Week 7

Lets say Sunday is the start of the week so I can tell you I was off to a great start. I booked myself a massage at the hotel spa (thank you mom). It was absolutely wonderful. The spa is located at the end of the hotel’s property and is really beautiful. Gorgeous rooms, steam-room and sauna Jacuzzi the whole deal. My massage was scheduled for 2.30pm but I checked in at 11am and just lounged by their outdoor pool with a hand full of my yoga buddies. The plan to study was out the door fast.

The massage was fantastic. A big man with big hands took all the knots out of my back and shoulders an hour full body massage felt like it went way too fast. The attention for my so overworked body was a big treat and I felt like a million bucks walking out of there even without a ‘happy ending’.

The group that I am surrounded with jokes often about our abstinence here.
We are all longing for our partners and often share all the bad things we’ll do to them when we see them again. It’s been seven weeks and not over yet!
It’s very funny to hear a bunch of moms/wives talk like horny frat boys. Our dads/husbands friends here think we are the perfect marriage material. We talk about beer and sex all the time!

This week was a heavy week. Physically a lot of us feel very exhausted and stiff. Our practice is stalling at a plateau and it feels like the body has a hard time to really give. Mentally a lot of us were burned out with the study of dialog and the repetition of the program here. Because of that there were a lot among us that really took the weekend to take a step back and completely relax.
So did I, I had all the intentions to study my dialog and be well prepared for week seven and instead I played the whole weekend. It felt so good.

We often say, ‘I wonder what the normal people do today?’ that is how we feel. We are moving through this hotel in a purple yoga bubble, sometimes I am not even sure others can see us.

All my guys are in Amsterdam this weekend, I am so happy for them. Of course I would have loved to be there with them but it gives me a very fuzzy feeling to know they are connecting with my family.

My phone calls with the boys have been such a great gift during these nine weeks. It has been very valuable to move out of the role of telling them what to do and instead having them share with me what they do. I love hearing their stories and their adventures. We talk every weekend and I am looking forward to these talk the whole week. Taking the time to connect that way is something that easily slips away when you try to get one kid to guitar lessons and the other to soccer practice before dinner and after the shower…..

They are two amazing young people and I am so incredibly proud of who they are and how they stand in life.

This training has been such a humbling experience in many ways.
My appreciation for this yoga was huge and has only grown since I’ve been here.

You often hear people say they are overwhelmed by their friends and family support and even the support of total strangers after they had to endure a tragedy. That is exactly how I feel. So incredibly loved and overwhelmed by all the support from everyone and I’m not going through any tragedy, this is all good.
My friends and family have been amazing. The teachers helping us through it here, the responds from people on my blog have been so great. It’s been a pleasure to be able to share my story with all of you.

One of my best friends will be here next weekend to take me out for the day and hang out away from all the yogis. Muriel and I met when I lived in LA for a year and a half, that’s already 11 years ago!! She is also Dutch and we instantly hit it off. This will be the second time she drives out to Palm Springs to hang out with me and I hope she knows how awesome that is. I’ll have week 8 to look forward to my time with her, it’ll be my price for working hard….

Week 8 will be again a heavy week. We have to finish the dialog and have about 6 postures to go to get through it. Bikram will be back here for week 8 and 9 so that means incredible classes and energy. He is truly and amazing person.

The goal is to wrap up the intense part of this training this week and have a fun filled week our last week here.