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.