Things you should know before reading this blog:

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??

Monday, February 18, 2013

Day 19

I did the 6:30 night class after being at the gym from 3:45- 6:00. Yeah.. I dont know what got into me. I had planned on going to the gym right after school and then going to the 4:30 class but then by the time I got to the gym it was almost 4:00 and I really wanted to get a good workout in so I just paced myself and managed to stay until the late class. I literally did every single machine at the gym. Every one. And the elliptical. And free weights. And stuff on the mats. I kinda miss being at the gym and being able to work out on my own time at my own pace, its a big difference from having to make it on time for a scheduled class. Also I ate really shitty all weekend and participated in a literal breadstick eating contest with Jake last night at Olive Garden so I was long overdue for a good gym sesh.
Clearly, I fit the mold for a PFit Lunk.

Class was ok. It was packed so the humidity was through the roof. BUT my friend's mom and his little sister were in my class and during eagle I made eye contact with his mom and I thought we were going to have to leave the hot room we got laughing so hard. And it made it that much worse that we weren't supposed to be laughing in the silent room because naturally that makes you laugh harder... I could not even look in her direction for the rest of class because I knew I would lose it. 

My half moon today was so much better than ever before. I think once I got over the fact that bending your stomach so far is going to give you rolls no matter what, I was able to go so much lower. You get so used to standing a certain way to make yourself look thinner and having good posture that eliminates tummy rolls so I didnt even realize I could bend so far until I really tried. Thats pretty much it, I didn't sit out today but triangle sucked because it always does. 


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