May Mini Challenge

May 7th marks BYJ's first birthday. It's been a whole year already since hot, sweaty yoga came to the Northern Suburbs where I first discovered it. Originally there was going to be another 30 Day Challenge but instead there will be a mini one day challenge to mark the occasion. 

The challenge is to take FOUR classes in ONE day. At first I thought this was totally insane and crazy especially as they are back to back's. Then I was told it is possible you just need to put your mind to it. So I have. I shall give it a go, prepare myself well and see what happens. I even rescheduled an already booked massage so I could take part.

There will be two classes in the  morning, 7:30am and 9:30am. Then two in the afternoon, 2pm and 4pm. There will be a lunch break to hydrate and eat something from 11:30am till 1:30am. I'm thinking protein, salt, coconut water. My favourite almond/cashew spread will be playing a major part in my pre class snacking. I'll also up my electrolyte capsule in take and make sure I get some nuun's in in between the back to back's. 

No expectations, no fear. If I end up on the floor for the whole of the 4pm, then that's the way it rolls. One thing though I shall be changing positions round the room for each class, as well as changing my clothes and towel. Rash prevention measures!

Any Perth-lings wishing to participate get your name on the list at reception. Current BYJ membership is valid or for those on a casual class pass/other studio pass it's $50.

May Challenge Poster - designed by me!

 

Hilarious!

Lovely energy in the 9am Easter Monday/Anzac Day class lead by Kira. It's ages since I took a class with Kira as she usually teaches at BYJ in the week day mornings. It's coming up to her first anniversary as an instructor too which is exciting. Nice full room, not quite the 41 we had on Friday but enough to get the sweat and humidity dripping nicely. 

I received some handy corrections, mainly for alignment issues. Those pesky hips rotating around in Half Moon. There was a major heavy breather in my vicinity today. It's great for pranayama to 'make some noise' but it does get distracting if there is deep, strained grunting in your ear all the way through the standing series. 

The best and memorable part of today's class of in the second set of Triangle. It was one of our regulars Colin's birthday. Good on him for coming to class. So Kira told us for the left hand side we were all to sing happy birthday once we were in the pose. I wasn't sure if she was kidding, but no, off she launched and we all followed suit. It was hilarious and totally took my mind off what I was doing. No inner dialogue screaming for air or change. I just focused on singing and staying in position. We nearly had to sing again and do a third set of Full Locust if anyone came out early or crashed landed. We held it good, right till the end...phew.

Lot's of fun today and class took away the black cloud I had lurking due to some technology issues that occurred yesterday. I love this yoga, so healing and puts everything into focus again if the mind has strayed.

More from the seminar

Now I have come to realise it's all about progression and not striving to be perfect I am happy to map my progress and set intentions. I will try very hard not to get hung up on it and make sure I stay present and enjoy each individual class at a time. Some people may think I should let all this go, stop analysing full stop. But I like it, that's me, that's what I do.

I've just received some more photo's from the March seminar with Craig Villani. Studying these photos is like having a tutorial. I can see where I am going wrong and what I need to focus on so I do the posture in the 100% right way to get the full benefits. We all know the Bikram saying, 90% right is 100% wrong. By visually seeing yourself in a photo you can learn a lot. In class some of the postures are impossible to see if you're doing them correctly as you can't see yourself in the mirror, Rabbit for example. 

Back to Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose. (Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasa)

This photo shows the correct alignment for this posture. Very inspirational. Even if this is 'perfect' there is more ways of still learning and progressing. People who find this easy are told to bring their feet closer together. Does it get to the point where your feet are only head width apart? My biggest aim, apart from forehead touching the floor, is to keep my forearms and elbows close to my shins, like above.

Here's me again. My main issue is those forearms. My left one looks close but the right isn't. This was the major feedback here. I have to keep trying to pull those arms back, roll my weight forward into my toes and keep pulling to stretch out and flatten my back. Then one day that head will touch with the correct alignment.

 Here those arms have flung forward again. My head isn't too far off touching without my legs being miles and miles apart. My back needs to be flatter too.

I totally lost the plot here at the end. Laughing kicked in when I was told to whistle. It was a great honour to have been picked out for some one of one tuition. Despite being told a record five times to "get my arms back with my shins." Lot's of room for progression.

Perfection or Progression?

So much for leisurely lie in's this public holiday. Monday morning and I was wide awake at 5am, only 20 minutes longer than I would be if it was a work day with 5:45am yoga! I think I am well rested and relaxed enough now that I don't need the extra sleep. Another positive effect of my Bikram practice. This leaves more time to hydrate & eat before the 9am class. And catch up on some writing.

I read some very inspirational words last week from J over at Lock the Knee. The post highlighted our desire to be perfect. J beautifully pointed out a down side to this:   

"Here's one thing about perfect: you have no place to go. You can't get any feedback. You're dead in the water, no place to swim"  

You've reached the peak, you can't get better than perfect and where to go next? Later in the post is a quote from on of J's student; 

"if you think you're "perfect," if you're always "doing it right," then you can't learn, but if you're just "practicing," then you can keep adjusting and taking in new information"

We are always being told yoga practice is a journey and 'it's yoga practice, not yoga perfect.' These quotes reiterate this theory. I couldn't think of anything worse than this journey ending. You've mastered all 26 postures that's it your done, you no longer can do this. I can safely say that will never happen! Every day if so different, you may pull of a near 'perfect' posture today but then tomorrow not come close. 

Instead of getting hung up over being perfect I will enjoy and relish the slow progression I am making in postures. This may be a contradiction now but if I didn't have a focus or an aim I'd just be going through the motions. I need to set targets or I don't push myself hard enough. I need that inner voice telling me I'm close and I can go that inch further. But not towards perfection, just the natural progress. 

Calm after the storm

After a really ferocious storm comes a sort of soft, relaxed, calmness where the earth seems to sigh, the rain stops and the winds die down. Everything is still again. That's what I am feeling right now. After last week's bonkers craziness my storm cleared  today, my job bag box is empty, my client that kept me so busy is super pleased and I gratefully received some lovely thank you's. It's kinda cool, especially as there is 50 minutes of my working day left before my five day public holiday break.

I practiced at 5:45am with six other regulars. It's so nice to share a morning class with people whom you know all of their names and chat to often. There was a newbie amongst us though, a new visiting instructor. Juliette is over from France for a while to teach at BYJ and BYSB. I do like a new guest instructor and this one has a super cool accent. There is something so relaxing and romantic and the French accent. It certainly made me tune in. Same dialogue but in a different voice. I really had to concentrate hard. I missed a few cues but so did everyone else. 

The class rolled along nicely. I got a few "very lovely's" which is such a new cute phrase. I pulled off a strong Toe Stand on both sides today. I'd been backing off from lifting up because of the on off weird thigh/knee muscle ache. But today I just went for it. We finished spot on time and I even made it onto an earlier train. Probably because I was the only one showering today so I wasn't chit chatting instead of getting ready.

Happy Easter!

With Easter just around the corner I decided that there is no way I am going to kick my sugar habit this week. I have set my intention to enjoy the next five days filled with sugary, fatty goodness and then try very, very hard to get off it. Not cold turkey, just not everyday. I shall be choosing good quality, organic 70% plus cocoa dark chocolate for my fixes. Well that's the plan. 

Tuesday saw 8kg of chocolate arrive in my office from the Swan Valley branch of the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. We are running a promotion for our clients and gifting them with sweet little boxes of chocolates for Easter. It was hard for me not to fall face first into the crate but it was heavily being policed by my colleague who was getting really cranky with my drooling, constant yum yum noises and "can I eat a piece yet please?" pleads. I didn't eat one bit. Until I was bragging to my boss I'd not eaten any and he instantly gave me a square of the divine Red Gum honey crunch. (Bit like Cadburys Crunchie) Alas that was all I was getting as every single bit was used up in the boxes. 

Happy Easter everyone. Enjoy your long weekend. Us Aussies are getting five whole days off as we have the extra Anzac day holiday on Tuesday. I'm planning on doing lots of yoga to sweat out the chocolate fest and have some quality, relaxing time at home!

8kg of Margaret River Chocolate Factory goodness

Packed up boxes filled with lushness

 

Flat out like a lizard drinking!

This has been one crazy, mad, bonkers week. It started last Sunday with a hangover from hell. As mentioned before I gave up the grapes for two months whilst on the 30 Day Challenge. I then only had the odd glass of vino on a Saturday since. I attended a lovely wedding out in the Chittering Valley last Saturday where all the drinks were laid on. Will power and mind control out the window. I drank a stupid, stupid amount of sparkling wine, enjoyed every minute of it but hated how I felt the next day. Toxic didn't even come close.

After nearly a year of cleansing my body and mind, inside and out this weekend binge hit me like never before. I have come to understand my body can not handle this. I've been looking after it and putting in through a strict Bikram routine so now it does not bode well to being poisoned.

I didn't practice Sunday, obviously, I was so dehydrated I was soaking water up like a sponge. Monday morning's class was fine. There was about 7 students so the room wasn't too humid. Wooow did I sweat though. Bucket loads than I usually would in those conditions. I was sore from wildly flinging myself round the dance floor in heels. My poor toes were squished and bruised. My arms ached. I didn't sleep well Sunday night as my toxicity levels were way up still. I made in through, nothing horrific.

The whole week at work was crazy busy. My colleagues and clients were having melt downs around me. I was knackered and grumpy from my hangover. This lasted all week. It felt like I couldn't make myself well again. I didn't help myself by not taking a lunch break as I had so much work on. I ate at my desk and didn't hydrate well enough. Reaching for the sugar was a natural reaction to the stress. Fruit or vegetables didn't interest me, I wanted carbs and sugar. 

Tuesday mornings practice went well again. I was still tired. Then came mental Thursday. A huge project I was working left little time for my minor jobs so I headed into work at 7am, missing my 5:45am practice. Gutted. But I knew work had to come first that day. After pulling an 11 hour work day, no lunch break, no fresh air/sun, only two litres of water, I headed to the studio for the 7:30pm. I was pumped up on sugar and adrenalin. There was lots of people to talk to so my mood was high. I went front row next to Janette and Karen was teaching.

Five days worth of toxins and abuse came flooding out in that class. I was a mess. The  moment I stood up on my toes for Awkward part two I got cramp in my toes and calves. I couldn't shift it. Cramp's all the way through. I literally collapsed out of the second set of Triangle. Never, ever have I sat out of this pose. I think I scared a few people. Karen even said after class I was really pale. Luckily she wacked the air con on at that point which rescued me. I pushed on, sat out of the first Camel. Setting up took a long time and my mind lost the plot whilst we were waiting.

I could barely talk after class. I managed to drag myself through a shower. I had my electrolyte capsules but felt like I needed something more. Janette rescued me with a Nuun which I happily drank on my 25 minute drive home. I was well shaky. 

Good wake up call though. It amazed me how one big, boozy night can knock me for six for an entire week! Also it was good to have a rough class. The yoga bus ran me down and gave me a reality check. It's too easy to go into cruise control, a little shake up now and again keeps it real.