Day 5 and still thriving

Day 2, Tuesday, was literally the worst day of yoga I've had other than times when I've come into practice sick or just started back up after a long time off. I was hydrated and ate well all day, but sometimes the yoga truck rolls over you anyways. It was a pretty crowded 6:30 class that got so ridiculously hot that 3-4 people left the room and 1/2 the class was sitting out at any given time, including another teacher that was taking class. Normally if I sit out at all, it will be for one set of one posture, I'll catch my breath and feel my heartbeat return to normal, and be good to go. This time I made it through the standing series and only sat out a posture but my body decided that it had too much during the floor series. I was down for more than half of it with my heart pounding through my chest, my brain boiling, my skin on fire, and there was a period when I had to keep wiggling my fingers and toes because I felt they were starting to lose sensation.

Nonetheless, as soon as I walked out of the room after class and chugged a bottle of water standing in front of the fan, I felt better. They say that the classes that are more difficult, and the postures that are more difficult are the ones your body needs the most. Often, I feel more accomplished after a class I struggle with as opposed to one I glide through. Day 3 was one of those days where I found myself enjoying the postures and breezing through the class. It's hilarious that your experience can be so different from one day to the next. Day 4 was more of a mental challenge because I forgot my water bottle and I'm used to drinking at the same exact points in every class. I made it through without water but certainly felt it during the last 15 minutes or so of class and stopped to get a HUGE blue gatorade on the way home. mmmm, electrolytes. Day 5 was a calm 6:30pm practice with lots of space and tolerable heat. My balance was not on point at all- it's hard for me to figure out if it's a matter of focus or a matter of strength.

So far the best benefit is that I have really started to LOVE rabbit pose which I used to hate, and I feel my upper back really craving that stretch every class. Off to day 6 now,- 9:45 on a Saturday

101 Day Bikram Yoga Challenge

That's 101 yoga classes in 101 days. 9,090 minutes in 26 postures, 2 breathing exercises, in a room heated to 105-110 degrees with raised humidity. That's a LOT of sweat! I completed a 30 day challenge in winter 2010 when I literally had nothing to do for a month before going to Argentina while my friends were beginning second semester at W&M. Granted, I was also doing a pretty intense south beach diet, but I lost about 12 pounds in a month and felt physically lean, tight, flexible and ready to conquer the southern hemisphere. It will definitely be a bit tougher fitting in daily practice with a full time job and volunteer work, but I'm determined. When I did the other challenge, I would literally base my entire day around what time I wanted to practice. I figured out exactly how hydrated I need to be and when/what I needed to eat, or I suffered the consequences of feeling nauseous or dizzy during class.

I think I will be happier in the short term if I start to base my day around yoga again as opposed to getting caught in the daily grind of adjusting to the "real world" of 40 hour work weeks fresh out of an undergraduate education. I know that I'm lucky to have landed a job where I get to use what I learned in school and make a difference in a few lives while crashing with the parents and saving $$ for the next adventure. I've always been motivated to succeed academically, and my social life and athletics fell into place. Now that I don't have the safeguard of being a student, I find myself asking myself a lot of important questions that I hadn't fully considered in the past.

I cannot think of a better place to contemplate life than my yoga mat. Oh wait, isn't that practically the opposite of meditation? Isn't the point to gain transient wisdom via detaching yourself from your thoughts?For me at least, sometimes my brain works best when I don't overanalyze and just do what feels right. All I know is that the best few minutes of my day is frequently my final savasana and walking out of the sweaty yoga room into the air conditioned lobby. That is something worth pursuing...for 101 days and beyond.

Today, Mon Oct 24th was DAY ONE. I asked my mom to take a few pictures of my postures after class today so I can compare for progress throughout the process. I hope that I'll drop a few pounds during the challenge, but that's definitely not the main goal. I want to renew my faith in myself to set and achieve goals. I want to gain some clarity about where I see my life going. I also want to lock my leg out in standing bow, wrap my foot around my calf in eagle, and get a lot more air during full locust pose :)