Like a flower petal blooming ...

Secret Lovers

2009-06-12T00:28:00.000-07:00

That's what we are!!

Sorry Charlie, but I've found a new lover in the desert. He takes care of my needs when I am at my lowest and need him the most. He gives me the juiciest kisses ever. He's so warm; never cold (Diane took care of that*). He always gives; never takes. He's the only one that comforts me when I am struggling....

Yes, I think I have fallen in love with my water bottle.

It all happened a couple of days ago. For those of you that aren't too familiar with the yoga, we begin with a breathing exercise, followed by 3 'warm up postures', and then it's party time. So, after about 30 minutes we take a quick water break - no water is allowed before party time. Well.... the other day while I'm in Eagle (the third warm up posture), I look down longingly and pathetically at my water bottle. It seems this humidity thing is a bit of an issue in the desert (ya think?). I have noticed two degrees of humidity in the hot room here in Desert Springs:

1. Oppressively humid, as in, when it's quiet enough, I can hear the sweat falling from everyone like rain.

2. Bone dry.

This day was a bone dry day. My throat was dry. So dry. I may have actually been sick that day too (which may explain the delusion I am about to describe). Yes, come to think of it, I believe I was quite sick that day. I look at my bottle. Party time is so so so close, but I just don't know if I can make it. As my arms and legs are twisted (yes, like ropes), and I am sitting down (yes, in the chair - not the bar stool), I start considering my situation. What exactly will happen if I partake before the par-tay? Does one spontaneously combust? Does Bikram throw you out, not refund your money, and banish you from practicing his yoga for life? Do you simply become known as the loser who didn't wait for the group break? Cut to me with that longing/puppy dog look on my face, staring down at the open mouth of my water bottle.

Then it talked to me.

Yep, it talked. That mouth moved. It had a voice similar to Barry White's. It said "Don't worry baby, we'll be together soon." That reassurance (reality check - from my WATER BOTTLE) kept me going. I think I nodded my head and thought "Ok, water bottle, you're right."

So this hot new love affair is going strong. In fact, every time I give it that same longing look, this plays in my mind (and no, I'm not just being silly; it really does):

* When Diane was here, she mentioned that ice in your water bottle is not a good idea in the hot room. This is not a habit I have a home, but it was really nice here in the desert. (Note, the past tense of that sentence).
One morning I am at the sign in table. Diane's happy, smiling face greets me.

Me: "Good morning!"
Diane: "Good morning! Is that ICE I see in your bottle??"
Me: A list of excuses and a look of shame.

I have been ice-free since then!

Happy Half-Way Day!

2009-06-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Week 5 brought our half way point!

Happy half-way day, Shannon! What's your reaction?

Happy half-way day, roomie! What's your reaction?

Happy half-way day, mat-mate Joann! What's your reaction?

What's Up / What's Going On??

2009-06-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

I first thought I'd throw some Marvin Gaye in here, but when I was searching for "What's Going On" on youtube, 4 Non Blondes popped up. How could I say no to that 90's one hit wonder?? The flannel. The combat boots. The dark lipstick!! Sigh...

So yes, "WHAT'S GOING ON??" you ask! I am sorry I have not written about week 5 and 6, and it's almost the end of week 7! I have been a little overwhelmed and have not made time to hit the blog. The details of the weeks are a little fuzzy (I am having trouble remembering things that happened a few days ago, or even last night, honestly), but I will give you the headlines! :)

*Diane and Teri left at the end of week 5. Diane taught class on Friday morning, and don't know how she does it, but the woman makes me emotional! It's like she opens her mouth and tears pour from my eyes. So yeah, that class was another tough one for me. To give myself a little credit, this was the week they pulled out all the emotional stuff on us. Staff members told very personal stories of how their lives were drastically changed by doing the yoga, and Manali performed an emotional chant the same evening we heard all the stories. So all that was brewing for me, and I didn't think it had that much of an effect on me. Well, come Friday morning it's HOT, I'm feeling overwhelmed, people are taking photos all class for the yearbook, and because I chose a spot in the front/middle today, I am in the background of a lot of these pictures sitting out postures and/or weeping. Awesome. After sitting out 3 postures in a row, trying to keep myself from making audible sobs, and therefore keeping myself from breathing, I decide it's time.
I. Need. To. Leave. The. Room.
I just had to get myself together so I can finish the class. So that's what I did. Judes came to my rescue and talked me out of totally freaking out.

Other highlights (but I don't know that I would categorize the former as an actual 'highlight') of week 5 & 6:
* Jon Burras (the fascia guy) came to talk to us about ... well... fascia, and his thoughts on parenting, which pushed a couple buttons seeing as he admitted to having no children. So that's neither here nor there. He had some pretty cool props, and I am just like a child - pretty, shiny, colorful things with lots of movement; you've going my attention.

Danielle being a good sport and demonstrating how everything in the body is wrapped with fascia!

* Lisa from San Antonio rallied all the visiting teachers to throw us a pizza party. Let me tell you - this was the most pizza I had ever SEEN. It was like Christmas morning! HUGE stacks of pizza boxes everywhere. What's in this one? What's in the one buried under ten other boxes. It was a TON of food and SO SO SO nice of them!

* Manali had a birthday and was so nice to buy treats for everyone!

Raj and Manali on Raj and Bikram's 25 wedding anniversary.

* We were honored to have Dr. Das (Rajashree's teacher) lecture to us! He was such a sweet man, and gave very informative lectures.

* Posture clinics really gained some speed around week 6. We started doing 2 a day for 3 hours at a time. Unfortunately, I got sick (again, dang it!!) during the same week, and it affected my delivery of postures. I kind of bombed Tree/Toe Stand and Wind Removing, but I rebounded at the beginning of this week after I was able to study well over the weekend, and could once again breathe through both nostrils at the same time.

I think I got all the biggies from the last two weeks... and what the heck, here's a little Marvin, just for fun!!

Diane Working her Magic!

2009-05-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from an impromptu after class lesson with Diane. It is a lot of fun to watch her teach. She has such a talent!

Whoa.

Yay roomie! This is Rebecca.

I know this feeling... well.

Straight wrists and no "basketing"

A few visiting teachers decided to do an advanced class.

Week 4 Re-Cap

2009-05-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

I am so very tired. A little too tired to go into a lot of detail about the past week, but I will do my best to fill you in.
Week 4 will not be my shining week; it will not be the highlight of my training. It was my ... shall we say "hormonal" week, which didn't help things. So, you know Diane came on Sunday (and the website will not let me load my video, I'm really sorry). Bikram returned on Tuesday, and strangely the Bollywood returned on the same day.

Return of the boss! He was very excited to show off his new shirt.

We were up to 4:30 on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, 3:30 Wednesday/Thursday, and 2:30 Thursday/Friday. I have now learned to not even try to stay up. This is the only way I can function: just bring my pillow and blanket and camp out on the floor. Tuesday they fixed the ac in the lecture room!!!!! The only bad thing is that when they did, it was PUMPING. I had posture clinic in the lecture room on Tuesday evening, and as I sat there I started to feel drainage in my throat ... then it started feeling a little sore. I shivered as I slept on the floor that night for our Bollywood fest. Awesome. The cold is still with me. Wednesday I was really struggling for obvious reasons. I signed up in week 3 to be part of the yearbook staff. I wanted to add my pictures and have a say in the layout. I thought it was a good idea because it is so out of character for me to be involved in something like that. Well, they planned a 10 minute meeting on Tuesday morning. I was the only one to show up, and so I was kind of ignored. There was an announcement that they would "definitely" have the meeting on Wednesday morning. I just couldn't be there early after falling asleep at 5:30am. I thought this wouldn't be a huge deal, but I was wrong. Apparently I don't get a spot on the committee (that I signed up for) because I wasn't at the meeting that was a redo of the one that no one but me showed up for. Sweet. Don't forget, at this point I am: hormonal, sleep deprived, and my feelings are hurt. So the day progresses. Rebecca and I take a "little" nap before our evening class. We wake up at 5:07. Class starts at 5pm. Really sweet. They call us to make sure we are not dead. We are indeed not dead, though we are comotose. This is beside the point, though. They urge us to come on. We rush to the tent, and then find out we are required to watch the class and do a make up after our Saturday morning class. Now I am hormonal, sleep deprived, my feelings are hurt, and I am feeling defeated. Let the water works begin! The week kept going and things obviously turned out ok. Actually, for it to have been such a frustrating week, it went by really fast! Saturday's make up class wasn't bad. I did Eagle and Standing Head to Knee in posture clinic, and got great feedback both times.

Nice ladies: Carol and Jennings

Hmmm.... I have felt this way once or twice in Posture Clinic too.

Linda (a teacher from home) came to visit!

Delivering a hug to Soka from her daughter Thita :) . It made me cry (hormones)!

Diane doing it Diane style! She said she didn't like being down there :)

DIANE

2009-05-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, Diane arrived yesterday! It is so cool to have her here! She taught the morning class, and let me just say, I am glad I know/love/appreciate her already! This morning's class was like WHOA. Wow, did I have my butt kicked. I mean kicked doesn't even really describe it. I was embarrassed at how much I had to sit out. But there is always the next class, right? :) I have to remind myself of that: that class is over, and now it's on to the next one!

I will have a video of Diane's introduction up soon. I tried to get it done now, but it is taking too long to upload and I have an anatomy class calling my name .... :)

Thursday, What a Drag ....

2009-05-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday, oh Thursday.

I wake up. I am dragging. I tell my roommate she doesn't have to wait for me to go to the morning class. I am really dragging. I continue to drag. Perhaps this was the day Pubali teaches the very low key class... yes, I believe it is. I am thinking she is picking up on the vibe that it seems everyone is feeling. Tired. Drained. And yes, dragging.

The day, and myself continue to drag. I have enjoyed Dr. T's anatomy lectures. But not today. I am falling asleep. I am not alert. I am hot. It is stuffy. I ... am .... falling ..... asl ......... (body jerk) OH, I'm awake!! It seems to me that all of a sudden, today about half the room is asleep.

We break for a 25 minute break during anatomy. I rush back to the room. I lie down for 5 minutes. I decide to see what Miss Pink was dealing with on this day during her training. I open her published diary, The Mighty Cobra and The Pink Rabbit. Miss Pink (a nickname bestowed upon her by Bikram) attended the Spring 2005 training with Charlie. I kid you not, this was an excerpt from the same day of her training:
"During anatomy class (which usually runs from noon until around 3:00) about half of the students were fast-asleep. I was really battling the heavy eyelids, too, and may have dozed off here and there. Up until today, I have been fairly awake -- not necessarily alert, but at least my eyes are open. But as I listened to little tiny snores from all over the room, I decided I had nothing to prove, who am I to stay awake when everyone else sleeps?"

WHOA.

So later it is class time. Martha Williams came in to teach. Confession: I didn't love her first class. I thought it was ok, but I was not in love, and I understand that I do not have to be in love with all the classes/teachers.

WHOA again.

She was so on. She was SOOOO entertaining. She kept me super focused and super determined. I didn't feel the heat. I just felt totally energized by her class! She sang to us!

Then it happened. Full Locust Pose. Imagine the room you saw of us in the youtube clip. Then imagine all of us like this:

Gets a little cramped right? You can pick your neighbor's nose, right? Well you start the pose with your chin on the floor and your arms "out to the side like airplane wings".

Setting up the pose, Martha starts singing:
"Where it began, I can't begin to know when
But then I know it's growing strong
Oh, wasn't the spring, whooo
And spring became the summer
Who'd believe you'd come along"

Me: "I know this ... what is this?!"

Martha: "Hands, touching hands, reaching out
Touching me, touching youuuuuuu"

Me: "OMG, NO WAY"

Martha: "Lift up, and SING!"

320+ yogis: Lift annnnnnnnnnnd
"SWEET CAROLINE
WAH WAH WAH
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
WAH WAH WAH
to believe it never would"

Uncontrolable laughter (but controlled poses), clapping, and cheering ensues.

Wow! How can Thursday be a drag when you sing Sweet Caroline in Full Locust Pose? I ask you, how can it??

Posture Clinics

2009-05-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

This was the week we split into 16 groups and began the all important *posture clinics*! Posture clinics are where we present a memorized posture in front of our group and a teacher, and 'teach' a group of 3 other trainees. The point of this is the feedback from the teacher - how well did we do, what do we need to work on, etc. This week I delivered Backward Bending with Hands to Feet, and Awkward. I did pretty well in both. I was told I would be a good teacher and I need to project more (ahem, Charlie) with BB and HtF. Ren led the posture clinic where I delivered Awkward. I was pretty sleepy and not feeling like going. Apparently many people were feeling the same way, because no one wanted to go. Shannon finally jumped up, and I told her that because she went (and wasn't planning to), I would do the same. Ren said I did well and I had good energy.... at the beginning. Apparently I lost it somewhere in the 2nd part. I think I got a little irritated that "compression of the abdominal wall, contraction of the abdominal muscles" came out reversed, and I just lost my enthusiasm. That, and I was super sleepy. Oh well, he said I did fine. I'll just have to remember to really fake the energy even when I'm not feeling it; that is what a good teacher does, isn't it?

Examples of what Backward Bending, Hands to Feet, and Awkward look like:

Week 3 Visiting Teachers Line-up

2009-05-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

Week 3 brought a bunch of visiting teachers! Some taught classes, some sat in on posture clinics (I will explain 'posture clinics' in another post), and they were all cheerful and encouraging!
Ren taught an awesome class on Monday morning, and ended our week on Friday night. He teaches at headquarters in Los Angeles. Everyone loves Ren. You can't not love Ren; he's SO nice to everyone, and such a great teacher. I was lucky to have him in posture clinic this week, as well.

(Ren and the back of Shannon's head :) )

We also had Martha Williams from Minnesota. She taught two classes as well; one of which was probably my best class ever - it was out of this world!

Another stand out was John Salvatore - he was just a hoot, and taught a kickin class!

Val Sklar, from Pasadena also led an inspiring and tough class!

Pubali Campbell (who happens to be Bikram's niece), from New Hampshire, lead a very nice, low key class (which I really appreciated).
She took a little video clip of us before class, and while searching for it on youtube, I discovered she took another during savasana, that she didn't mention ;) . Look for me, I'm the only on in the room with a yellow mat. I'm just to the right of the center of the room, and five rows back. I'm not very clear, but you can spot the yellow mat :)

It's so cool to me how they are all delivering the same message, but have such different ways of doing it!

Here's a shot of the whole bunch:

:

Dem Bones

2009-05-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

Week three brought the beginning of our anatomy lessons! Wow, the class, which is led by Dr. Frank Trapani, is really interesting but that darn lecture room is so hot!! It has made being coherent during the lecture time quite challenging. Dr. Trapani is very knowledgeable and breaks up his lecture with silly jokes and lots of information about nutrition.

The lessons are pretty basic, so that we have a general knowledge of the body and how it works. There will be a test on Monday (tomorrow) (that I haven't studied for)on everything we learned the past week. We will have one more week of lessons this week, with another test next Monday. Like I said, it is all very interesting, but it is also more to cram in while we are trying to master postures for posture clinics, meal times, showers, and our daily double time in the hot room.

This is kind of our last week of anatomy in a nutshell:

Week Two, DOWN!

2009-05-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness .... week two is over! So, you already know about Half Moon and Emmy .... along with those two events, we had some great lectures, got certified in CPR, and watched more Indian movies! Emmy taught 3 classes and gave us some wonderful lectures. It was such a pleasure to have her visit, and I can't wait til she returns!

CPR is now a requirement for teachers in training, so this was knocked out on Saturday. We did a crash course on chest compressions, rescue breathing, and abdominal thrusts. Fun stuff.

Bikram was in a great mood this week and also gave some inspiring lectures. One night we watched his 60 Minutes interview, along with a million other retro tv clips featuring him and his close friends with swords, a bed of nails, spears, and motorcycles.

He was also really excited to begin showing us Mahabarat. It is an Indian TV series filmed in the late 80's - 1990, that portrays Indian mythology. It is interesting and entertaining for different reasons, but I have to say it would probably be more enjoyable when you're not nodding off in a hot lecture room, sitting upright, at 2am. Just sayin.

Here's the first episode:

Week 2 was challenging for me personally. I had a handful of physical struggles. For example, I couldn't figure out that whole electrolyte thing. A lovely student from home, who is in the know on all things nutrition, suggested I try potato chips for their potassium and salt. No. Freakin. Way. Do you know I have been craving potato chips like nobody's business lately?! I just figured I shouldn't give in! They seem to have helped my situation! They were the first thing I could eat this week (and I had them on Friday night) that I could eat and not feel like I was going to throw back up again! Yes, I have been dealing with some *serious* nausea. I have been feeling full even when I haven't eaten in hours and my stomach is growling. So I go to eat something, and after the first bite or two I have to make a serious effort to get it to stay down. Ugh, not a good feeling ... this is making me think "Eating and keeping it down are equal and simultanious, 50/50." Gah - dorky dialogue reference! So, I decided that if I was craving the chips, and they stayed down just fine, maybe I should go for everything I was craving. And I did. And it was a crazy list. Anchovies, Club crackers, sliced cucumbers with salt & pepper, cream cheese, and olive tapanade. I made myself a sampler platter of all of these, and what do you know! It was like it was the best meal I had ever had! Like the flavor of everything had been kissed by angels! I was even able to not turn green after I had the cheeseburger from Burger King I have been craving! Hopefully this good feeling will stay with me into the coming week as we do more classes.

This weekend included a Trader Joe's adventure (love them) and a laundry party. Woo hoo!

So week 2 is down, and week 3 is knocking on the door! Bikram won't be with us because of seminars and other such obligations. I can't wait to meet the visiting teachers who will be leading us in class! And speaking of, I am giddy that Diane will be here next Sunday to stay for a couple of weeks. She is such a special lady, and we are blessed to have her in New England!
Hmm... I should be getting on studying that dialoge again! We are breaking off into groups this week to start plowing through posture clinics!

Happy Mother's day to all who are mothers! And thank you to everyone who checks in on the blog! Your support helps me so very much!

Half Moon!

2009-05-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

I got it done this week! I delivered Half Moon!

Charlie told me that when he was in training he would always tell a joke before he presented a posture in the posture clinic, so I decided, since it is unlike me to do so, I should try to get a little 'huh yuk' out of my captive audience of 300+. "Keep a nice, tight grip. Don't lose the grip" is everywhere in the dialoge. Bikram had been making jokes about this, "You know why Western women can't keep their men?! They don't grip tight! That and you can't cook!" So that was my joke angle.

(Me explaining myself to Mr. Bikram Choudhury)

It had been a long afternoon, and finally it was my turn to go. I get up on stage, look at Bikram sitting on his plush throne, and say "Hi, I'm Jennifer Warren, and I'm from Northampton, Massachusetts, where I own a studio." He looks through me. He doesn't blink. He doesn't question me (there's no way I can own a Bikram studio and not be a certified teacher). He is obviously not listening to me. I look at him an say "You're supposed to ask me how I own a studio already!" He snaps out of it and questions me. "Technically my boyfriend owns the studio........ but I grip tight, so what's his is mine, right? AND I can cook!" Thank goodness I got a laugh from my fellow trainees; Bikram didn't even crack a smile. He said "Your boyfriend, he do training?" Me, "Yes, Charlie Hubbard ..... (blank look from Bikram).... fireman". Bikram "Yes, I think I know who this is."

So I proceed to deliver the posture, and I did a good job of it.

(Clenched fist emphasizing "No gap between biceps/arms and ears")

What was my feedback from Bikram?

"I think fireman do good job"

And then he dismissed us. Oh well, I'll take it.

And thanks to Shannon! She was sweet enough to take the pictures for me!!

Emmy

2009-05-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

Today was our first class with Emmy Cleaves! It was a wonderful class. I was so excited to have her as our instructor this morning, it was hard to actually concentrate on the postures! (Confession: I was afraid I would be called out for not doing something correctly, and then I would have to gush and tell her I was just as giddy as a school girl that she was teaching me. Fortunately, I was saved from that embarrassment.) It was about 20 different kinds of hot and humid today. I even stumbled and lost my balance due to dizziness a couple of times, but I didn't care - I couldn't wimp out of anything in her class; it was such a privilege to be there!

You should read about her on bikramyoga.com . Click "Teacher Training", and then "Tribute to Emmy". Just to give you some idea, she is an 80 something year-young senior instructor, who is a concentration camp survivor. She can do things with her body I can't even think of attempting yet.

Hooray! What a good start to the day! Posture clinic is in about 45 minutes, and I am hoping to deliver Half Moon today! ...... "NO GAP between biceps/arms and ears!!"

(I took this in February at the Championships. This is Bikram with his wife Rajashree, and Emmy)

My new home for 8 more weeks

2009-05-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some more shots of the property. It really is a beautiful place. If I have to have my body broken, it might as well be in a nice place, right? It is so pretty here (and this whole experience is just as emotional as it is physical), that after class one night last week, the view of the mountains and the clouds made me cry!

Not the worst thing one could pass everyday on their way to the torture chamber, right?

Oh yes, we do! This little poster is hanging in the window of our Bikram store in the hotel.

This is the hotel lobby

Um, yeah. This sign encourages you to 'stay fabulous'. Right. It's a California thing, I guess. Oh, and it features a humming bird wearing a seatbelt. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

This is walking off the property, toward our other hang out, the grocery store :) .

Night night!

It's a dry heat

2009-05-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well, everywhere, but in the hot room, of course!

So, I made it - both to Palm Desert and through the first week of training!! The hotel is lovely and all of the trainees are so friendly! The hotel put up a hard-walled tent for us to practice and have lectures in.

The yoga room is huge, and we have a separate room for lectures (as opposed to sitting on the sweaty yoga room floor for lectures - woo hoo!)

(This is the yoga room. The lecture room is through the doors in the middle of the second picture.)

(The heating system for the hot room!!)

There are 320 trainees from all over the world! This week we have been reciting Half Moon in front of Bikram. It is a long process to get through all of us; we're only about halfway done. I don't think there is anyway I will ever be able to forget any of the words in this posture after having heard it 319 times! I haven't been able to recite it yet, but I am hoping to get a good spot in line tomorrow!

Our days are so full! Just looking at the schedule didn't do it for me - experiencing the daily routine has really driven home how intense this is. We have a class in the morning that lasts between 90 minutes and 2 hours. Then we have an hour to an hour and a half to pick up lunch, shower, change, eat, and make it to the tent for our lecture/posture clinic. That has been lasting about 3 1/2 hours. After that we have an hour to change and make it back to the hot room for another class. After class we get an hour and a half dinner break, again to shower, change, eat, and get preped for the evening lecture that begins at 9pm. This past week the lectures have gone til about 11pm, and then Bikram has played (mandatory) Bollywood films til the early morning (2:30 one night, and 3:30 the next). The alarm rings at 7am for the next day's class :) . So yeah, it's intense, but it's all part of the training! Now you might ask what Bollywood til 3am has to do with yoga training. How is sleep deprivation going to help you succeed?? But, the point is, how well can you control your mind in the moment to focus on your yoga practice when you've only had 3-4 hours sleep? It is a struggle, but it definitely makes you stronger (and sleepy :) )!

We are very lucky to have a grocery store right across the street; I've been able to do a good amount of shopping and stock up on a ton of good food. My roommate is very nice and we get along well. Our room is off the main part of the hotel, and is very quiet (which we are both very thankful for!) Here's the view from our room:

This is a nice, low key little pool area. There is another pool in the middle of the hotel that is maybe 4 times this size - it seems to be the place to be if you just want to people watch. There are swans (black and white), ducks, geese and flamingos galore at the hotel. Here's one that came to visit right outside our balcony:

So, one week down and eight to go! I will get more pics of the grounds and some interesting things in posture clinics and class to share with you. Thank you so much for your support, it really helps me so much!! Right now it looks like I will be able to update about every week. Lots of love!!

Who needs Bikram's torture chamber...

2009-04-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

when U.S. Air is doing a bang up job? OMG it's been a long day. My fellow yogis are in orientation. I, on the other hand, am getting oriented with the Phoenix airport. I should have been in Palm Springs hours ago. GAH! Deep breath in .... long, slow breath out. Too much to bore you with on all the problems with my experience today, but just know it has *not* been fun. I am so sleepy I am getting loopy. I feel like I should be studying rather than blogging, but my brain hurts.

They say I am leaving at 4:45 - I'll believe it when I am in California.

Me. I do not look happy. I do *not* look fresh. This is because I am neither. Because of nerves, I went to bed at midnight. Because of a 5:30 flight, I woke up at 3am. Because of U.S. Air I am in Phoenix at 3:46 Pacific time (that's 6:46 Eastern time), writing an incoherent blog.

Blog title

2009-04-26T04:20:00.000-07:00

Hooray, the adventure has officially started! I have left and am waiting to board a flight to Phoenix. It is "free wifi weekend" in the Philly airport, so I thought I'd take advantage of the few minutes I have and write a quick post. I realized that the majority of people reading my blog won't get the blog title, "Like a flower petal blooming". It comes from the dialogue, in the first posture, Half Moon. In the end of this posture you are encouraged to "Push your (right/left) shoulder forward, opening up the chest like a flower petal blooming." It's just one of the metaphors (or would this technically be a simile?) that you roll your eyes at after about 15 times of hearing it, come to accept after about 50 times, and eventually ('in the future' ... sorry, another dialogue-ism) you come to love. Everyone's favorite, of course, being the 'Japanese ham sandwich' you're supposed to turn your body into. So, I thought the 'flower petal blooming' was a little silly, but appropriate and just natural for a blog following my yoga journey.

Namaste, y'all.

Bikram assisting Charlie in Half Moon, during his training :)

Oh sweet ... they just announced we have a 'maintenance issue' with the plane and can't give us an estimated departure time, but suggest we check with the ticket counter if we have connecting flights leaving before 11am. My connecting flight is at 11:35 .... hmmmmm....

Packing List

2009-04-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Shopping for all the silly little things I need to take with me has been a lot of fun, and, most importantly, an awesome distraction! I have studied the Dialogue (the 'script' written by Bikram by which an instructor leads a class), practiced my yoga, and now having my packing list complete makes me feel I am really prepared to go! (And I like being prepared!)

On top of regular clothes, the usual toiletries, camera, laptop, ipod, cell, and needed charging devices, here's a sample of the stuff I am hoping to get into one checked bag (weighing under 50 lbs, mind you) and one carry on bag. (Thanks again for the luggage, mom and dad!)

The list consists of:

A new bathing suit (that my butt hangs out of. It was the best I could find, really! I figure A. I can sit on my butt and B. Crazy intense yoga twice a day should help that some.)
LOTS of comfortable clothes for posture clinics
Two cover-ups for going to and from yoga class - so the other guests aren't "offended" and for the pool!
Lots of headbands
New slippers
A TON of awesome new Shakti fancy pants - so I can wash the funk out easily, and lay them out to dry - no fuss, no muss (Thank you, sweet Charlie :) )
Dr. Bronners tea tree oil soap to wash said funk out of said Shakti fancy pants
Tea trea oil to mix with water and clean my mat
Happy, BRIGHT yellow yoga mat (which, by the way, pretty much doesn't exist in 1/8'' size)
2, count 'em, 2 water bottles - see which one I like best
The biggest container of powdered Gatorade ever created
Powerbars and granola bars galore
Hot pot
Individual serving size blender - it promises to be able to handle ice - we shall see if it lives up to these promises
Protein powder
Knock off brand of Emergen-C
Cutting board and knife
Earplugs for the Bollywood movies that are said to be played at deafening volumes
An AWESOME Wonderwoman notebook - a sweet gift from Cindy - she wanted to inspire me to channel my inner Wonderwoman
GUMMY VITAMINS - HA! They make them for adults, too!!
Tennis balls - not to hit, but to roll around on - feels good on your back - try it! I have a feeling I'm really going to need those!
Nail polish for the toes - this is a necessity when most of your time is spent barefoot
Tupperware - to steal from the buffet!
New flip flops
More food stuff - applesauce, fruit leathers, etc.
LAMINATED AND SPIRAL BOUND DIALOGUE! Oh yeah! So I can study in the hot tub!

A sample of the fancy pants with Wonderwoman in the background. My goal was to buy the most ridiculous print shorts they had. I succeeded!

GUMMY VITAMINS??? How lucky can I get??

Pretty cover up I found at my favorite dress store in town.

So yeah, now I have to *pack* all this .... we'll see how that one goes! I leave at 5:30 am tomorrow!!

The adventure!

2009-04-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

For the past two weeks or so my emotions have been swinging between incredible excitement and crazy nervousness. If you have a life outside Facebook, and have not experienced my endless announcements about this big adventure, let me give you some background:

I am leaving for Palm Desert, CA on Sunday, April 26 to take on a nine week training course to become a Bikram Yoga Instructor. About 2 years ago I roped my dear friends Erin and BC into going to my first Bikram class with me. I had been curious about this "Bikram Hot Yoga" since college. The Bikram studio in Raleigh, when I first noticed it, was behind Meredith College, and I was so intrigued by it. What did they *do* in there? The windows were always fogged up, so I couldn't figure it out by simply peeking in. I had to take a class. That first class kicked. my. butt. And I loved it! A regular practice was not in my budget at the time, so I did not return to a Bikram studio until this past July. I have taken to it like nothing I've ever tried! Not familiar with this style of yoga? Bikram yoga consists of 26 yoga postures and 2 breathing exercises. It is the same class, every class. It is 90 minutes long, and the room is heated to about 105 degrees with 40% humidity. The series was created by this man, Bikram Choudry:

This yoga does wonderful things for your body and mind! The training is going to be tough, but the hard work will definitely be worth it! Here's an example of our daily schedule (taken from bikramyoga.com):

Monday - Friday
8:30am - 10:00am Bikram's Basic Yoga Class
10:00am - 12:15pm Lunch Break
12:15pm - 4:00pm Posture Clinic/Lectures
5:00pm - 6:30pm Bikram's Basic Yoga Class
6:30pm - 9:00pm Dinner break
9:00pm - ??? Posture Clinic/Lecture
Saturday
8:00am - 9:30am Bikram's Basic Yoga Class
Sunday
Day of Rest
A typical day at the Teacher Training starts at 8am and lasts until at least midnight including two daily Bikram Yoga classes.

SWEET! (Or do I mean 'sweat'?? hmmmmm....)