Week 2

Sunday, no alarm, no yoga and for now no stress. The hotel has calmed down and it’s a very nice contrast to what the scene was last night. This hotel is completely packed in the weekends. We’ve seen bachelor parties, sales men, big fat loud Americans all lined up along the poolside. Most of our yoga group really doesn’t blend into this crowd. Of course it is great people watch!

The sun here is really strong. My poor Canadian/Irish roomy managed to turn pink after putting on SPF 60 numerous times.

Bikram jelled at a lady in class the other day, she really burned the front of her legs. In typical fashion: “wow does that hurt? Guys please be careful we make yogis here not beef jerkey!” (A dried meat treat Americans love to chew on)

This week Emmy Cleaves is here. She is Bikram’s most senior teacher (80 years young) and she kicked our bums. After class I felt like I got dragged through the desert behind a truck! Emmy skipped the stage and just walked through the room to make corrections. She is all about alignment and performing the postures the right way. It was a powerful class. She is an impressive lady who looks amazing in a one-piece leotard/bathing-suit.
The honeymoon feeling has passed here and reality has kicked in for a lot of us. This is boot camp. Today is 45C and it is hot. We are almost done with the Half Moon presentations in front of Bikram.

The nurse announced today that we have to do CPR course on Saturday and get CPR certified while we are here. This is the first training they’ve implemented that part. After seeing the war zone in our yoga room I am very pleased to walk out of here with a CPR certification.

Rough times have started for a lot of fellow students here. We’ve been advised not to get involved with the suffering and drama of others. People go through a lot of stuff while pushed to the limit and they need to face it other wise it wouldn’t come out. If you get too involved you obstruct your own development here and theirs.

Some of you have heard many stories and so did I before I got here. They are true. We have buckets here to puke in during class and they do get filled. Tears are flowing like it can only rain in Amsterdam. And even the other bodily functions seem to act up for some of us. It’s not always pretty but it’s part of our classes and believe it or not you get used to it. The teachers practicing in the back of the room have it under control and there is never panic.

The Indian movies are still playing till 3am and we are all sleep-deprived. Emmy explained to us that this is part of the process. It will take down all the walls and learned behavior we’ve made up throughout the years, all the ego and facades have to crumble down so we can work with the pure beings again. With all those real people we’ll get some excellent yogis. I find it all very interesting.

Me, I feel on top of the world, the more I learn about this yoga the more eager I am to share it with my future students. The classes are truly a gas station for my body. Every time I think I am tired and have no fizz left we have another class to go to and half way through I can feel my whole body recharge. It’s truly an incredible feeling. Bikram has thought every afternoon class over the past week and it has saved me. How is the body? The body is fantastic, no pains or pulls and I gained a ton of strength in my legs already. The mind is in good shape too. This has been a rough week but my mind was always able to pull me back to a calm and comfortable place.

Bikramisms:
~ “Boss can you open the door please? I can’t breath up here I have no air the only air I get up comes out of all of your asses!”

~ “Mama, pull your f…..g knees up, how can you have sex if you don’t even know how to pull up your knees!?!”

~ “ I am the best catch, everybody wants to marry me.”

~ “If anybody can take your peace and happiness away you are the loser.”