Day 18 & 19 of the 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge

My sister-in-law and her family are here visiting us and it's for this reason that I have been spacing out double sessions consistently this month so that I can make up for the time that we'd be going out of town with them. As we were talking this morning I realized that I completely forgot about the family reunion we'd be having next sunday so I had to do a double class today just to make up for that.
I honestly didn't know if I was up to doing a double especially if the class was going to be really difficult. Omar was the teacher this morning and God bless him because he gave us a wonderful break this morning. He was easy on us and I was smiling to Lea in class because I got my wish. What bothered me this morning were some of the people practicing. There were some girls who kept on talking to each other in class and it was quite distracting because they were right behind me. Because I was so irritated, there was a time that I looked at them and they were just staring at themselves in the mirror doing next to nothing. I said to myself that I would be damned before I acted that way in class. I mean, what's the point of going to class if you're not even going to try to do good in it? It would be such a waste of time.
Okay enough of that negative energy. As Lea told me this morning, positive energy and thinking only. That shall be my mantra for the remaining days of this challenge.
I was still undecided about doing a double but Omar told me that he'll be giving a really easy class this afternoon so I went home and ate, took a shower, played with the kids then I went back to the studio. I was so happy that Omar did give me a much needed breather today. I was able to exert more effort and energy into my postures because I wasn't gasping for air. I told Omar that I would love him forever if he gave us an easy class so I told him so after class. I told him that I would love him forever until he gave me another difficult class. hehehe.
Am I tired? Hell yeah! Maybe I'll get a massage later and try to relax my stiff muscles because I will be doing the 6am class again tom. 11 days to go. I can do this. Positive outcomes only!

Day 17 of the 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge

For my 17th day, I was once again awarded with a very challenging class by Ginger. I guess my body is still getting used to staying in the postures for such a long time. The hard part is trying to regulate my breath after exerting so much effort. I find that the rest in between the standing series postures to be short that I struggle to get my heart rate down before the next posture.
Ginger was telling the class that we should try not caring about what the teacher is doing (i.e. whether he or she is moving near the door or window and you're hoping that they'll open it) and just concentrate on ourselves so as not to get so affected by all the external things happening around us. I completely agree with her but doing is so much harder than knowing right?
I notice that I'm really getting burned out and I'm trying my best to hold on to my sanity. AAAHHHHHHHHHH! That's me shouting as a way of venting out.
Day 18 coming up tomorrow.

Day 16 of the 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge

When my alarm went off at 5am, I just stood up. I did not pay attention to how tired I was because I didn’t get much sleep or how fatigued my body was from my double class yesterday. I just got ready and drove to the studio.

I found out that Ginger was teaching so I knew we’d be in for a truly good morning in the studio (sarcasm injected here). Don’t get me wrong, I love Ginger but for the past few days I’ve been feeling the weight of the challenge. I’ve noticed that Ginger has really been making it a point to hold postures for at least a minute long this whole week. I guess she’s trying to make us push ourselves harder.

I was struggling mentally for the first 30 minutes of class because I was resenting the fact that it was 6am and I couldn’t get a break. However, something inside me changed and I dared myself to put my anger and frustrations into my practice by working harder. Instead of getting irritated I simply gave in to each and every posture even if it meant that my whole body would be shaking or falling out from trying so hard.

I was happy and relieved when we got to the floor series. Whenever we come to the floor, the postures that I dread the most are the ones in the spine strengthening series. I mean, it really just takes soooo much effort in each of the postures just to be able to lift up any part of my body so I knew that I just had to get through this last hurdle and then I’m good. When we reached to full locust pose, Ginger has managed to surprise me again by asking me to demo the posture in class. I couldn’t do anything but laugh and get into the posture—yes with my legs shaking from the effort I put in. Being asked to demo something in class is a lot of pressure but it’s not the worst thing I’ve had to do. The good thing about doing it is that I actually get to hear what I do right in a certain posture so I guess it balances things out.

I was ecstatic by the time we finished kapalabhati. I was done! I was actually supposed to practice some postures from ashtanga but after that workout, my body was protesting and telling me to just do it another day so I laid down and tried to rest for over two minutes.

Today, I’m really just thankful that I was able to finish the class without giving up.

Day 17 coming up tomorrow!

Day 14 & 15 of the 30day Bikram Yoga Challenge

I have come to the realization that for the remainder of this whole challenge we would get out butts kicked by our teachers if one or more of them is practicing with us. Since most of them need to do doubles, I fear that we'd be in "hell" for the remainder of the month.
This morning Omar was very nice and opened the door and windows for long periods so I was happy to have a bit of a break from all the intense practices. I think that it's nice to have breathers from time to time because it re-energizes me. This challenge is taking its toll on my patience and mind control at times so letting myself have an easier time is something I welcome just so that I have time to ground myself once again.
Moving on, after this morning's practice I took the medication that my doctor gave me for my back muscle spasm. I really dislike that medication because it makes me weak and disoriented. When I was still feeling the effects at 2pm I decided to take coffee to help me have enough strength to get to the 4pm class.
Last week, the 4pm class was nice to be in because it was raining but today the heat was at more than 42degrees and the heat of the sun was really penetrating inside the room.
Silly me but I actually thought that Ginger would open the door and windows wider BUT noooooo! We did not have such privilege until we reached the last two postures. To make things worse, I had to pee while we were doing the standing series. Please take note that I did pee twice already before class started and I guess the coffee I drank was wreaking havoc on my bladder. When it was standing separate leg head to knee, I begged ginger to let me pee because sucking my stomach was actually painful already but I obediently finished the postures first before I was able to get my bathroom break during tree pose.
I hated the heat this afternoon but my brain wasn't cussing as much as yesterday. I don't know why. According to Lea(one of my classmates), I would be thankful after I regain my breath for today because I was able to do my double and finish my work and home duties at the same time and she's right, I am thankful for all of those today.
Day 16 tomorrow, I'm not sure how that will be but I shall hope for the best.

Day 13 of the 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge

I did not wake up with the best feeling this morning. I was feeling tired inspite of having 7 hours of sleep. When I found out that Omar was teaching, I wasn't sure what kind of class I'd get but when I saw that Ginger and Rina were practicing with us, I got a bit worried.
It was not cold this morning and Omar hardly opened the door or windows so I was really feeling the humidity and how hard it was to breathe. When he did open the window for a very short time, not much air would come in. If thoughts could kill I think Omar would have fallen flat on his face right then and there. I think I just directed my frustrations at him because my mind was quite weak this morning. I gave in to my thirst and drank water about 4 times. Towards the end, I could feel the pricking sensation of pins and needles all over my hands, face and feet. I really despise that feeling because it paralyses me and makes doing anything a hundred times harder.
I think that I haven't been able to drink enough water especially since I did a double yesterday. It's just hard to remember to drink sometimes especially when I'm busy with the kids, work and household errands. I hope that tomorrow would be better for me.
For today, I'm thankful that I was able to go and practice despite the laziness that I felt.
Day 14 & 15 coming up!

Day 10,11 & 12 of the 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge

I wasn't able to write about my Day 10 yesterday because I got quite busy but it was a fairly easy class because I attended the 6am and the room was nice and cool then. For my Day 11&12, I did a back to back class once again. I must admit that I was dreading it because of my traumatic experience last week.
For the 6am class, I was feeling tired and sleepy plus I drank my banana smoothie a bit late so my tummy was quite full. I couldn't suck my stomach in that much and I feared that since my energy level was low already then I'd really have a hard time for my second class. 6am classes are cooler but it's also a bit harder to move and stretch since my muscles aren't warmed up yet and it usually takes me until after awkward to really feel the warmth.
After my first class, I decided to take a shower to wake me up so that I'd be energized for my second class. My body was more flexible during this time because it was warmer from doing my first class. Surprisingly, I found my back-to-back classes a whole lot more manageable now. I only really struggled with my thirst. I did try my best to hydrate myself in between classes but I guess it wasn't enough so I drank 3 times in class. I felt so alive after my yoga sessions today so I did feel pretty good about my practice =)
I went to my doctor this afternoon and I still have to practice my modified postures until I fully recover but when I asked him about me back bending again, he gave me a funny look and said "we'll see". I think I will go to another doctor so that they can help me find a way to be able to get over my back problems aside from making me stop yoga. I have scheduled a consultation with a chiropractor as well that has been highly recommended by three people. I'm hoping that he can really help me.
That's it for now. Day 13 coming up tomorrow!

Day 9 of 30 day Bikram Yoga Challenge

Since I started my 30 day BYA challenge, I haven't been sleeping with my Baby because I know that lack of sleep will definitely make my practices harder but I saw my nanny the other day and felt bad that she hasn't been able to sleep so I told her that I'd take baby P with me on weekends. Last night, both my kids gave me a hard time. My eldest kept on tossing and turning until he fell off the bed while my youngest was being his usual self, which is like having a tazmanian devil on the bed while sleeping. I was hardly able to rest so I didn't know how my practice would be this morning.
When I got to the studio, I was a bit thankful that the weather wasn't so hot. As I was waiting for the 930am class to start, I was chatting with some friends and I heard my tummy grumble! I couldn't believe that I was soooo hungry! I did take 2 bananas before going to class but my stomach just didn't want to stop complaining. In my head, I knew that I'd be in for a challenging class because my mind was just everywhere and concentration was a bit difficult.
I actually surprised myself that I was focused in the whole standing series. My second round of bow pulling pose was better than my first and I didn't fall out that round. I could feel the improvement in my body from the challenge. I'm able to lock my knees more than before and my shoulders are starting to open up more. I was able to refrain from drinking water when we came to the floor series.
As I was in the locust pose, I noticed that I was able to turn my shoulders in more and I was able to shift some of my weight a bit more forward because my shoulders were turned in more. In this posture I also realized that since my right back muscles were a bit more stiff, my right leg didn't come up as high as my left either so I tried my best to balance and life both legs to the same height.
The spine strengthening series that I did today was the best from the time I got my injury. Rina made the postures longer for our practice this morning tho so after rabbit, I felt the irritating pins and needles once again overtaking my body! Whenever this happens to me, I really get destabilized because I seem to run out of energy pretty fast and I notice every single thing that is giving me a hard time. I notice my thirst as my insides start quivering and how the room is so humid that breathing gets even harder. I had a hard time doing the kapalabhati, I felt so weak.
I think that my water intake yesterday wasn't enough as well that's why I faltered in the end. Of course, I did my best not to show it. I was panting even after resting for 4mins after class. I guess it was just one of those days. I'm just thankful that I was able to be in the class.
Day 10 coming up!