The Home Stretch

Week six is over.  I must say it is going fast and slow all at once.   It was a bitter sweet week for me.   Having my birthday here away from family and friends was rough.  I had a lovely day, but missing my kids and not being at my pumpkin party was a little tearful.  My new friends were sweet.   They bought coconuts after class and stole cutlery from the buffet hall with the concept of carving the coconuts on the beach which was so sweet.   The butter knifes barely knicked the husks but it was a very cute idea.  My day was very self reflective.  Had some very long deep conversations on the beach about life, love and the future.  Everyone here has their own story and is here in search of something.  Oddly all our journies alighned. Anyhow I had some magical moments that I will never forget.   I called my posse at home who where all celebrating me and carrying on my pumpkin party and I started crying because I can not believe how blessed I am.   Thank you sweet friends you have moved me with your love!  Ok...enough tears!

Last week:  The yoga part was a little rough.   My body aches in a new profound way.  I had thought I would make monsterous strides in my practice, and in truth I probably have....but each day I feel like I've never practiced before.   My body had changed.  Back fat gone, boobs shrinking, waste line trimming....so that is fun.  In the am my joints and back muscles hurt.  In the evening classes I do feel better but it seems to be more just doing everything...forget about full expression of the postures.  I have gotten use to Bikrams teaching style.   I come to class with three and a half liters of water.  One with electrolytes.  And mentally I just accept that the class will be between two and three hours long.   To be fair he does a lot of correcting and sometimes has people come up on the podium and do demonstrations.  So...we are not always doing postures, however he runs the room HOT and I drink every ounce of liquid and I don't pee it out!   There is just no way one can describe how much we sweat.

Posture clinics were OK for me this week.  I think I explained in my last post that I had a moment where I saw me being the teacher I want to be.   My voice speaking in a clear loving firm way.  It was exciting and I felt amazing.   My classmates said I was several inches taller and radiant.  I then delivered triangle nervously and was not so radiant.   And by the end of the week it was a blur.   So its a battle, moments of sunshine but lots of fog too.  A German girl came up to me before class on Friday and said....I had a vision of you today as a great teacher.   She said your voice is so beautiful I just know one day you'd be amazing.   Then she said.... One day I will take your class and I know I will just love it.   I hugged her.   A complete stranger and all that love shared.

Our lectures included two lectures by Dr. Brian Tracy on Neuromuscular Physiology as it pertains to Bikram Yoga.   It was fascinating.   What was most shocking is how little has been actually done on the effects of Bikram yoga.  His research is very cool and he presented us with data that discussed our core temperature, calorie burn, and spinal cord health and function.  I'm inspired to figure out how to fund future studies.  Type two diabetes and RA alone have had remarkable testimonials but no one has done real scientifically sound research to support it.

This week was also Diwali, the festival of lights.  Bikram had a big party for us on the center lawn in the resort.  Fireworks, traditional Thai dance and ice cream.   Everyone looked amazing.   We wander around here sweaty rash covered messes.   This night everyone dressed up and looked completely different.   Truly beautiful people here.   Bikram also unveiled his disco he built here.   Amazing!   So we had a sober yogi dance party that had the most incredible energy.   It was fun.

This weeks fun challenge for me is going to be doing yoga on a broken toe!  Yep!   Kicked a wood stump buried under the sand and broke my middle toe on my left foot!    Good times!!!!!