Focus

Alright so I gave a lot of thought about what I’d like this post to be about tonight. And I finally settled on the idea of Focus because thus far I’ve found focus to be an integral part of yoga. Without focus it’s impossible to be successful in yoga or really any other aspect of life.

Focus, as it relates to yoga, is two fold- you have to physically focus your eyes on your reflection in the mirror while you’re doing your poses or it’s entirely likely that you’ll fall out of pose (which I’ve done…many times). If you don’t truly focus on your posture and the pose, your entire concentration is destroyed and you can’t complete the pose. And really, if you can’t do the pose what the hell’s the point of showing up to class?

But Bikram yoga also requires a deeper focus, an internal focus. If one lacks the ability to leave personal issues outside the studio, then one lacks the necessary tools to have an effective Bikram yoga session. Sadly, I fell victim to a lack of mental focus today and I could definitely tell a difference between my session today and my session on Monday. On Monday I was there to do yoga. I was there to sweat because I’d hydrated properly; I’d prepared my body for the rigors of the class. I was deeply focused on my posture and poses on Monday and I had a clear view of myself in the mirror making it easier to self-correct.

Today however, I kept losing focus, and not just in the studio. All day I kept forgetting I had yoga tonight. Around 3:00pm I remembered I had class and scrambled to properly hydrate. I even engaged in a debate with myself about whether or not I should go (luckily, I didn’t listen to myself, and listened to myself instead and went). In class however, my focus wasn’t there. The class was so crowded tonight that I could barely see myself in the mirror, as the instructor was in my way as were several of my classmates. Similarly, my mind kept wandering to other ideas and I didn’t get the chance to achieve that mental calm in Savasana (incidentally enough, Savasana is my favorite pose).

Another aspect of focus that yoga deals with is your ability to mentally overcome your physical needs. In Bikram yoga your body just drips in sweat. And I don’t mean tiny little drops here and there, I mean you’re soaking wet. The desire to gulp your ice cold water and wipe your face is oftentimes overwhelming and you give in to your body that’ begging you to give it some relief. Drinking and wiping your face is one of the worst things you can do during Bikram yoga (aside from leaving the room altogether) because it allows your body to cool down. The entire point of BIkram yoga is to heat your body up so much that it’s required to naturally regulate itself and utilize the functions that it’s otherwise unable to use. Having the focus and mental clarity to tell your body “No” is a huge part of Bikram yoga, and that discipline translates to real life. How well it translates is up for debate though, since I couldn’t tell myself “No” at dinner tonight when I ordered a beer.

Bikram yoga is just as much about fitness as it is about mental clarity, and I can certainly feel the effects of both already. I’ve felt the effects of extreme physical exertion (so much so that sitting down to pee (I sit when I pee since I’m a girl) is painful.) But I’ve also felt the mental clarity that comes from Bikram yoga as I’ve been able to look inward and assess myself and my practice. I’ve been able to rationally evaluate my yoga session and whether or not it was effective and what methods I need to try to ensure that my next class is even better than my previous one.

And so I leave you all with the idea that focus is an integral part of life as it breeds introspection and self-correction, which are key components for success

Namaste.

Or in the words of a man who didn’t understand what Namaste meant:

No Mistakes.

Scope Shift…Again

So I’ve decided to change the scope of my blog once again. No, my apartment is nowhere near finished being decorated, cleaned and designed, however I’d like my blog updates to be fairly regular and I haven’t been doing enough to sustain a blog with just tales of my apartment. So I’ve decided to change the scope of The Life Chats back to something philosophical, namely, my yoga practice. Here’s the rundown:

I like yoga. It’s fun, interesting, all the soccer moms do it and it’s geared towards young-adults/up-and-coming yuppies. However, I don’t do that type of yoga. I do Bikram Yoga (also, I’m using the term “I do” loosely) aka hot yoga. If you’ve never heard of Bikram yoga, you’re lucky. Once you hear of it, you’re intrigued; once you try it, you’re hooked.

Bikram yoga consists of something like 25 incredibly difficult poses in a room that is consistently 105 degrees. And each session lasts 90 minutes. Yes, 90 minutes of intense exercise in 105 degree heat. The desire to vomit mid-way is felt by many, especially in their first few sessions. This is mainly due to a lack of proper hydration.

So Bikram yoga, as I’m sure you can tell, is a major kick in the ass. Now I tried Bikram yoga about two year ago with my dad in Fresno. We did a 10 day challenge at Blue Moon Yoga and it was enjoyable. However, the thing with the challenge is that you’re supposed to go for 10 consecutive days. And let me tell you, that was NOT happening. Especially during summer when the only class my dad could go to was 9:30 am. Waking up everyday in summer at 8:30? Yeah right. So after our 10 day challenge was up I stopped going to Bikram yoga. And then I moved to Davis.

Now, Davis actually had a Bikram yoga studio that I was tempted to try, but I’d driven by it several times and it always looked a little sketchy. The lights were never on and I couldn’t actually find the entrance. So I contented myself with my 2 mile bike rides to and from campus and the occasional 7 mile ride on a relatively flat trail.

But now that I’m living in Sacramento, I really started to crave the intense physical strain that Bikram yoga puts on the body. I also started to crave the physical, mental, and emotional clarity that comes with it. So I did a little research and found a few yoga studios in Sacramento. And then I found the perfect one (after reading all the reviews on Yelp). So I researched their schedules and prices and I was pretty much in love.

Sacramento Bikram Yoga offers at least 5 classes a day with the first class starting at 6:30 am and the last class starting at 8:15pm. And the first month for first time students (first timers at that particular studio, not in general) was $40 for an unlimited amount of yoga in 30 days. Pretty much unbeatable.

So I purchased a one month beginner package, gathered my hot yoga gear (yoga mat, two towels, and the skimpiest shorts/raceback you’d ever see. Seriously, it’d take a lot of alcohol to get me to wear something like that in my own house, let alone in public. It’s cool though, everyone does it.) and I headed to the yoga studio.

Tonight was my first session and I can say without a doubt that I’ll be back many times in the future. The staff was friendly, very engaging, the facility was huge (easily 4-5 times bigger than Blue Moon Yoga), the changing rooms were incredibly clean, and there’s even a dog that hangs around the place. And it smelled. Yes, Bikram yoga has a very particular smell that can really only be described as funk that accumulates after hours and hours of sweaty individuals exercising in 105 degree heat. It would be a lie if I said I missed the smell of Bikram yoga.

The actual studio was very large and there weren’t as many people as in Fresno, which made it much more comfortable. We used to be packed in like sardines in Fresno which makes it really hard to concentrate. The practitioners were quiet and focused and the instructor was fabulous. She didn’t make a point to call you out in front of the entire class and tell you what you were doing wrong (which is what my last instructor did). Instead, she called out generalized instructions for how to improve your posture in the pose.

And while the poses are difficult for even the most experienced yogi, imagine being so drenched in sweat it’s like you’ve just stepped out of the shower (that’s not even an exaggeration) and trying to hold these ridiculous poses for extended periods of time. To say that it takes getting used to would be an understatement.

I’ve decided to focus on my yoga practice for a few reasons:

1. It’s more frequent. I intend on practicing every other day (so that my body gets a little rest in between days). That’ll provide me with enough material to sustain a blog.

2. It’s important to reflect on one’s workouts so that you have a record of your efforts as well as thoughts about what you can do better next time, or what you were particularly proud of this time (the idea of recording your thoughts after exercise is by no means a new idea).

3. Yoga is very closely linked to philosophy and well-being, which is pretty much the original intention of this blog. To focus on my own inner happiness as well as recognizing the instances in which I feel happy will be beneficial to my overall mental, emotional and physical health.

4. It’s time for a life overhaul. So many fabulous things have happened to me in the past 5 weeks that it’s pretty damn impressive that I haven’t had a mental breakdown yet. I don’t normally deal with change very well. And yet, I’ve done awesome with the changes of these recent weeks. And so I think I’ll continue the trend of positive change. I’ve stopped drinking (2 days sober- woo!) with the exception of my monthly wine club. I’ve resolved to stop driving to work, although to be honest, that hasn’t really been a problem as I’ve ridden my bike everyday for the last two weeks, with the exception of my birthday, Friday and today. And I’ve resolved to pack my own lunch every day since I’m the best cook I know and also the most broke, so buying lunch is just plain stupid.

And so I look forward to providing you all with updates of my yoga practice and where it takes me in the future. Who knows, maybe I’ll throw in a few happiness moments, just for old times sake!

Namaste.

More Cleaning Adventures

So after learning that I may have several guests this weekend, my desire to really get this place in shape took over and I cleaned all night again. I organized the bar (perhaps the most important thing in a home) and continued to organize the kitchen. I de-cluttered the fireplace and put a few candles on the hearth, though it still needs a lot of work. I moved the pans around, organized the tupperware (I deserve a medal for that one, seriously- everyone knows what a pain tupperware can be!) and I fixed a drawer that hadn’t closed properly in months (turns out a piece of tupperware had fallen behind the drawer, forcing it to stay open.).

Sadly, I don’t have pictures of a before and after from any of these things, because it didn’t dawn on me until after I’d cleaned. I will post pictures of the finished products though…eventually. Overall though things are going well so far. I’d also like to add that I spent a good hour and a half cleaning the kitchen area at the office today, re-organizing the drawers, cleaning up crumbs, washing out the coffee pot and organizing utensils. Because I’m awesome. And clearly suffer from some form of OCD.

Tomorrow’s To-Do List: The Upstairs Bathroom!

I will be cleaning out the medicine cabinet, which contains about 15 toothbrushes (none of which are mine), sweeping and mopping the floors, cleaning the counter and sink, cleaning the toilet, taking out the trash, cleaning out the drawers and under the sink, and finally- scrubbing the shower which is caked with mold, mildew and soap scum.

Anyway, keep reading, look for pics of this place and feel free to send me words of encouragement because I’m definitely going to need them in the coming weeks!

Moving Forward!

Hello everyone! Long time no post…sorry for the hiatus; I’m BACK!

So just a quick update on what I’ve been up to since I last wrote:

1. I conquered my finals, finished up the school year, and passed all my classes with As and Bs. I got an A- in my religious studies class, so thanks to all of you for following my blog and helping me succeed!
2. I graduated from UC Davis! Woo! officially a college graduate! Only took me $20,000 but whatevs!
3. I’m now an intern in the State Capitol for the Assembly Floor Majority Leader. I won’t discuss this too much on here since it’s not generally wise to blog about work related things, although suffice to say I’m loving the job and my coworkers.
4. I moved to Sacramento! Yeah yeah yeah, it’s only 20 minutes away from Davis, but it’s a whole new world when coupled with new roommates and a new job. After much consideration and a hard, serious look at finances I realized it would cost me about $1,000 less to live in Sacramento than in Davis (based on expected rent, gas, commute and food costs). Also, I feel that it’s worth mentioning that these four events occurred within three days of each other. Yes, I took finals, moved, started a new job and graduated all in the same week. Am I a bad-ass or what?

So I abandoned my blog after I finished my class since I didn’t quite know what to talk about anymore (even though I feel that the recognition of happiness is an ever-important pursuit, I just couldn’t sustain my interest). But I finally decided what I’d like the next phase of my blog to focus on.

As I sat here on the couch in my new apartment this evening after spending two hours cleaning the kitchen, it dawned on me that I needed to blog about my apartment (and new life in general, except for work-related things). I plan on blogging about my apartment because I feel it’s blog worthy and I can already anticipate many interesting stories about it. So let me begin with some background information on the apartment and my new roommates:

On the day before Mother’s Day I talked to Erin about the possibility of me subleasing my room in Davis for the summer and moving to Sacramento to be closer to my new job. She said it was a good idea but that I should post an ad for my room ASAP. So I went home after our lovely brunch and posted a few ads on Craigslist and other sites. The rest of the day proceeded as normal and I forgot all about my posts. Later that night my mother convinced me to go home for mother’s day, but I lied and told her that I wasn’t going to go home- I ended driving down and surprising her anyway. While driving to Fresno I received an email from a girl asking to sublease my room. I later determined that she was legit and it wasn’t a scam like the other emails I’d received. So we talked and haggled and less than 24 hours after posting my ad, the deal was official. I then began looking at apartments in Sacramento.

Thanks to my mother’s knowledge of Sacramento due to her having lived there and been a Sheriff there, I determined that I needed to live in Midtown, which is a delightful mixture of Fig Garden, the Tower District and Downtown Fresno. I found a few apartments and made an appointment to check one out. I went to the apartment, met one of the girls, poked around a bit and made mental notes. Because I’m incredibly lazy and time was of the essence, I decided to rent the first apartment I looked at. I made some calls, came up with the deposit, dropped it off and got a key. I was stoked and couldn’t stop mentally decorating the apartment. And then, one day after work, I stopped by the apartment to drop off some stuff, took a look around and nearly had a heart attack.

I hadn’t taken the opportunity to really examine the apartment or poke around in the nooks and crannies. To say the place was dirty was an understatement.

(At this point I want to clarify that this is not because my roommates are dirty and disgusting. Rather they are several years older than I with full time jobs and busy social lives. They get home late in the evenings and are gone most weekends. So while the apartment was dirty upon moving in, it would be unfair to blame my roommates. The dirt was simply a culmination of months without a deep cleaning.)

Still, the place was dirty. I tried to cook one night and the burners started smoking because there was dirt buildup in the little metal trays beneath the burners. The refrigerator was grimy and filled with half-consumed bottles of Gatorade and soda. The shower was filled with hair (which, as many of you know, is my kryptonite). The window in the second-story bathroom does not open because it is overgrown with foliage. The sliding glass door to the outside patio is also overgrown with foliage, as is the entire patio. Random things were strewn about the apartment including weights, golf clubs, wrapping paper, etc. Like I said, this place was dirty.

Luckily though, I enjoy cleaning so I drove my ass to Target and invested in some paper towels, some Lysol surface spray, Ajax and sponges. And I cleaned. And I cleaned. And then I cleaned some more. I reorganized the kitchen, I cleaned the stove, oven and microwave (all of which were caked with food and grease). I put things away, I swept, I scrubbed and I sweated…a lot. And I was satisfied for a short while, although there’s still much to be done. In fact, today I spent 2 hours cleaning beneath the sink, organizing all the paper and plastic bags that had been collected and cleaned the entire refrigerator, inside and out. Oh, and I also put the dishes away.

And there’s still so much to do! Cobwebs need to be removed, dust, grime, and dirt need to scrubbed away, the upstairs bathroom still needs to be cleaned, the floors need to be mopped, mini-blinds need to be fixed, windows need to be washed the forest growing in our patio needs to be removed and many walls are in need of decoration. In short, the entire apartment needs to be overhauled in every possible way, except for replacing the furniture since it doesn’t belong to me.

Now this apartment may sound like a total disaster to many of you, and that’s exactly what I thought at first. I thought it was hopeless the second I tried to hang my towel up in the bathroom and the towel rod fell out of the wall (fixing that is also on my to-do list). But I’ve chosen instead to look at this as just another adventure. And thanks to Pintrest, some heavy duty cleaning supplies, elbow grease, time and my imagination, this apartment will be in ship shape and bristol fashion shortly forthwith!

I look forward to utilizing some of the best features of this apartment, which include a large brick fireplace, exposed brick, exposed wooden beams, and an interesting layout, to create a functional and well-furnished/decorated apartment for myself and my roommates. By the time I’m finished with it, I expect this apartment to be a delightful mixture of urban and classical elements with both masculine and feminine accents resulting in an ideal apartment for young-professionals.

Stay tuned for the next several months during which I’ll post stories and pictures of my apartment in order to show the progress being made!

I look forward to embarking on this journey with you all!