My 30 Day Bikram Yoga Challenge: January 2013

Things you should know before reading this blog:

Bikram yoga is hard. I know I'm weakling and whine about everything but this is seriously not some girly cop-out excuse for exercising. Its not for the faint of heart! Bikram yoga, commonly known as hot yoga, earned it's name. Over the course of 90 minutes there are 26 postures (each is done twice) that are practiced in 105-110 degree studios with speaking instruction from a certified Bikram teacher. If you weigh yourself before and after a class, you're likely to see a 3-5 pound difference. Granted, its just water weight, but still that's a lot of sweat. By the end of class, you'll look like you just took a shower. Not only is it extremely hot in the room but the postures themselves are hard. When I begin my first class, there will probably only be 5 or 6 postures I can hold correctly without taking "beginners shortcuts" (bent knees, unlocked elbows, shortened stretches, etc). It takes so much strength, endurance, and patience to do things like kick your foot over your head and hold it there for thirty seconds without falling & knocking everyone in the room down like a domino. I'll get there... hopefully. In the meantime I'll be the tall brunette laying flat on the mat like a dead man, sweating my ass off.

So what's a 30 day challenge?

A 30 day challenge is the Iron Man of Bikram. Basically it entails daily practice, every single day, consecutively, for thirty days. By agreeing to a 30 day, you're agreeing to never miss a class. Ever. Now, the yoga community is pretty understanding that maybe there might be something during your 30 days that comes between you and your yoga class. Miss a class? Fine. Take 2 the next day to make up for the one you missed. Good luck with that. My 30 day starts Jan 31 and ends on Mar 1.

Why am I documenting this?

Well I wanted a way to see how much progress I'll make by the end. I dont think my fellow yoga do-ers would appreciate me bringing a friend into yoga to take pictures for me... Nor do I particularly want my picture taken in the hot room (talk about unflattering) so I'll keep track of everything via this blog. But of course its also just so you, my lovely family and friends, can follow me through the ups, downs, bends, and twists of my very own 30 day challenge. Really, I'm so excited to watch my own personal progress through improving the postures and gain all the health benefits that Bikram is so famous for. Yes I'm somewhat forced to keep record of this so I can present my results in June but I'll try my best and keep it interesting despite all the whining and moaning that's bound to happen. Good, bad, and ugly.. What's the worst that can happen in 30 days??

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Day One

Its been a long time coming for my very first day of my challenge. Granted it wasn't my first ever class, but it might as well have been because i'm definitely a beginner. I took an early morning class last week that has scarred me from ever taking an early class again.. something about waking up on an empty stomach and not drinking water all night did not mix well with yoga. At all. So in comparison today's class went really well! I didn't sit out on a single pose and when I couldn't do a particular pose I at least attempted it and held SOMETHING even if it wasn't the full posture. And I even held back from drinking water until the first official water break (during which I knocked back a bottle like it was my job).

Pre- yoga chipper. Dont be fooled I wiped this makeup off with a wet-one before I got to class and threw my hair up in a sumo-wrestler bun. Today I learned: Yoga is not attractive.

I will say though if anyone had seen me limping through my back door when I got home they would definitely be doubtful about the next 30 days.. I'm absolutely exhausted and so sore. I'm writing this from my bed and you couldn't pay me to get out of it. Overall class went well though I'm happy with how I did.

OH I know this isn't about eating healthy but that sort of comes with the territory when you do yoga so I wanted to add that during all my savasanas the only thing that kept coming to mind was ice cream... I guess that's where my completely relaxed brain goes. Great. But instead of having ice cream when I got home I had plain greek yogurt with half a mashed banana and a handful of chocolate chips. SO so good definitely recommend I just wanted to share that idea in case other people are looking for ways to substitute bad foods for better ones!

(....and then I went back downstairs and had an oreo... can't win 'em all.)

Poses I couldn't hold or had trouble with today:

Standing head to knee, standing bow, balancing stick, and triangle. I have no balance whatsoever so anything on one foot is bound to result in disaster, as seen today

Poses I feel confident with after today:

Dead body (savasana), wind removing, fixed firm, and half tortoise

A set I like to call the fetal position postures

Savasana is my favorite. Clearly.