can not let myself or Elaine down.
Elaine suggested that I should chronicle my experience on FaceBook for my fellow yogis. So I will try to write about it daily and hope to inspıre others along the way,
Today will be my 7th day and I must admit this commitment has been a bit of an inconvenience since I now have to organize my days around 530 PM class. There was a concert I opted not to go and decided that I didn't have to see that French art movie. These are the few sacrifices so far but I keep thinking about the end result when I will be able to stand on one leg without wobbling and I can already hear Debbie complementing me while I am doing Dandayamana Janushirasana pose. That is one of the rewards worth working towards.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
