Day 29...Class 29

3pm...YOGA MELTDOWN

Talk about having "Yoga Drama!"
Learning to release attachment in the Yoga room like I do in my daily life..
This class was SO completely out of control. It was super super hot.. A student(which you're not supposed to even do this) cracked the door to outside before class to air it out. Which wasn't actually a bad idea because it was so steamy in there! The class started out with an erratic Pranayama Breathing. Terrible timing and a different count to every breath, not the steady count that should be done for it to flow correctly. The Standing Series began and people were dropping like flies to their mats.. It was like that movie where there's a bunch of people in a mall, then they turn into monkeys and animals acting wild! Was that in Mean Girls?.. Anyway, everyone was laying down, panting, not doing anything. It was insane. It was like Yogi's Gone Wild, but with nobody flashing their boobs. I worked through the Standing Series only taking a knee once and falling out of Balancing Stick because I didn't have the energy to keep my elbows or leg locked because it was so boiling in there.

I laid in Savasana listening to everyone breathing hard and fidgeting with their water and people leaving. At that point I knew there was no way I'm staying in this unmotivating, hot ass, terrible class. And when I decide something nobody can talk me out of it, sometimes not even myself. I said to myself that I MUST stay until Camel because I wanted to do that posture so bad!:) I knew I should've gotten past all that and stayed and focused on myself, but I was so far passed that point. So I half assed the Spine Strengthening Series, as I noticed so did everyone around me! After Camel I grabbed my stuff and left. The teacher of course asked where I was going, I said "Leaving early" and that's it..Maybe I shouldn't have left right after Camel...They do say that's an "emotional" posture.. Read on..

Jennifer, super sweet Jennifer was out front, she walked over to see if I was OK, because I never leave class. NEVER EVER EVER EVER..... I start crying! WTF? I blabbered on about how this person's class is so unmotivating and uninspiring. I never look forward to it, the dialogue is always messed up, She talks to us rudely.. As I'm talking to her I see two people in the lobby that also walked out of class. That just doesn't happen on a normal basis, so I know it wasn't just me getting frustrated. I told her I'm sorry, I don't know why the hell I'm crying anyway! She was so nice and said it's OK, no worries.. I stayed and took a shower there and relaxed in the locker room. As I was getting dressed I was like, Holy Shit, what did I just do?? Hahahaha! I just had my first official, and hopefully only "Yoga Meltdown!" Geez... So, Jen came in to check on me. I apologized to her and she said don't worry, it happens!
Wow Cat...

Then I decided, screw it I'm going to Jack in the Box! ;) And by the way, their mini churros rock!:) Here's to a better experience tomorrow for my final 30 Day Challenge class! Woooo Hoooo! Oh yes, and this one DOES count, even though I left 3 postures early:)
Nama-freakin-ste people!!!

Day 28...Class 28

7:15am...Michelle

Oh how I love a good Michelle class! It was hot and tough and light and funny and great! My fave is her "Upside down letter L.. as in Lady Gaga:)" line! I think we should play Lady Gaga in the background in class! That would be sweet;)

We end the Standing Series, which I never sat down in(Woo hoo!).. We laid on our mats and the fans go on.. Aaaahhh, much needed... Oh shit, is my fan going the wrong way?? Damn! I wasn't sure if it was, but it was going the opposite way of the other fan and I couldn't feel a breeze at all:( Just when I thought I'd feel a little relief, the thought was taken away from me. My sweat on my body was boiling and I just wanted a friggin breeze, just for a minute.. I really do think the fan on my side of the room was going in the wrong direction. I can't remember which direction they are supposed to go in, though. Oh well, it's over now and I'm still alive.

The super hot feeling made me tired in the Spine Strengthening series, but I did every posture and it was over before I knew it! I couldn't wait to get up off that hot ground and get into Fixed Firm! That's always a high point in class for me. I have more energy. I'm not a fan of being on my stomach in there..It's hot, makes you feel weird.. But if I never felt weird in there I guess I'd never know what feeling really good in there would be like. It's like the Yin and Yang of Bikram. Sometimes weird is good.. Like Camel! I love Camel weird...Some of you have no idea what I'm talking about, but it's OK. Get your ass into Bikram and change your life and find out! :D

Tomorrow I don't get to practice until after work, the 3pm class. So we'll see how much more bendy I am later in the day!

Postures I was complimented on:
Toe Stand

Corrections:
Standing Backbend(Arms locked more), Balancing Stick(Leg down a little)

Day 27...Class 27

7:15am...Chasity

Despite the fact that I had an awesome Mexican dinner last night at El Torito, I had a surprisingly great practice this morning...GO CHECK IT OUT, it's on Boulder Hwy in Henderson (and no, it's not the chain found in cali!). It's my friend's family restaurant that's been there for 30 years and is truly authentic mexican food! YUM... My dinner consisted of basically an entire basket of homemade chips and awesome salsa, albondigas soup, an amazing  green chile pork enchilada, and some rice. Wow was I stuffed and I woke up stuffed too! I didn't even think about it while I was in class and I had a great one and was starving after!

Chasity kicked our asses today. It was great! My back felt nice and limber and my muscles felt strong (except in f'n Triangle, DAMN!).. I'm finishing my challenge strong and I'm loving it!! Now I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day!

This is off the subject..
After losing my incredible Mom in '09 to the terrible, unexplainable disease I just hate hearing about so much Cancer in the world.. The journey is so rough and my thoughts and prayers are with anyone who is suffering from it or suffering with someone who has it. All I can say to everyone is stay positive, fight, and live life in the moment and to it's fullest. There's nothing like looking back at pictures of my Mom and seeing her bright smile through the entire journey. Inspiring! Cancer already has so much control over the society, let's not give it any more control in letting it ruin our precious time here. Cancer does not deserve it! You can't change yesterday, but you can ruin today worrying about tomorrow..

"We believe that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything."~Lance Armstrong Foundation


Corrections:
Pranayama Breathing(Elbows up more), Balancing Stick and Locust, single leg(Sole of foot facing ceiling), Full Locust(Chest up more...That's haaaard!), Rabbit(Hips up)

Day 26..Class 26

7:15am...Marie

The temperature in class was all too perfect for me! I loved it, whatever it was today, that's my favorite temp:) It still felt hot enough to be bendy and work up a good sweat, but I was able to do every posture to my fullest ability(even stay in Triangle all four times;) and she didn't even have to open the doors cause it never got stuffy in there, just a perfect hot room. I think that's better, but that's just me. Why make it SO hot that you have to open the door every few postures when you can keep it at a controlled temp and maybe use the fans a couple times. The heating bill when they have it cranked must be crazy! I felt amazing in class and feel amazing now!

So, Chasity wasn't teaching again like I thought. It was Marie. She's too adorable. She's a great teacher, but also has an amazing, focused practice herself! I also got to practice with Michelle today who I love too!! Marie was in Chasity's class yesterday with me. So she picked up right where Chasity left off on my Stretching Pose! She told me to use my bicep strength more and pull my elbows down. I did get farther in practice yesterday probably because it was a little later in the day. I can't believe I'm doing that now. I think I was so used to focusing on pulling my toes back and keeping my back flat on the way down, that I never focused on that before. Now it brings me to the Esak Garcia seminar I attended about a year ago.. I remember asking him about that posture, "Should you concentrate on keeping your back flat on the way down? Or should you pull to get farther down and then worry about straightening your back?" He actually said to pull down and then straighten your back. He said that's the way he learned to go deeper into the posture.. Hmmm, maybe I should just try that sometimes too and see what works better. I also think I am getting better at some of these postures because my back is getting more flexible. It doesn't feel like I have a metal rod in my lower spine today, so that's good! My left side Standing Head to Knee was better today.. I was able to pull my elbows down and bring my head down almost touching my knee.

It's so funny how the break through's happen.. One day you feel like your going to snap in half or fall over cause you're so sore or tired..then BAM, the next day you're doing something you've never done. It just goes to show how hard you have to work and push yourself to improve. I was going so long with just being stagnant and doing OK, but never really improving. I think everyone who does Yoga should do a 30 day Challenge, atleast once, to see how they improve. They would be amazed!

Day 25...Class 25

11am...Chasity

MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH CLASS!:)
Wow...I guess my spine feeling like a tight rubber band...or even a metal rod sometimes DOES mean it's getting stronger and more flexible! It feels so tender, especially my lower spine.. I was actually going to warn Chasity before class that my lower back's been super sore, just in case she notices I'm having trouble in certain postures... But I didn't. I said, NO Cat, you won't use this as a crutch! I got in that room at about 10:40 and had a good 20 minutes of stretching to loosen up. It was nice to go a little later because I got to eat a couple hours before instead of just waking up and going. So that made me feel good while practicing too!

Here it comes, the first backbend of the day..."Your back is going to hurt like hell, but I don't mind!" That's a famous saying the teachers tell us:).. First set was decent, the forward bend into hands to feet, OUCH.. Second set-Chasity says "Cat, body weight in heels..More..More..More..Arms back..More..More, Good!" Aaaahhh.. I think that was the farthest I've gotten in the Standing Backbend!  Nice! Weight in the heels just MAKES you go back more. And you have to have your weight in your heels a lot more than you think, so it does make it a little scary. I wish I could see how far I go back. I have no idea what it looks like...

Then comes the Stretching Pose.. I grab my toes, walk my hips back right left right left. I flex my toes back, lock my knees and pull.. Chasity tells me to get my elbows down. In my head I say, "I've never done that before, how?" She tells me to keep going and says, "It's alright, second set you'll do it!" Um, sure..... Well, second set comes along and I knew she'd come right back to me. "Pull Cat Pull, get your elbows down, more, more.." I kept thinking, but my feet are not as flat and toes aren't as pulled back and my back isn't straight.. She told me I had a few inches to go..then one inch to go.. then "Touch it!!!" I did! Not for long, just towards the end, but I did! Ok, my back wasn't straight and toes turned in a little, but I made progress! It doesn't matter if it wasn't perfect.. Like they always say "It's Yoga Practice, not Yoga Perfect!" Did I just make that posture my bitch today? Let me tell you, practicing later in the day really does make you more flexible. We'll see if I can do it tomorrow morning:) And I think Chasity is teaching the 7:15!:) She's awesome and so encouraging! This challenge is amazing, and Michelle said to me after class "Just wait till a couple weeks after the challenge, you'll see even more improvement!" Nice!


I can't remember all the corrections and compliments in class today because it was a small class and she communicated a lot to us! It was great..
A few were..
Standing Backbend(Weight in heels), Half Moon(Weight in heels), Balancing Stick(Bottom of foot parallel to ceiling, don't turn it), Locust-Single leg(Same as Balancing Stick), Camel(Keep tight grip on heels), Standing Head to Knee(Flex toes back), Head to Knee Pose(Loosen grip to bring elbows down more)

Day 24...Class 24

7am...Misha

Loving Misha....
The heater was still broken and it was maybe 95-100 degrees.. but I managed to break a really good sweat anyway! I think when she said we had to work harder to break more of a sweat I did just that. When the door opened at the end of class I was freezing when usually it feels good! My lower back feels kind of like a rubber band.. It wants to stretch but it's tight because it's sore. Getting in that heat sure helps though! My knees were bothering me today and my legs were a little weak making it hard to stay in Chair and Eagle.. Wonder if it was from hiking a bit yesterday.. The past 23 days I've been just focusing on Yoga and I haven't thrown anything extra in there until yesterday. We saw an amazing waterfall and snow still left on some of the mountains at Redrock. We took some awesome pictures. Peaceful, great hike! Just what I needed.

6 Days left! Exciting.... Every day that I blog or circle the day at the studio, I think of how close to the end it is. I kind of don't want it to end.. But I'm not going to participate in the 60 day challenge.. One day maybe, not now.. I adjusted my work schedule a bit this month to make the time to do this.. So, I should go back to the norm for a little while. I'm hoping to keep going more often than I used to. I do eat a lot, but I also don't want to lose weight, so I think another straight 30 days will be intense. I've only lost 2-3 lbs during this whole challenge trying to maintain and i've definitely seen the weight being distributed differently on my body. So, I've done a good job with that and I'm happy with myself. No stick figures aloud!:)

"What you do today is important. You are exchanging a day of your life for it!"

                         Redrock First Creek Hike..1-24-10

Day 23...Class 23

7am...Summer

It was so cool in the room today..Well, by cool I mean like 100 degrees maybe?:) I heard someone say after class that one of the heaters wasn't working. That explains it.. I didn't start sweating during Pranayama Breathing like I usually do.. But I do like it sometimes when it's like that.  It kind of switched it up a little. I feel like I could be stronger and push harder, but usually my flexibility isn't there when it's cooler in there. Today, everything was there pretty much. Flexibility, strength, stamina.. All except for my balance. For some reason that was off a bit. Standing Head to Knee, Standing Bow, and Toe Stand were a little hard to keep balanced. I felt like one of those Weebles from when I was a kid.. "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.." I was so surprised with it being cooler that my flexibility was good. I got farther into my second set of Half Moon on the left side and my Standing Backbend! My Standing Separate Leg Stretching felt great too.. It was a great class! Now for a beautiful Sunday.. Redrock, NFL Play-offs, and Dad's house for yummy dinner!

ONE WEEK LEFT of my Challenge!! :) Then what????.......

Corrections:
Standing Bow(Point toe more)

Day 22...Class 22

7am...Marie

WOW! AMAZING CLASS!!! Loved it SO much.. It has to be in my top 5 favorite practices ever! There's a seminar today so there's only two classes this morning.. So, guess what?! 50 people showed up! There was high, positive energy and it was so much fun! We were so close together and I was right up on the mirror. A little too close if you ask me:) I hit it a couple of times with the sit ups! We laughed and smiled a lot and Marie kept it tough and funny at the same time. I could just feel how amazing it looked from Marie's perspective! 50 people breathing together and moving together in the postures.. How awesome that would look!!! I feel SO good!

I got to finally practice with my friend Hollie! We usually go at different times, but with this challenge we were bound to take a few classes together:) We've both have been practicing for a year and a half or so and have never gotten to practice together. She has a very dedicated and strong practice. She stayed for a double after our class!

My postures felt really good today. I actually for the first time started to bring my head down in Standing Head to Knee on the left side(my "better" side:). I was in my head like "Whoa, cool, keep going, wow, am I really doing this!?" Haha!! Then I tipped.. Damn, so close! I can't wait to try again tomorrow! Also, Rabbit felt so much better. That tip Misha gave us about looking at your knees instead of your stomach definitely helps! I could feel my spine stretching top to bottom.

Marie said to keep practicing every day.. It really does change your life. She said people will see it in you, your happiness, your glow, your love for life and yourself.. And it's contagious. It's so true. I wish everyone would give themselves the gift of Yoga. It truly is something amazing you can do for yourself! And as you radiate that energy, you also help those around you! Usually sounds lame to people who don't practice, but those of you who do definitely know where I'm coming from..
XOXO

Day 21...Class 21

7:15am...

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." 
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
This morning, the mountains were so pretty on my way to class. There is so much snow! I was more out of my head and determined. I got to class early and did some Camel backbends and stretched really good because my lower back has been tight. That helped me a lot in my Standing Backbend because my back was more warmed up. I don't know how some of these people do all these postures so well!! I looked left to sneak a peak at Danielle, who is an awesome student and soon to be teacher after her training! Her Standing Backbend, Standing Bow, and Floor Bow were just amazing! I'm sure her other postures are too, but I had to focus on ME:)

I am not a fan of a teacher who doesn't have things under control.. Usually fiddling with the mic and walking outside during Pranayama Breathing.. Talking with a rushed tone in their voice.. Holding the breathing for way too long and not being consistent at all with the counts for the breath. One minute it's 6 seconds, the other minute it's 8 or 9 seconds while she's talking specifically to one student or stumbling over words and not helping us to keep a steady movement in Pranayama.. Isn't that important in the breathing exercise? A steady pace the whole time? You know when you practice a lot how it's supposed to feel and flow. The only time it felt right is when she actually counted during the exercise. All the other times I do the breathing it's consistent and a nice flow, not with this teacher, ever.. I feel like it messes up my practice a little bit because the breathing exercise is so important. There were a few times I would start inhaling or exhaling on my own and I didn't care.. I was going to do it right and if anyone didn't like it they can suck it:)... I mean that in the nicest way possible.

So, I still cannot believe I'm on day 21! They say doing something for 21 days makes it a habit, right?..

Day 20...Class 20

7:15am...Michelle

"You're stronger than you think you are Cat!"

It's Yoga Practice...Not Yoga Perfect..
Michelle gave me so many words of encouragement today. She could tell I was having a rough class. It was written all over my face. I did only sit once, but I had to get out of a couple of postures early. Chair, Eagle, Triangle... NOT my friends today. My knees were hurting in Chair(2nd part on tip toes) and Eagle.. I've noticed with all the moisture in the weather right now, my joints have been bothering me a bit. It does feel better when I get in that room though, even if it's tough. I had that tightness in my chest and I couldn't control my breath to calm my heart and mind today. I was way too trapped in my head and I couldn't get out. My goal today is to drink way more water than I did yesterday.. I don't remember filling my bottle up enough yesterday now that I think about it. I'm also going to down an electrolyte packet too.. And I'm also being a good girl with my decaf coffee this morning:)

Even though today was a challenge.. I got deeper into a few postures that I couldn't believe.. Hands to Feet! I could feel my elbows get closer together behind my legs, my legs straightened more, AND I still kept contact with my face on my legs! Usually if I get my legs straighter my face comes off my legs and I have to back up a little. I swear, the key to that posture is to suck your stomach in! It's crazy how much farther you can go when you do. Also, my Standing Backbend.. Even though it was only the last few seconds of the second set, I went back farther and watched my pointed fingers get closer to the back wall than the ceiling! I really want to start working on doing wall backbends. I have to have no fear. I'm working on keeping the weight in my heels in the Standing Backbend, I always have to be reminded of that. That's why I'm such a fan of the Bikram dialogue! If you listen and move with their words there's no way you can "forget" a certain part. Yoga is SO technical. People who don't practice, don't realize that. They think it's La La La, Stretch, La La La, Reach, La La La, Bend.. The postures must be done 100% correct to get the full benefits. The more correct you are with your alignment the deeper you can eventually get into the postures. I love it.. I can't remember who said this in class, but if you do a posture 99%, it's 100% wrong! So true...And that goes for LIFE too!

Postures I was complimented on:
Chair(tip toes), Standing Separate Leg Stretching, Toe Stand(balancing on Rt. heel), Tree

Correction:
Basically it was- Cat get out of your head, Breathe, and stay strong:)

Day 19...Class 19

7:15am...Summer

I figured it out...I think you're supposed to pretend you're Chuck Norris while you're practicing!
"Chuck Norris lost his virginity before his Dad did."
"Chuck Norris doesn't read books, he stares them down until he gets the information he needs."
"Some people wear Superman pajamas..Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas."
And one of my personal favorites..
"When Chuck Norris does push-ups, he doesn't push himself up..He pushes the Earth down!"

Today was so much better than yesterday! I feel like I'm on an upswing again! This whole process is a roller coaster. Or maybe a box of chocolates..(Which that saying doesn't even make sense anymore because they always have a chocolate diagram inside:)..
My legs got straighter in Hands to Feet pose today. That's always been a hard one for me. The stretching pose is getting on my nerves.. For the life of me, I can't bring my body down. I can lock my knees and pull on my toes, but my achilles tendon is really tight, so I don't get very far. I'll pretend I'm Chuck Norris in that posture tomorrow and see what happens;) I'm very happy that in class the other day Misha said "Don't look at your stomach while in Rabbit, look at your knees!" Aaaahhhh, friggin break through! I was always rolling way too far onto the back of my head and wasn't able to feel like I was ever advancing in that posture. Well, now I know a trick to do it the correct way and I can definitely feel my spine stretching more instead of anything going on with my head! NICE...

We have a great Yoga Community. I have met SO many awesome people practicing Yoga.. People I practice with, people I don't practice with, people that i keep in contact with on Facebook and this blog who go at different times than me or even to different studios! I love it... Like Big G said, it is so nice to go into that hot room and connect with so many people of all different walks of life and be on common ground for 90min.. Working together, breathing together, laughing together, living together. I really do think Yogi's possess a certain positive, amazing quality and I love having more of that in my life!

"Yoga heals, nourishes, and challenges us. The practice infiltrates every corner of our lives."
~Valerie Jeremijenko

Postures I was complimented on:

Toe Stand

Corrections:

Half Moon(Left side, Left shoulder forward more)

Day 18...Class 18

9am...Oleg

"Find comfort in the discomfort.."

Just when I thought my streak of bad classes were done, I'm sweating like a fat kid in gym class. Even after, I dried off, changed into my sweatshirt and drove home STILL dripping wet. My sweatshirt was soaked by the time I got home. I felt so over heated and weak today. It felt like a mix between a sauna and a steam room in there. Oleg did awesome with cracking the doors when needed. I could tell by looking around there were quite a few people having a hard time today. You never know how your practice will be until you do it. It's so interesting. Everyday is different in there, I just get frustrated when I feel like I can't do my best. But I did my best for what my body was capable of doing today. That's what matters!

It could be because I didn't sleep well. I woke up around 4:30am and I figured I'd just go to the 5:30. However, when I got up, I realized that was nuts and tried to sleep for another couple hours. So, after an hour and a half more of broken sleep I tried to get up for the 7:15.. That didn't happen either. And after yet another couple hours of terribly broken sleep, I woke up to head to the 9. The weather is so gloomy today, I just wanted to sleep a little more and be lazy. Today was the only day where I really, literally didn't want to practice, but I really don't want to have to do a double during this challenge, so I had to get moving and go. I also had Chinese food last night, so obviously I didn't eat well.. Who the hell knows what they put in that! Probably so much sodium and fat.. But it was damn good!;) And yet another reason why I might have been weak and hot and tired today.. I got my massage last night. I definitely needed it, but I always feel like it takes a lot out of me and my practice the next day is not so good.
Tomorrow is another day, Today let's have a lovely day! :D

Day 17...Class 17

7:15...Misha

Nice! I got my ass kicked today!.. In a good way. Tough practice for me and I was tired today, but it was a REALLY great class! I'm loving Misha! She also does Reiki.. I'm excited to try it soon. It was a busy holiday morning class. Misha gave us A LOT of instruction and we were all pushing through. I was able to mentally push through more today than usual. That's a good improvement. Now, Triangle is hard enough as it is, right?.. Today we sang Happy Birthday to Leah while in Triangle! Ha! It was pretty cool though. I had to take a quick knee at the very end of the second set because I don't think I was breathing while I was singing:)

Today in Standing Head to Knee Misha said I had good control. That's nice, because I'm really working on that. It was when I kicked my left leg out..That side seems to be better for me in that posture. It's so funny, in the beginning of my practice, about a year and a half ago, I never, ever thought I'd be able to kick out straight! Still working on bringing elbows down and head to knee. Just goes to show you can do anything if you work at it. Now I know the things I think I won't ever be able to do, I will eventually be able to do them. Like full Camel, better backbends, Full Standing Bow, or Full Pigeon.. So many pretty postures out there. Now what is weird to me.. I always get complimented on my Tree for having my knees in alignment, so it seems my hips are pretty open. But how come in Triangle it's so hard for me to push my right knee back sometimes in that posture. Oh, I know why! It's because in Tree I'm not having to hold myself up with my lame inner thigh strength:) Hmmmm..

Postures I got complimented on:
Hands to Feet Pose, Chair(On tip-toes), Standing Head to Knee(Good Control), Balancing Stick(Left side), Tree

Corrections:
Hands to Feet Pose(Keep bringing elbows behind calves), Bow(Keep kicking up and back), Triangle(Rt. side-push right knee back way more)

I just figured out I can add pictures.. Fun!;)

Day 16...Class 16

7am...Roberta

 Decent class and practice, nothing really interesting or significantly  different to report today.. "Cricket, Cricket".....
 So, I'll leave you with a noteworthy poem by a Native American  Healer.
 It's one of my favorites..
 ~Namaste~

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals or
have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine, or your own,
if you can dance with the wilderness ad let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be
careful, realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you're telling is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself,
if you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.

I want to know if you can be faithful, and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty
even when it's not pretty every day,
and if you can source your life from God's presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of a lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon, "YES!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live,
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone,
and do what needs to be done.

It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments!!


There are no limitations! LOVE LIFE!
>^..^< Cat

Day 15...Class 15!

7am...Michelle

Halfway there!

Todays class was fabulous! The temp was perfect, great energy, I did every posture and worked hard. I finally got to take Michelle's class.  I barely ever get to anymore. She's one of my faves! This was my favorite class of the challenge so far! She's too sweet.. She asked when I was going to teacher training and said I'd be a good yoga teacher! I've heard that a few times from her, Brandy, Brooklynne.. I think it might be something to look towards in the future. I know for sure it's not something I want to do right now for a few different reasons. Just like I knew when the right time was for me to do my first double a few months back, the 30 Day Challenge now, etc.. I'll just know when and if I'm ready for that. If anything, it would be a great experience. I just hope this challenge bumps my motivation back up. The last year I've had some pretty terrible things go on in my life and I've been out of sync with my regular practice. I feel very motivated and determined NOW during the challenge, but I'm hoping I still feel it after also:)

I don't feel really sore like I did the last few days.. My backbends didn't feel like my lower back was going to snap in half, so that's good:) I still can't believe I've gone 15 days in a row! My friend Krisi pointed out that I mentioned I haven't gone more than 15 or 16 days in a whole MONTH. That's true.. It's crazy how when you put your mind to it, you can really do anything!... but I'm still never jumping out of a plane!


Postures I was complimented on:
Tree, Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee(Hips aligned)


Corrections:
Standing Backbend(lock elbows more)

Day 14...Class 14

9am...Misha

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." ~Wayne Dyer

I usually go to the 7:15am class... I went to the 9 today because I go into work a little later. Usually it's just too late for me to go to the 9. You don't get out until 10:30. At first, I was thinking in my head "Damn, I should have just went to the 7:15..This feels weird. It feels like the first day of school." I felt out of place a little bit. It was odd. The people who normally practice with me were already done and gone, I moved my spot in class a little bit- more towards the middle of the room,  I was able to try something different and eat a small piece of fruit an hour and a half before class because I practiced later. It was busier, different energy, and WOW can that class do some good Pranayama! So many differences.. I LIKED IT! I didn't know how much I liked it until I was done though. That theory is true.. You have to do things that make you feel uncomfortable sometimes to feel alive! Change is good sometimes.

BURN! I was expecting Oleg, but he was nowhere to be found and the sign in sheet says Misha.. That goes to show ya, don't go to a specific class for the teacher because they may not even be teaching:) Schedules are not set in stone. But Misha was good today! I had a bad experience in a class of hers in my first week of my challenge. I honestly think it was because I was at that detox phase.. The class seemed very demanding that time and I didn't feel much positive energy at all.The vibe seemed way different in this class then the last one I took with her. She didn't keep the room scorching hot like last time. Maybe it did help that there were 3 new people in the class. Whatever the case was, it was great today. I got to practice with Dray! He's one of my favorite teachers. I don't get to take his class very often which sucks. But he has his own studio on the West Side now. Yay Dray!:)

I believe I'm making Half Moon my bitch! Second set of course is better because I'm more warmed up.. I can go so much farther than I used to! The little changes are so exciting! My legs/knees didn't hurt as much in Eagle today either! Jennifer asked how I was doing and I told her I was really sore right now. She said it could be a little dehydration, not enough electrolytes. She said the soreness shouldn't last long and if it does it's usually a sign of lactic acid buildup that needs to be flushed out. So I told her I drink 4-5 liters a day, she said that was good, but to take in more electrolytes and I should be good. She actually said to base it off urine color.. If it's dark, obviously more water is needed.. If it's clear, no color, more electrolytes are needed. WOW, I learned something new with the electrolyte part. Might not be exciting for some of you, but to me it is;)..Now I know, more electrolytes!! Jenn also said, stay away from caffeine. I only have my cup of coffee in the morning-maybe 10oz or so. She said try and even stay away from that for now:( Damn... Oh well, I'll do decaf during the challenge and cut back. My cup of coffee is so comforting and I love it.

Guess who gets a facial tonight after work..ME!
PS- My friend Valerie is a "Facial Ninja!" and does the BEST facials ever. If you want to experience the magic I'll tell you how;)

Day 13...Class 13

7:15am...Marie

Finger slices..The sound of ice..Day Dreaming of snow..

Who knows what I'm talking about?.. Those nasty little cuts you get on your first two fingers on the top knuckles! They ALWAYS happen to be right in the creases. Whenever you bend your fingers they open more and more.. They are a result of- The carpet rubbing against your fingers as you grab your heels in Standing Separate Leg Stretching! Aaaahh.. I hate them! Now that they appeared it will be hell in that posture for me until they go away. And to top it off.. Because my hands are in water a lot during the day, I have DRY hands, so they crack even more. Damn.. If I concentrate too much on NOT sliding my fingers, even a little bit, on the carpet as I pull on my heels I don't do as well in the posture. If I go all out, balls to the wall and not think about it, my posture is better but my fingers get cut open.. The more the carpet cuts them open the worse they get and the longer they take to heal up. And it seems to happen SO easily, even just the slightest slide across that razor blade carpet..Well, that's what it feels like when it happens:) If you're trying to imagine what kind of carpet I'm talking about and you've never been there, you'll know what kind my studio has if I describe it like this.. Think back to Kindergarten.. THAT kind:) I KNOW I'm not the only one this happens to... I just can't be.. Am I?

I felt good, but sore today.. I'm so sore right now, especially my legs! My hips and legs were tight when I got to class today. I'm glad I had time to stretch out in the heat before we started. I feel something major happening though. I think I'm at that point where I'm changing.. Getting stronger, more flexible. I was able to go into Camel and Standing Backbend a little deeper today, where as the last couple of days I felt limited because of my lower back soreness. I sent a picture of my Standing Bow to a wonderful teacher who has an amazing Standing Bow.. She's just amazing all around! She gave me some pointers. So I have to work on getting into splits and backbends more to excel in that posture. I've never been able to do the splits, so we'll see! ;) Then again, I was never able to do any of this before I started. It all comes with time. Patience is a virtue. I'm learning that also!

Marie really gave us a lot of guidance today and pushed us. She gave us a lot of corrections and acclaim. I felt she helped us a lot. I was SO thirsty today for some reason, especially towards the end of class and after. Usually I bring enough water for class and the ride home. I finished it when I got into my car. I'm laying there in Savasana..The first Savasana of the class. Now this is one of the times in class where they may or may not turn the fans on.. I wasn't OVERLY hot but I was hoping, like a kid waiting for Santa, that the fans would go on or the doors would be cracked open just for a second. However, Santa didn't show up. I'm assuming today, it was mostly the fact that I was SO thirsty. (I think I ate a lot of salt yesterday..) No fans, no doors.. OK that's cool.. No worries..I laid there, daydreaming in Savasana concentrating on my breath and focusing on the ceiling. It actually does help when you think of something else other than being hot. At first I thought of rain falling down on me.. That was worse. All I could think about was HOT, HUMID, NASTY RAIN:).. So scratch that Cat, think of something else. SNOW.. I pictured myself laying in fluffy, cold ass snow! And it worked. The thing i couldn't stop thinking about was how nice, yet torturous Marie's water sounded!! Every time she picked it up for a swig you could hear the ice cubes hitting the side of the bottle. I wanted it! Mmmmmm, exquisite agony:)

Postures I was complimented on:
Pranayama Breathing form, Standing Backbend, Eagle

Corrections:
Eagle(Sit down more), Standing head to knee(Kick out, toes back), Standing Separate Leg Stretching(Shorter stance), Head to knee with Stretching(rt shoulder down and left shoulder down more-both sides)

Day 12...Class 12

7:15am...Toni Jo

"Every posture is a lifetime journey unto itself. Our bodies change and our lives change. We gain confidence using all of our faith, determination, will, self-discipline and concentration in each posture. After a class in Bikram Hot Yoga, our cells vibrate at a higher level, and we KNOW, beyond a shadow of a doubt, we are more alive!"

Toni Jo rocks. She is motivating and pushes you, but also keeps it light and funny at the same time. Practice was great today.The vibe in there was awesome and all my yogi friends showed up:) It's funny because you get used to the people who practice around you and when they're not there it's different. Not sure if they feel the same way when I'm not there, Haha! I like how all of our vibes feed off each other. There's little pokes, smiles, and laughs.. And yes, even sometimes looks of  misery and despair! ;)
Fun class today!

As far as my food regimen is going, I'm still not sure what works the best for me yet.. Obviously eating healthy is the best. But I did eat some snacks way later than I should have last night and thought it would affect me in class today, but it didn't. Maybe it's better..Getting some fuel into my body since I usually go to class first thing in the morning. So, I'm still working on my food theory and what works best for me and my body. However, I think my Coconut Water 45min-an hour before class is working better than Emergen-C.. I used to do Coconut Water when I first started then I just strayed away from it for some reason and started trying Emergen-C. I'll still use both and maybe switch it up a little now and then. I love Whole Foods.. Time to make a trip there this week for more!

Everyone I know who hasn't tried Bikram Yoga ask me if our studio has beginners classes, because they've never done it before. I tell them it IS beginners postures in a heated room.. It's like they don't believe me though. I tell them that if you're advanced you just go farther into the postures. The class is basically a different challenge and journey for everyone. I tell them that it doesn't matter if they get into the posture 10% of the way or 100% of the way, they will still gain the same benefits if it's is done with correct form. I couldn't touch my toes before last year when I started Bikram! I wish they would all try it.. And I wish they would try it a few days in a row and stay hydrated. That's the only way you get the real feel for it. You can't go once and say "I hate it." I hear that a lot. I think when people are ready they'll try it. It really is mind over matter and all about the breath.. I think I was almost a year into it before I actually realized how much the breath helps! So, it's a learning process, an awesome journey!

Postures I was complimented on:
Pranayama Breathing, Standing Bow, Kapalbhati Breathing

Corrections:
Half Moon(Rt. side-come down farther, more of a push I guess than a correction)

Day 11..Class 11

7:15...Cindy

Todays practice was the exact opposite of a Snickers bar..
UN-satisfying on so many levels. Even though I feel great now(like always), I was bored to tears during class.. I don't know what was happening with the vibe in there, but I couldn't wait to leave. I was cursing in my head, going through the motions, and wondering when it was going to end. I wasn't listening, for some reason I was trying to tune the teacher out actually. The more I listened the more I cursed in my head. I don't know what it was, but today I was as bored as a midget in a theme park..

My arms/shoulders were super sore today. Holding them up and keeping locked elbows was difficult. Other than that, I felt pretty good.

Postures I was complimented on:
Tree alignment(rt side), Half Moon(left side)

Corrections:
Stretching Pose(pull toes back more), Standing Bow(chin to shoulder, head straight), Half Moon(lock elbows out even more)

Day 10...Class 10

7:15am...Jennifer

Now it's time to try and tune out the moaning girl in the back...

I've been OK at the "Concentrate" part.. The "Meditate" part I'm still working on! I guess you've totally mastered the meditation aspect of class when you can focus and tune out the heat, the pain, the sweat, your costume having to be adjusted, the people falling out of postures around you, YOU falling out of postures, the heavy breathing when the new students are erratically breathing out of their mouths and they can't catch their breath, whether the fans are on or not, what you have to do that day, and I guess now to add one more thing... The moaning girl in the back.

I ate white flour and sugar last night... It was just a little side of rigatoni with our Sunday Italian dinner at Dad's and a small slice of homemade orange, honey, ricotta cheesecake(tell me you wouldn't have eaten it;)... But it's SO crazy how it makes you feel when you're not used to it! I had a slight headache and my stomach wasn't feeling quite right this morning, but when I got into class I felt a little better..

The temp was great today, hot enough to stretch and pull safely and still push myself. I felt like today was a great class. I felt a little nausea in Camel and I didn't do the second set.. Normally I love Camel. I couldn't get as far back today either because of my lower spine being so sore. I'm still trying to push, I want to get passed it and be able to engage my middle and upper back more and go deeper into the posture. I've been working on stretching my achilles tendon.. It's a challenge for me to pull my toes back in Standing Head to Knee, so I've been really trying to mimic that and work on it in Head to Knee with Stretching since we're on the floor. My Half Moon(going to the left) feels SO much more loose than it was and I can push my hips out farther, especially in second set. Being the first posture of the series, first set is a little tight.

I swear I'm completely deaf in my left ear at the moment from the sweat dripping into my ears:(... I'm going to get swimmer's ear drops that people recommended. Please work!

I felt like I deserved new yoga shorts today. They are cute as can be. It motivates me when I get new yoga gear:) Although, I might go broke and get fat after my challenge... I've been saying "Oh I deserve it because of my challenge!" Haha! I think I've committed myself to 3 or 4 dinners at Italian and Mexican places right after and things I want to get or do for myself! I crack myself up...

Corrections:
Tree(hips more forward)

"Don't take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway."