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We’ve hit a big mark, 3 weeks in, 1 to go! In honor of this occasion, here’s guest blogger and fellow yogi, Alison to share her thoughts. Unlike Sara and myself, Alison has been going to Bikram for many years, somewhat regularly. All of our experiences thus far have been unique, here’s how Alison’s has been:
In honor of reaching the benchmark of 3 weeks into a 30 day challenge that will end with my 300th Bikram class, here are 3 things I have been thinking about:
1. Listen Up
I’ve been inconsistently practicing Bikram for years, so I was very excited to attempt this challenge. My first Bikram class 8 years ago was also one of my first exercise classes – I was such a dolt that in my first class the teacher asked if I was pregnant because I so brazenly refused to follow instructions. I was shamed into paying better attention to the teachers. Learning how to carefully listen to the instructions and follow the specific movements and muscle reactions has been one of the best lessons I taken away from yoga. Bikram consists of the same 26 postures for every class. Sounds redundant, right? Truthfully I have yet to be bored in a yoga class. I feel different every day and the postures feel new as my flexibility deepens. Overtime I’ve seen significant changes.
2. Reaching Perfection
It’s not very much in the yogi-mentality to wish for something to be perfect, but stay with me here. There is this great feeling after finishing a Bikram pose where you know you hit your peak of strength and flexibility for that day. Maybe it’s getting your legs a little straighter or foot a little higher. For me, it usually occurs a handful of times each class, some new milestone or just knowing that I did my best on a posture. One of my goals for this challenge was to have a class where I have that feeling after EVERY posture. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m working on it.
3. Have Fun
Bikram yoga is a silent meditation, a challenging workout and of course, it’s really flipping hot. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the classes. Phenomenal teachers will make it more fun (Chystine Cooper & Patrick Lynch are the first to come to mind) and having friends in the room actually makes it an enjoyable experience. Smile at yourself, wink at your friends, it’s ok to be a little goofy because let’s be honest here – we all look absurd. *Side note, balancing postures are not a good time to do this.
Here’s to another 8 days…
Namaste
Alison
