Woohoo. I am a third of the way there! Yesterday was class number 10. I went to the 4pm class because everything closed because of snowpocalypse 2010. It was great. I felt really flexible, really focused and overall had a solid class. I was super proud to put my 10th sticker on the wall. It doesn't look like a lot but to me, it was a proud moment.
And then snowmageddon occurred. If you haven't heard, DC is covered in 2 feet of snow and it is still coming down. A state of emergency has been declared and you can actually get a ticket if you are clueless or desperate enough to try to try to drive. Well, good thing the studio is three blocks away! I had originally planned on going to the 11am class but I woke up at 8:30 and decided to get my butt in gear and run over there. I had to walk in the middle of the streets because the sidewalks are impossible. Right around ten minutes till the class was supposed to start, I rounded the corner and in my head music from 2001: A Space Odyssey was playing. All of a sudden you could see "yogis" emerging from the sideways snow with mats in tow. Everyone was walking slowly and deliberatly and it was almost as if I could feel the wonderful energy coming from my fellow students from half a block away. It was pretty cool. I walked in to Aura's smiling face and she declared "Student number 4!" I was so excited that I made it I knew I was going to have a great class.
The class was awesome. My body was much more stiff than usual, probably because I had just woken up. I really was forced to focus on my form because it was impossible to hide amonst the masses today. And then - it happened. Instructor (In Lithuanian accent) : "Valerie get those shoulders back, shoulders back back waaay back ... and change. Very good Valerie." Oh ... my ... God ... she knows my name. I felt like a regular! Throughout the class she pushed me to go harder, go stronger and go longer. It was an amazing class and I felt like I could conquer the world as I walked through the blizzard on my way home. I chose a smiley face as my sticker.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Day Nine
Day nine was AMAZING. I really pushed myself and am very proud of how I am progressing. I also really liked my yoga shirt fit too. I didn't think about my pudge at all. It was just an awesome class. I am finding myself not only planning my days around bikram but also really looking forward to it throughout the day.
There was one thing that happened after class yesterday that really took me out of my zone. Class was over and we were laying in our final pose for the day. At the end of each class, the instructor will hand out cold towels that smell like peppermint/eucalyptus and you are supposed to just lay there for a few minutes. It is really relaxing. So I was laying there and some man walked by to leave and all of a sudden a large droplet of man-sweat landed on my cheek. I was so offended. At first I tried to remain still and "send my energy" to the spot to wash away the nastiness but it was as if a snowflake was slowly melting into my warm, pure cheek. Then I started thinking about Mount Vesuvius. (On a side note - after 4 years of Latin I think about Roman history more than I would care to admit.) It was almost as if the grossness was slowly washing over my entire body and I was being frozen in time. I finally just used my cold towel to wipe off my cheek but it was not the way I wanted to end such a great class. I realized that I like to sweat a lot through class but I have no desire to have anyone's sweat even remotely near me, let alone two inches from my mouth!
Due to the impending snowpocalypse, I am getting off work early and may try to do "a double." That's right - two classes in one day, or in my case, two classes in a row. This weekend is the superbowl and it might be nice to have a reserve class just in case I miss a day. We will see. I might not be ready for doubles yet.
There was one thing that happened after class yesterday that really took me out of my zone. Class was over and we were laying in our final pose for the day. At the end of each class, the instructor will hand out cold towels that smell like peppermint/eucalyptus and you are supposed to just lay there for a few minutes. It is really relaxing. So I was laying there and some man walked by to leave and all of a sudden a large droplet of man-sweat landed on my cheek. I was so offended. At first I tried to remain still and "send my energy" to the spot to wash away the nastiness but it was as if a snowflake was slowly melting into my warm, pure cheek. Then I started thinking about Mount Vesuvius. (On a side note - after 4 years of Latin I think about Roman history more than I would care to admit.) It was almost as if the grossness was slowly washing over my entire body and I was being frozen in time. I finally just used my cold towel to wipe off my cheek but it was not the way I wanted to end such a great class. I realized that I like to sweat a lot through class but I have no desire to have anyone's sweat even remotely near me, let alone two inches from my mouth!
Due to the impending snowpocalypse, I am getting off work early and may try to do "a double." That's right - two classes in one day, or in my case, two classes in a row. This weekend is the superbowl and it might be nice to have a reserve class just in case I miss a day. We will see. I might not be ready for doubles yet.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Day 8
Yesterday I went to the 6pm class again. I had my first male instructor. He was very down to business and almost forced me to focus. There was something soothing about his voice and he concentrated more on form than other instructors. I had a pretty good class. It still amazes me how my body is responding.
My dad reminded me of a story that I had forgotten about. Apparently when I was a newborn, the pediatrician had to force my hips open because I was so stiff. Think lockjaw of the hips. I always thought newborns were ridiculously flexible (eating their toes and whatnot) but apparently not me. With that as my starting point, I am happy to report I can now sit with one leg out, wrap my fingers around the bottom of foot, lock my knee and push my forehead against my knee. I think that is progress my friends.
I am finding the physical positions more strenuous. I think I am just pushing myself more each class, especially with the floor series. I also want so badly to be able to do the standing head to knee pose but I am not even close. I can barely hold my foot for the entire time. I am accepting the fact that the pose may take way longer than the other poses for me. I attempted to do the toe stand pose last night and I was surprised that I could actually bend down some.
I bought my first "yoga" tank top. It is considerably longer than my other tank tops and I am hoping that means pudge wont stick out when I do some of the poses. I have tried to force myself to get over the pudge but it is now turning into a distraction. I don't think I am ready to feel comfortable letting the world see my tummy. Almost ... but not quite there yet.
When I read other people's yoga blogs, they often talk about other people in the class being their motivation and inspiration. I, however, like the anonymity within the studio. I don't like to focus on what other people are doing. I just want to follow the instructor and make them my motivation. I have started saying hello to people before and after class but when I am doing the yoga, I don't want to notice people I know. Other students are starting to recognize me. It feels nice to be a regular and to be comfortable with all the routine that goes into each class. I am beginning to feel like I belong to a little community. It is nice.
My dad reminded me of a story that I had forgotten about. Apparently when I was a newborn, the pediatrician had to force my hips open because I was so stiff. Think lockjaw of the hips. I always thought newborns were ridiculously flexible (eating their toes and whatnot) but apparently not me. With that as my starting point, I am happy to report I can now sit with one leg out, wrap my fingers around the bottom of foot, lock my knee and push my forehead against my knee. I think that is progress my friends.
I am finding the physical positions more strenuous. I think I am just pushing myself more each class, especially with the floor series. I also want so badly to be able to do the standing head to knee pose but I am not even close. I can barely hold my foot for the entire time. I am accepting the fact that the pose may take way longer than the other poses for me. I attempted to do the toe stand pose last night and I was surprised that I could actually bend down some.
I bought my first "yoga" tank top. It is considerably longer than my other tank tops and I am hoping that means pudge wont stick out when I do some of the poses. I have tried to force myself to get over the pudge but it is now turning into a distraction. I don't think I am ready to feel comfortable letting the world see my tummy. Almost ... but not quite there yet.
When I read other people's yoga blogs, they often talk about other people in the class being their motivation and inspiration. I, however, like the anonymity within the studio. I don't like to focus on what other people are doing. I just want to follow the instructor and make them my motivation. I have started saying hello to people before and after class but when I am doing the yoga, I don't want to notice people I know. Other students are starting to recognize me. It feels nice to be a regular and to be comfortable with all the routine that goes into each class. I am beginning to feel like I belong to a little community. It is nice.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day 7 - I have a week!
Today was day seven! I am so freaking proud of myself. I have completed 10.5 hours of yoga in a week. I think that is pretty impressive and I am really happy that I am sticking with it. The class went ok. Nothing fabulous but a solid class. I noticed I was much less focused today. I found myself looking more at other people. I also felt really fat today so I was more insecure than I normally am. It was slightly irritating. I also found annoying some other people in the class who were always ahead of the instructor. It was a little distracting. The instructor was new for me. She had a slight accent that kind of sounded like the Lithuanian instructor. I shall call her Lithuanian Light (LL). LL was pretty good. Her pace felt faster but the room felt cooler today. At first I thought my body was just responding differently but I am pretty sure it really was cooler.
One thing I did that I shouldn't have is weigh myself. I guess I was looking for some kind of concrete affirmation and the scale did not budge not one pound. It was disappointing. I know it has only been one week and building muscle doesn't mean losing weight and bla bla bla but I was still disappointed. I have limited myself to one weighing a week and I might not even do that. If I weigh myself next week and it is still the same, I don't think I am going to weigh myself anymore. I don't want weight loss to become the focus.
I have noticed that emotionally and physically I feel amazing. I am not as sleepy in the mid-afternoon and it just feels really good to know that I am doing something positive. It also feels great to just have something that is all mine. I know other people do challenges but this one is all mine and it feels great. I just generally feel more positive, have more energy and more at peace and feel fabulous. This is pretty awesome.
One thing I did that I shouldn't have is weigh myself. I guess I was looking for some kind of concrete affirmation and the scale did not budge not one pound. It was disappointing. I know it has only been one week and building muscle doesn't mean losing weight and bla bla bla but I was still disappointed. I have limited myself to one weighing a week and I might not even do that. If I weigh myself next week and it is still the same, I don't think I am going to weigh myself anymore. I don't want weight loss to become the focus.
I have noticed that emotionally and physically I feel amazing. I am not as sleepy in the mid-afternoon and it just feels really good to know that I am doing something positive. It also feels great to just have something that is all mine. I know other people do challenges but this one is all mine and it feels great. I just generally feel more positive, have more energy and more at peace and feel fabulous. This is pretty awesome.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Day Six - God Bless Lithuania!
Today was AMAZING. I went to the 6pm class and to my surprise, the Lithuanian instructor was leading the class. I had an amazing class. I did every pose with energy and focus and I was really surprised how my body reacted. I went way deeper in multiple poses than I ever had and it felt great to be able to see concrete improvement in my yoga. One of the things that really stuck with me is when the instructor stated that meditation doesn't have to be some long exercise and that it is possible to mediate for a second. To have your mind at peace for just a moment. That is all meditation is. It sounds really simple but it resonated with me.
I think I need to move outside my comfort zone a little. I always sit in the exact same place in the room and I think it may be time for me to move more toward the center of the room. Just to see. I also want to not get too comfortable with my Lithuanian instructor. I don't want to be closed minded towards other instructors.
I will be able to leave work early all week so I am going to go to the 6pm class each night. I think it is a great way to end the day and I like how I can adequately hydrate slowly all day. Lauren is in Boston all week for work so being at home is quiet and a little lonely. But it is really easy for me to go to yoga so that is good. I'll keep you posted.
~Val
I think I need to move outside my comfort zone a little. I always sit in the exact same place in the room and I think it may be time for me to move more toward the center of the room. Just to see. I also want to not get too comfortable with my Lithuanian instructor. I don't want to be closed minded towards other instructors.
I will be able to leave work early all week so I am going to go to the 6pm class each night. I think it is a great way to end the day and I like how I can adequately hydrate slowly all day. Lauren is in Boston all week for work so being at home is quiet and a little lonely. But it is really easy for me to go to yoga so that is good. I'll keep you posted.
~Val
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