Advanced Camel? Say whaaaaaaaat!

I finally managed to get back to the hot room, after an entire week off. It was a week filled with rest, relaxation, friend time, and just the tiniest amount of alcohol. And I didn’t miss the hot room once. All in all, I was pretty lazy this last week (with the exception of a 19 mile bike ride on Saturday morning).

It took my friend Rachel, who just signed up for her first month at the studio, to drag my ass back to yoga. Obviously going to yoga alone sucks, and it sucks even more when you’re new to the practice and the studio. I’d been busy every night this week so I couldn’t go with her until this morning. I pulled my ass out of my very warm and cozy bed and boy was it hard. It’s getting chillier out and I’m still sleeping in a tank top with my windows open. It’s about 55 degrees in my room most mornings, making it especially difficult to wake up.

But alas, I had promised Rachel that I’d meet her so I hauled myself out of my bed and filled up my water bottles. I was smart and gathered all my stuff last night so I didn’t have to hunt around this morning. This turned out to work in my favor since I woke up 10 minutes late this morning.

Elle taught class this morning, so it was guaranteed to be a good class. And it was. Because class started so soon after the studio opened, the room wasn’t hot yet when we started. Of course the room gradually warmed up and we began to sweat, but it never felt like the room got hot. My legs barely sweat and my feet didn’t either. Normally my feet have a bit of moisture on them which makes the three poses we do off the mat (like triangle) a bit easier. But today I was pretty dry so I kept slipping around all over the place. I also knew it wasn’t that hot because I never even used my reserve bottle of water, and normally I drink both my frozen bottle and my reserve. And I know I wasn’t particularly well hydrated since I opted for wine last night instead of water. I regret nothing.

So we made it to the floor series and I did pretty well. I tried to do fixed firm pose and my knee is sore today. Not sure if I’ll ever get back to doing that pose. But then, my crowning moment happened. We did camel. We did the first set, and since Kaci taught me how to go back further about two weeks ago, I automatically went into a deeper camel pose than most people. I held it and it felt so good to stretch out after a week of not stretching at all. As we entered into savasana, Elle asked me if I’d ever done the advanced version of camel pose, and I told her I hadn’t. So during the next step, she walked us through camel pose and gave me directions for how to do the advanced version, which looks like this: 

I did the full advanced pose on my first try and it felt simply amazing! I could seriously chill out in that pose for hours. It was so nice to actually move to another stage of a pose, especially ones that I feel I’m pretty good at (like half moon and camel). I could hear people around me literally gasping, and I was slightly embarrassed, but I still felt like a freaking rock star! Can I please brag for a second and just highlight the fact that not only have I never seen anyone asked to demonstrate a posture as much as I have, but I’ve also never seen anyone called out in the middle of the class and told to do an advanced version of a posture. Feels good to be good at something 🙂

It was a bizarre class overall too because I was surprisingly limber for so early in the morning. I did half moon and my back bends and hardly felt any strain on my back, which is common for me after just waking up. And my arches didn’t hurt at all. That’s not entirely true- they felt so good through 90% of the standing series, but after triangle they were really killing me so I sat down. Then I got back up for tree pose and they felt fine. All in all, my body has managed to retain a lot of the strength it earned last week, despite my having taken a week off.

I think I’ll rest up tonight (after I go out for a friend’s birthday of course) and go to  the 5:45 tomorrow morning. My brother is coming to visit me for the weekend so I want to get some yoga in before he’s here. The studio is also doing a three set class on Saturday from 9-11 and I’m thinking I might want to attend. Challengers earn two stickers, which is nice, but I don’t know if I want to pay the $20 for the class just for an extra sticker that I could earn at class on Sunday. So we’ll see!

Namaste

No Mistakes!

A Successful Double. The First of Many!

I completed another double today! Woke up at 5:20 and rocked the 5:45 this morning, then I handled the 8:15 tonight! I even managed to bring my friend Rachel to class with me. Homegirl kicked so much ass in your first class ever! Her strength and balance was so good; she kicked my ass so hard lol. After class she told me that she loved it but thought she was gonna throw up because she didn’t follow my advice and ate 3 taquitos before class. I told her the Taco Bell story from last year’s challenge. Mexican food and BIkram just don’t mix.

Anyway Rachel said she wants to come back again and I’m super excited for her to do another class. I love introducing people to Bikram. Some people like it, others, not so much, and that’s alright. Bikram isn’t for everybody, just like running, cycling, swimming, or tennis isn’t for everybody. But it’s a good feeling when you can bring a friend to yoga and you can see how much they like it during the first class and you can just tell that it’s going to be a positive thing in their life.

Short post today because I’m sleepy (although I did manage to get in a solid 40 minute nap after work) and I have to get up at 5:20 again tomorrow for class with Elle!

Namaste

Early Mornings Suck

It’s true, they do. I went to the morning class before work today. I love that they changed the start time from 6:00am to 5:45am- let’s me get home and get ready for work and still be on time

This morning’s class was pretty cool, surprisingly so in fact. Maybe that’s one of the perks of getting up at 5:20am? Cooler classes. I was pretty stiff this morning, but that’s to be expected- morning classes are always hard when you’re used to going a certain distance in poses that require flexibility.

I got to break in my new mat this morning, which allowed me to see that the mat is more coral than it is pink. It also had that new mat smell; it smelled like a new pair of swimming goggles. A weird association, I know, but that’s all I can really compare it to. 

Overall it was a great class. My strength is improving and I’m able to stay in poses longer and without falling out as frequently. And even though it was early in the morning, I feel like I got a hard workout without exerting myself too much. Kind of a weird feeling.

I feel like a zombie writing this post though, which explains the crappy writing. I’ve been up for 4 hours, and I am not a morning person by any means. I brought extra tea to work to stay awake. I’ll be at tonight’s 8:15 class too, so wish me luck on my doubles today.

Namaste.

Lucky Number Seven!

Holy shit what an amazing class this evening! Best class I’ve had in a week (which maybe isn’t that great since my classes have been shitty all week). I had so much energy during class today and felt so good during the entire class.

Bryan was the teacher today, and while I’d only had him for one other class in the past and didn’t like his teaching style, it was exactly what I needed today. There was no touchy-feely bullshit in class, not a single philosophical word was uttered- it was strictly yoga. Bryan belted out the dialogue with out deviating from the script, and it was exactly what I needed. I needed to focus on the words, on the poses, and learn to get my head back into the practice. Every other class this week has been with Julie or Stacey, who sometimes let their dialogue wander. Plus their voices don’t have that drill instructor’s cadence that Bryan’s does.

I’m pretty sure my success in class today was due to my diligent hydrating throughout the day. I had 90 ounces of water, an 11 ounce coconut water and a few cups of tea throughout the day. Needless to say, I had enough liquid in my body to last me a lifetime. I still drank a bottle and a half of water throughout the class, but didn’t guzzle it like I had in the past. In the last few classes I noticed that I came to rely on my water so much as a way to interrupt myself during the postures. I would tell myself “only a few more seconds then you can have water, then you can sit out the next pose if you want to.” It started to be a crutch rather than a helpful aid.

I also didn’t sit out any poses today (except fixed firm). Yes, I had to sit down half of balancing stick and half of whatever pose comes after it because of my arches, but I still felt good throughout the standing series. Standing head to knee is looking better and better each day, and I managed to stay in bow pulling pose longer than I had in a long time while focusing my weight in the center of my feet, rather than letting my weight fall to the outside of my feet. I even went into bow pulling pose on the floor today which I’d been avoiding because it requires me to pull on my knees. I did pretty well in it. I avoided fixed firm again and will probably keep sitting it out for a few more days in order to let my knee heal up. I’ve also lost some of the depth in camel, but that’s to be expected since I took some time off from it this week.

A week ago I told myself that I would go to 7 consecutive days of yoga and as a reward to myself I would buy a cute hot pink tank top with the studio logo emblazoned on it. Well I went to buy one today, and let’s just say they were sized for girls who do yoga more often than I do. While slightly disappointing, the material was pretty thin and the quality looked a little cheap, so I wasn’t too devastated. Instead, I bought a second Breathe mat. It was a hefty $54 but totally worth it since I’ve got multiple days of doubles staring at me. I’m so stoked to have a second mat- it’s going to be so helpful as I try and get to 60 classes! Oh, did I mention it’s hot pink? 🙂 I’m going to look like a bottle of Pepto Bismol when I wear my pink tights and pink t-shirt tomorrow morning.

Namaste.

Paying for my Procrastination

So tonight is my 7th consecutive class and I’m looking forward to finishing up my mini-challenge to earn that cute tank top from the studio. I was really looking forward to taking tomorrow off and letting my body (and mind) have a rest. I think after last night’s rant/semi-meltdown, it’s pretty obvious that I need a break.

But then I sat down with a calendar and figured out how many days I still need to do in order to finish all 60 days of my challenge. I’m 11 days behind on my challenge. This is what the month of October looks like for me in order to catch up and finish all 60 days on time:

Look at that nonsense and tell me my life doesn’t suck! It’s a good thing I bought a second water bottle this weekend! I may even have to start using my rubber mat and towels, or suck it up and pay the $50 for a second mat (which I’m thinking of doing actually). And maybe I’ll chop off all my hair and quit wearing makeup too so I can make the whole showering and getting dressed thing easier in the mornings.

I’m pretty determined to at least catch up to where I need to be, but whether or not I actually finish all 60 days is a horse of a different color. Please wish me all the luck in the world. You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to this Saturday so I can get a damn day off! And then I’ll have a solid month of zero days off. I guess this is where the whole “one day at a time” thing takes over and I put all my faith in a higher power.

No Mistakes.

P.S. I read an article the other day (or maybe it was a blog on here?) where the author once asked an Olympic trainer what the secret to success and finishing your goals is. The trainer said the normal things you’d expect: dedication, discipline, genetic jackpot, etc. But he also said that the most successful people were the ones who figured out how to deal with the monotony of training. Not every yoga class is going to be stellar; I’m not going to nail every back bend, some of the classes are going to be hotter than others. Finishing my challenge on time is going to require my getting used to these facts. Ya, it’s going to suck getting up at 5:30 every morning to go to class, but that’s just part of the shitty, boring, monotonous process on the way to success.

“Exhausted” Doesn’t Even Begin to Cover it.

I thought weekends were about rest and relaxation? If that’s the case, then can someone please explain to me why the hell I’m more exhausted tonight than I am on a Friday after a week of work? I’m pooped, and like the title of tonight’s post says, “exhausted” doesn’t even begin to cover it. Allow me to recreate my weekend for you:

Yesterday:

Woke up at 7:30 and went to class at 8:00. Took it easy again. I showered up afterwards and took a solid 3 hour nap. I woke up around 2, ran to Old Navy to pick up a few fall clothing items. Then I headed to Davis to hang out with a few friends/old college roommate and celebrate a friend’s belated birthday. It was a good time but I didn’t get back to Sacramento until 1am. I’d stopped drinking around 9 so the fun had definitely worn off by 10, but alas, the person I got a ride from wasn’t ready to leave until 12:30. I didn’t get to bed until 1:30.

Today:

Talk about an ass kicking. I was going to try and get in a double today, but then I decided sleeping in was more important (because duh). I woke up around 9:30, got up, got dressed, got Starbucks, ended up running into a friend of mine. He and I chit-chatted for a bit then I went on my merry way to run my errands. I spent a solid 2 hours at Target, the Dollar Tree, BevMo, and a local wine store, TotalWines. I spent a bunch of cash but it was all on necessities. Yes, even the wine was necessary because I’m hosting this month’s wine club and I had to purchase bottles. I got home, put everything away, did 3 loads of laundry, scrubbed the bathroom from floor to ceiling, dusted and swept the house, did the dishes and put them away. And juuuust when I was ready to take a nap, it was time to go to yoga. I wasn’t gonna go actually, but a phone call from my dad and a gentle kick in the ass from him was pretty much all it took for me to get my ass out the door.

Today’s class was hard. So hard. Julie taught. I used to like Julie, but now I kinda view her as a posture Nazi- she spends so much time calling people out on their form, which I guess is good, but it kinda irritates me when we’re all stuck in the pose while people are trying to figure it out. Anyway, Julie didn’t open the door at all today and I reeeeeally felt it. Today’s class was super hot, although I’m pretty sure it was because I hadn’t hydrated. I mean, when the hell would I have found time between errands, laundry, scrubbing, dusting and sweeping? I sat out a lot of postures, which made me feel like shit, but is worth it in order to get my knee back in shape. Speaking of which, my knee is feeling a lot better and the active rest days have definitely helped. Still, I’m avoiding poses that require me to put much pressure on my knees, mainly bow pose, fixed firm, camel, and rabbit.

If I’m being completely honest, I am not loving yoga right now. It’s hurt my knee, every class feels hotter than the last, I don’t feel calmer or better rested; in fact, I feel pretty frustrated with the entire ordeal. I’m not sure if I’m trying too hard or not trying hard enough. I keep thinking back to last year’s challenge and how far I came and I keep comparing myself to how I used to be. To be fair, I took two weeks off and am just now coming back to my practice so my body is probably just getting used to things again. I’m not hydrating as much as I need to be which is making things more difficult, and whenever it’s time to go to class, I find myself dreading it because of all the challenges. I know I just need to relax and calm myself down and quit worrying about where I was and where I want to be, and just focus on where I’m at now, but it’s proving difficult, and that’s making me really frustrated.

Speaking of frustrated: I’m trying to cook soup right now and I forgot a damn ingredient. Now I have to go back to the store to get crushed tomatoes (after having gone to the store already after class). And of course when I went to go to my car, I found that my neighbors truck was blocking my driveway. For real, guys? I just want a bowl of soup and to go to bed. Is that so much to ask?!

This post doesn’t get a ‘namaste’.

Edit:

After this post was first published, I went to the store, got my crushed tomatoes, and now I’m better,  but still pretty annoyed. One accomplishment to be celebrated though: this is the most amount of consecutive days of yoga I’ve ever done. Most I’ve done in a row was 4, and today I completed my 6th consecutive class. Perhaps that’s why I’m so tired and slightly over yoga right now? I think I need a day off (after Tuesday of course) or to switch things up. Maybe I’ll go for a run tomorrow morning before work.

Also, I do have have to say that despite all my complaining, I’m very fortunate to have such an amazing support network. Yesterday Tish sent me a text message telling me to stay strong last night (she knows I’ve been trying to cut back on my alcohol intake, and I managed to have a few drinks last night without overindulging). Then yesterday I was talking to my pops about his marathon, which he finished in 3:47! That’s only 7 minutes off from the time he needed to qualify for Boston (it’s cool though- he’s already qualified and going). When I told him that I was proud of him, he told me that he was equally proud of me for all my accomplishments. AND! I just got a heartwarming Snapchat from my best friend in Fresno who I haven’t seen in a while but who I’m going to get to see this weekend when I go home to visit. It’s hard to complain when you’ve got such awesome friends and family!

Namaste

😛

Takin’ Things Easy

So I pulled my sleepy ass out of bed at 7:30 this morning! On a Saturday! And it was nice and cold in my room too cus it was like 40 degrees outside…perfect sleeping in weather! But alas, I made a commitment to do 7 full days in a row.

I gathered up all my crap, went to class, and took it easy. The class was pretty crowded for a Saturday morning, but I suppose that’s the way things go in the middle of a challenge. Stacey was the teacher- she and I are getting quite chummy.

I can feel slight improvements in my knee after having taken it easy yesterday and today, although I’ll admit that sitting out postures really doesn’t sit well with me. I suppose that’s something I get from my father- that man wouldn’t know a rest day if it bit him in the ass. So when I’m sitting there laying in savasana while everyone else does bow pose of fixed firm, I feel like a loser who can’t hack it. But I just have to keep reminding myself to let my knee heal and remember that I’m doing my own practice and nobody else’s.

I came home, took a shower, had breakfast (bacon and eggs…worth it!), I’m watching an episode of The Wire, waiting for my straightener to heat up. And while I know I have a bunch of errands I want to get done, I’m thinking I maaaaaaaaay need to hit up a little nap for an hour or two.

Namaste

P.S. Shout out to my pops today who’s running the St. George Marathon in St. George, Utah. That man is crazy.

My Best Class, Hands Down

Last night I experienced my best class of Bikram (I feel like I say this a lot). I feel like most of my best classes have several elements in common: Elle is usually the teacher, I usually nail my back bends, the heat is tolerable, and my arches don’t bother me that much.

Last night was no different. Elle was the instructor and just that alone guaranteed it to be an awesome class. As much as I love Bikram, it loses its luster after a while since doing the same series over and over can be a bit boring. The only thing that really keeps it interesting and keeps me coming back is the commentary of the teachers with regards to philosophy and the effects of Bikram in our every day lives. Elle is really the only teacher anymore that concentrates on the philosophical aspect of the yoga practice and it really allows me to get so much more out of the practice and incorporate it into my daily life.

I nailed my back bends last night (more on this in a bit). The heat was more tolerable than normal; there were just as many people in the room as usual, but it was nowhere near as hot as it was in my last few classes. I almost passed out in those classes, but last night’s class was hot, but not blistering. And my arches were excellent last night! Normally they start to hurt after awkward pose, but I managed to make it all the way to standing bow pulling pose without really feeling any pain that I couldn’t work through. In fact, I’m happy to announce that I didn’t sit down during a single pose in the standing series! That hasn’t happened in months! In fact, I didn’t sit out a single posture during the entire class!

Now, while these amazing feats are pretty neat but not altogether noteworthy, you may be wondering why it was my best class ever. Like I said, I nailed my back bends last night. After the first set of half moon, Elle commented on how nice it was to have both Kelsy and Kelsey in the same class since we both have awesome back bends. Then she asked if we’d be willing to give a demonstration of our back bends. No big deal, I’ve done it before. But instead of doing it on our mats, she had us stand on the podium in front of the whole class. We faced each other, she gave the dialogue and we went into our back bends to a chorus of gasps and  “oh my god”. When we finished we got a round of applause and we high fived. It was easily the highlight of my Bikram career since I’ve worked so hard to master my back bends and to overcome my arch pain, all within the same class.

I’m sorry if this post is really vain and I don’t sound humble at all. The truth is, I’m really proud of my back bend- it’s the one thing I’m really good at in the series, especially since the pose right after half moon is the most difficult for me since it kills my arches every time and starts a domino effect of pain for the rest of my class. 

I know humility is a good thing to have, but then, so is pride- pride in what you and your body is capable of. And even though I brag about my back bends, I’m the first person to admit that I can’t balance for shit.

And seeing as how I’m not the most athletic of people, I’ll take my wins where I can get ’em, and last night was a huge win for me. 

Namaste.

No Mistakes.

On Micromanagement

I’ve been reflecting on the idea of micromanagement lately. I think we can all agree that when we have a boss that micromanages us we fail to thrive; we worry about our performance so much that we fail to perform adequately. I’m fortunate in that I don’t have a boss like that at my normal people job. Unfortunately, I’ve realized that I am a micromanager in yoga.

Rather than letting my body just chill out and enjoy the poses, I concentrate really hard on what parts of my body are failing to their job properly. For example, in most of the standing series I stare at my feet, willing them to stay strong and not cramp up on me like the normally do. And what happens? My feel fail me and I fall out of postures. Every time. Rather than staring at my eyes or my shoulders or my hips, I always stare at my feet, and guess what: my feet wobble and flounder. I fail to let my body do its own thing and I fail every time.

I’ve employed a new strategy (and by employed I mean I’ve done it during one class). Whenever I find myself staring at my feet, expecting them to fail, I quit micromanaging myself and just let my body do its thing. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s just the way life goes though. If you try too hard at something, you end up making little to no progress, just as you would if you barely tried.

I haven’t been to a single yoga class since my doubles on Saturday. Sunday I was just plain tired and Monday-Wednesday I had massive headaches. And I say massive in the sense that while they were dull, they were right behind my nose and eyes and ever time I bent over my head pounded under the pressure. I’ve practiced yoga with that kind of headache once before and it was absolutely miserable. Rather than force myself to go to yoga, and rather than will myself to get better faster, I chilled out and just let my body do its thing. Sure it took three days for my body to finally feel up for a class, but hey, it finally got there, and that’s just fine with me.

I’ll be doing a lot of yoga this weekend to make up for my sick time. That’s okay with me though- I can feel a difference in the way my body looks and feels already. My skin is softer and cleaner, I’m better hydrated, I’m much more rested, I’ve been eating better because my body naturally craves healthier foods (and when I want something shitty and greasy, I have a little willpower left over from the previous class to say no).

Couple things to add:

1. I had mat envy last week. This isn’t a thing, but it’s totally a thing for me. I like to look at people’s mats and rank them. Normally the Breathe mats are all kind of lame, and the Yogitoes are cool with their little embroidered phrases, but you can’t customize the phrases, so what’s the point? But last week I saw the prettiest Breathe mat. It was navy blue with white letters and it looked brand new. You know how you watch someone drive a brand new car off the lot and take it for its first spin and you grip your own steering wheel in jealousy because you’re driving the piece of crap that you’re driving? That’s how I was with my now off-white Breathe mat. Needless to say, Navy blue with white lettering is now at the top of my “new mat” list.

2. I have finally consumed (and enjoyed) a carton of plain coconut water. This is huge folks. You know how much I hate coconut. But it actually wasn’t that bad. Today’s class was so god damn hot that a bottle of lighter fluid probably would have tasted like manna from heaven. Big thanks to my daddy for taking me to Costco last night to pick up a few cases.

No Mistakes!

One Yoga Goal: Complete!

Today I did my first double! Holy smokes what a day!

First of all, I drove into Fresno from Sacramento last night and got in around 9. Grabbed some In and Out (it’s kind of a tradition when I go home…not so good for the body, but so very good for the soul!) and went to bed around 11:30.

I woke up this morning at 4:30 to be at Woodward Park at 5:00 am to help out with my dad’s half marathon. I think I mentioned it last year but my dad, an avid runner and Boston Marathon runner, has directed his own half-marathon and half-marathon relay in Fresno now for a few years. Today was the 2nd annual (4th unofficial) Wascally Wabbit Half Mawothon (which was featured in the August issue of Runner’s World Magazine. Anyway my mom, brother, and I worked the “day of” registration table, registered new participants and handed out bibs, t-shirts, and packets to already registered runners. Finally I left around 6:45 and went to Blue Moon Yoga, which is where I got my yoga start several years ago.

My good friend Christine, who used to run with my dad, is an instructor there and would be teaching the 7:00 class. Unfortunately she was late so she ended up just practicing the class and had someone else teach. The class was a good one- not too toasty, and I managed to get a spot next to the heater that, when in the middle of the class and you’re already sweaty and hot, actually feels like a nice cool breeze. The class was also a silent class which I have a love/hate relationship with. I love silent classes because it’s easier to focus and they tend to go a little bit faster than normal classes. I hate them however because there’s no dialogue for the teacher to get hung up on and forget the timing of the pose which means we stay in the pose for the full amount of time. Maybe it’s just Blue Moon though since Sacramento Bikram Yoga tends to do the poses for less time.

Then I went home, showered, went BACK to Woodward Park and helped out with the half marathon for another two hours before meeting some friends for lunch at 11:00. After that I ran to target to buy wrapping paper and a bow for tonight’s birthday party. I came home and took a glorious nap from 1:30- 3:20.

The second class started at 3:45. You have no idea how badly I wanted to skip it and keep sleeping. I mean, I’d already done a class already that day, I deserved a reward and should have been able to stay in bed. Buuuut I’m 4 days behind on my challenge (I had to skip Friday since I went out with some friends on Thursday night and didn’t feel too well the following morning, if you catch my drift). So I pulled my ass out of bed, gathered all my crap, and went back to Blue Moon where Christine was actually teaching this time!

My second class was a good one although it was miiiiiiighty toasty in that room. Somehow I managed to set up underneath the heater again but instead of a cool breeze it felt like the fiery depths of hell being blasted right at me (it turned into a cool breeze around standing bow though). The second class seemed easier- I was more flexible since I’d already practiced once during the day. My arches didn’t hurt too much in the first class, in fact, I didn’t sit down once. In the second class though my arches were killing me and I had to sit out a couple classes.

Overall I’m so proud of myself for FINALLY doing a double class! It only took me an entire year! I’m not only three days behind on my challenge and am looking forward to making up those days during the next week.

Now I’m off to get dressed for my best friend Alex’s birthday. His party is a Godfather/mafia themed costume party, so naturally my costume is a horse head mask and bathrobe- an ode to Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic genius and the unfortunate circumstances under which one wakes up to a horse head in their bed.

Namaste.