Week 5

Well, Week 5 was a tough one, so this will be short post today.  This past week we moved very quickly through our posture/dialogue clinics.   Friday, we did three postures in one day!  The pressure is on to learn as many as possible this weekend, in preparation for the week ahead.  


I've heard that Week 5 is a hard week, generally.  We are at the halfway point and we are all tired.  Last Monday was especially hard for me...probably the hardest day so far both mentally and physically.  I just wanted to go home.  I felt so "over" all of this yoga training!  Here's a snapshot of what it was like to be in my head:

"Why did I think this yoga was so amazing?  These people are really strange.  I can't stand being with so many people any more.  I need more sleep.  I'm so sore.  I'm too old for this.  I want to go home.  I miss Baci!  You can't go home now.  You spent a lot of money on this program.  You have to at least finish it.... besides, you quit your job.  You can't go back.  Oh ya, I quit my job!   Oh no, I don't know my dialogue for tomorrow!   This is too hard.  How am I going to learn it all!   I'm so behind already...."  etc, etc, etc

That was Monday.  I made a point of writing in my journal every day in an attempt to settle myself and drop the negative self-talk.   I kept reminding myself to let go of the anxiety.  Just let it go.  You don't need it.  Gradually, I started to feel better.  By Thursday morning it was almost gone.  It popped up again today and I observed that it is at it's worst when I am really tired.  So, tonight I need to go to bed early.

Emmy Cleaves with students after yoga class

The highlight of this week was our lecture from Emmy Cleaves.  As I mentioned before, Emmy is Bikram's most senior teacher.  She is 86 years old and looks better than most 70 year olds.  She is an inspiration.  She taught two really tough yoga classes this week and gave a lecture on Thursday afternoon.  Her lecture focused on physiology and yoga.  It was so great.  I could listen to her all day!  She explained the principle of "Lock the Knee" in Bikram yoga and how to do it properly (without damaging the knees).  She spent quite a bit of time on how our lifestyle damages our bodies.  Sitting, in particular, is the main problem.  From young age, our children sit for hours and hours at school and then at home in front of the TV or computers.  As we move on in life, we get office jobs, drive around in cars and watch more TV.  She explained how this damages the spine and impacts the whole body.  This is why so many people find the yoga painful.  In yoga, we are retraining and reversing years and years of poor posture, muscle atrophy and negative patterning in the body. The good news is that Emmy believes it can be improved and, in some cases, reversed.  It takes hard work....but it can be done.


This part is for all of my Bikram Yoga friends out there.  Squeeze your butt more and harder during class!!!  During Emmy's and Bikram's classes this week, there was a theme that came through..."Squeeze the Glutes!"  Emmy explained how all of our sitting has caused our largest muscle, the gluteus muscles to become extremely weak.  To safely execute most of the postures, you need to really squeeze your glutes.  Bikram demonstrated his squeezing abilities (It was pretty funny.  You had to be there.)  and told us that we have to squeeze them really tight during Pranayama Breathing and Half Moon.  He said that no one was squeezing tight enough!  Similarily, in Emmy's classes this week.  She focussed on squeezing the butt, especially in Backbending, Standing Bow and Balancing Stick.  Over and over this week....Keep your butt tight!  Squeeze your Glutes.  So, for all of my Bikram Yoga Friends....to quote Emmy, "you have to bring mindfulness to your butt and squeeze it" more during class.  Try it and let me know how you make out.

Earlier this year, my dear friend Eva gave me a book called Journey to the Heart: Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing your Soul by Melody Beattie.  One of the messages this week was to not be afraid of making mistakes.  When I was feeling particularly low, these words were so helpful.  Thank you, Eva.

Inspiration corner in my room