BYTT- Week 2

Ahhhh week two...

This week both flew by and dragged on. Only people who have been through this can understand it! It's like Groundhog Day, every day is exactly the same. Yet, different emotions roll through you at any given time. I had a mostly great week, but did have a small breakdown.

The two yoga classes a day are awesome. It is exactly why I am here. My body is changing so fast. Every part is sore and tight, but my pelvis is opening up, my hamstrings are longer, my legs are looking more defined. My practice is changing by leaps and bounds. Standing bow is being held for longer amounts of time, and I have to admit that I am starting to look beautiful in it. Spine strengthening series is becoming my favorite, my cobra is so awesome and I love it so much. I have only sat out one set of triangle and one set of floor bow and one set of tree/toe stand in the entire two weeks. I feel strong and focused. In the ten years I have practiced this yoga, I have never felt this strong desire to push myself so much. Maybe being surrounded by 421 other yogis is inspiring me.

I love having different teachers every day! It is such a delight to listen to different voices and they all have little nuggets to be gleaned and taken in. Bikram is outrageous, and I haven't decided yet how I feel about his classes. I so want to set up in front of him and receive correction, but since I never know how my knee will hold up, I am afraid to take the chance that he will yell at me when I am struggling with it. One of these days, I will just have to do it anyway!

My knee. Oh my knees.

On Friday, in Tree, my good knee (which has been giving me problems for a few months now, I think because it took too much of the work from my bad knee), popped so loudly that it startled the people around me and scared the shit out of me. As the girl next to me looked over with wide eyes asking if I was okay, I just dropped down and started bawling. I was sleep deprived from only 16 hours of sleep all week long, and irritated from never having a single moment to myself, so the idea that I may have injured my good knee just broke me. I cried through most of the rest of class and a good 30 minutes after. And for evening class I stood in the back on the "sick line" and took it very easy.

I think it is okay, though.

My skeleton is rearranging. My good knee had to do a heck of a lot of work these last two years to cover for the bad knee, so I think it had to happen. They say that we will eventually feel every injury we have ever had, as all this yoga works deeper and deeper in the tissues and layers of the body, rearranging, breaking up scar tissue, and releasing emotions that we hold in our bodies. This kind of thing fascinates me.

The worst part of this is sitting in the chairs for hours of lecture, or dialogue, or Bollywood movies. Our bodies are so stiff and sore, and it really hurts to just sit! We had 3 nights this week that Boss kept us up until 3am, and most other nights ended at 1.30 or 2, so that is a lot of sitting!

My old studio owner came to a morning class and then took me to lunch. It was so nice to talk with her about all this madness!

I have met some wonderful people, and there are so many more to get to know. This is one incredible journey. I am so blessed. This teacher training has been my biggest dream for 10 years, and it is unreal that it is actually happening. I want to write everything down, remember it all, but it is just too much! So much is happening here, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I think I won't fully process it all until years later. Just trying to stay in the moment and enjoy the ride.

Sorry to be so vague. I am in a brain fog this week. I will try to write more when I feel more focused.

There is so, so, so much more to say..... 

BYTT- Week 1

One week down, eight more to go!

Greetings from the madness that is Bikram Yoga Teacher Training! There are 424 of us, and doing yoga in a giant ballroom turned yoga room with that many people is something to experience! 

This week was about meeting Bikram, the staff, each other, and finding the rhythm of how it will be. We have to sign in for everything, lectures and yoga classes, and if you forget, you have to do an extra yoga class on Saturday. With 11 classes a week already, no one wants to do one more!

Bikram has taught most of the evening classes, and they are the hardest for me. He is funny, but can also be a little mean. No one wants to be in his line of sight! There is a mad rush to get in the room to get a spot on the sides or the back, which means that the late comers have to set up right in front of the podium and be judged and called out by the man himself. He is relentless and feisty in the yoga room, and expects a lot from us.

During the lectures, he is different. The first orientation, we all had grins on our faces the entire time, as he is quite the character. He is showy, flamboyant, boastful, proud, funny, demanding, cocky, arrogant, and full of stories and exaggerations. "India is the best country!" "I invented the first disco!" He reminds me of a 12 year old boy-king that has his every demand catered to and doesn't have to lift a finger for himself. 

Hmmm...Kind of like how all Indian boys are treated by their mothers! ;)

We had a Bollywood movie night! We watched http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaho_Naa..._Pyaar_Hai and it was super fun. People who have never seen a Bollywood film always react so funny to all the singing, dancing, and drama. There were laughs when the Indians were sad, and restlessness during the singing and dancing. :) The movie was super long, and kept us up late, but I think everyone enjoyed it. Bikram had a bag of Hindi movies and I looked through them. Lots of good flicks, hope we get to watch more. I want to see something with John Abraham!

All 424 of us have to get up onstage in front of Bikram and everyone and recite the dialogue for the first pose in the series. It is getting tedious hearing the same words over and over, but it is allowing us to see who all is here. There are many countries represented, US, Canada and Australia being the biggest groups, and from countries that some people have never heard of. It is awesome to see how Bikram yoga really has penetrated the entire world. I love listening to all the accents.

When I got up, I told Bikram that I will be moving to India and hopefully teaching yoga there. He asked, "Delhi?" because they are opening a studio there soon. I reminded him that my Husband is near Mumbai, and we chatted for a bit about where Husbo's family lives, and he said, yes, I can teach in India. I am super stoked! I remembered all of the dialogue, but I don't remember what he said about it. I was so nervous, my hands were so sweaty, my heart racing. Speaking in front of 424 people is bad enough, but when you add my future Boss to the mix, it is so nerve wracking!!!

Anyway, I need to get ready for yoga class. It is the beginning of week 2, and I have a lot to do. I am loving this yoga bubble, being surrounded by people who love this yoga as much as I do, and I love talking about the postures with them. I love doing two classes a day, although my old knee injury is bothered by it. I am hoping that I am working through scar tissue, and it will eventually be completely healed. I love having all these different teachers, and I learn something new every time.

I feel strong, peaceful, happy. 

Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Spring 2012!!!!!!

Hello all!!!

I am in LA, and today I check into the hotel for the Bikram Yoga Teacher Training! There are 415 of us goofy yoga nerds that wish to become teachers. I can't wait to make new friends, and I can't wait to do lots and lots of yoga!

The last 2 weeks on my island were insanely busy, and some things came up that made my stress level so high, I thought I wouldn't make it. I wasn't able to do much yoga, but I did make sure to get a few massages, and my dear friends were good at pulling my mind out of the depths of despair. But, life goes on, and I am here, about to start this insane roller coaster ride.

For those of you who don't know what this is about, Bikram yoga is a 90 min class of 26 postures done in a room that is 105 degrees f. (40c for all my Indian friends) :) I have been doing this yoga for 10 years, and have wanted to do the Training for almost that long. Last year, at this time, I was in India visiting Husbo, and I was obsessed with reading all of the blogs from the people going through it. And, I did a class in Mumbai, and decided that I CAN live in India, if I have a job to keep me busy.

So, this is the first step to moving to India. I will become a Teacher, and hopefully get sent to India to teach yoga, and spend time with my Husbo while we are waiting endlessly for the green card. I really do want to learn Hindi! What a fun adventure it would be.

This Teacher Training is 9 weeks long, and we do the 90 min class twice a day, and there are anatomy classes, lectures, posture clinics, and even Bollywood films! We are taught by Bikram himself, and his amazing staff. I am overjoyed to be starting this adventure!

Let the madness begin!!!