The Power of Positivity

There has been so much going on here lately that I don't even know where to begin.

This past week marked our halfway point, which I had been looking forward to for a while. When the day actually arrived, though, I couldn't help thinking that this is only the halfway point? You mean we have to do this for another four and a half weeks? Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier to be here. There is no where else I'd rather be than here at training, surrounded by 450+ other people who all share the same passion as me. I get to live and breathe the yoga that I've loved for the past 8 years of my life. But there are definitely times where it all gets to be a bit much. This past week, for instance, we were kept up until 4am watching a 3.5 hour Bollywood movie that didn't get started until well after midnight. On top of that, posture clinics are moving faster and the plan seems to be for us to be finished delivering the 26 postures by the end of next week. Then of course we have the 11 yoga classes we manage to fit into our 6 day week.

I started out really enjoying posture clinics, which was probably due to the fact that I'd come here knowing the dialogue for the first 9 postures - up to Triangle. It didn't take us very long to get through those 9 postures, which was stressful enough to get up and deliver in front of the approximately 50 people in the room. In my last posture clinic we got to use the microphone, which feels weird enough on it's own, and is only amplified by the fact that it's the most unnatural environment ever - reciting the dialogue that you've managed to memorize as close as verbatim as possible, with 3 people demonstrating the posture in front of you and about 45 others watching your every move.

Bikram had been away for a couple weeks, but earlier this week he came back and taught most of our evening classes. One night it was so hot in there that he actually asked for the heat to be turned down. Definitely never thought I'd hear those words out of his mouth here. I've heard from other people who have gone through this whole teacher training experience that the yoga is the easiest thing you do here. I'm not sure I can fully agree... There are some days in there where I feel like I could die. Of course there are others where I feel on top of the world and stronger than I've ever felt before. I guess it's all about balance.

We've been talking lots lately about uncovering layers of yourself that may have been suppressed over the years, and how when you're doing this much yoga that process is accelerated. This past week alone I've definitely had some self realizations and life epiphanies. I've also been feeling like I'm more in tune with the bigger picture - the universe, if you will - than ever. The law of attraction has definitely been at work here, especially the past few days. There have been so many instances where I'll put a thought out there, and at exactly the right moment it's presented to me, reminding me once again of the power of positive thinking. Your outlook on life, on your practice, on anything, really does make a difference. A quote that my good friend Sarah S shared with me today speaks to that, in a sense: "Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself". It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to feel good about yourself in order for your outlook on life to improve - changing your outlook on life can change how you feel about yourself.

So Much To Be Thankful For

Week 4 has arrived. We're nearing the halfway point, which I had excitedly thought would be Wednesday of this week until I realized halfway won't officially be until the Wednesday of week 5. Still, it's close. Time seems to fly by and stand still all at the same time here. It's pretty crazy to think that only a month ago I was getting ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, and now here I am. Where did those weeks go? But at the same time, when you're holding triangle for what seems like a year, time doesn't seem to be moving very fast at all. Last week, which was rough for a lot of people as posture clinics and anatomy started and we're all starting to get a bit overwhelmed and stressed out, one of the visiting teachers reminded us of just how it felt as we were getting ready to come here. We all left our friends and families, took time off work, and saved money to be here. It brought tears to my eyes to think of how excited I was to be coming to training, knowing that I'm here now and it's all happening. I try to remind myself of that now whenever things get tough.

With today being Thanksgiving back at home, I can't help but think about all that I'm thankful for. It all boils down to the people in my life. I feel so much love and support from everyone - from all the amazing people I've met here to everyone at home that has been thinking of me and sending me encouragement. I'm thankful for my parents, because I definitely wouldn't be here without them. I'm also so thankful for Cheryl, who prepared me mentally to be here. I see so many people struggling, and I'm so grateful I had someone to push me to learn the dialogue before I got here. And last but definitely not least, I'm thankful for my roommate, Sarah. I hear people complaining about their roommates, or hear horror stories about roommate drama, but I couldn't be happier with mine. Everyone here has been so supportive and we all look out for one another. That was made especially clear this past weekend when I got a flat tire pulling into the laundromat. There were a group of people from training there, and I guess they saw what happened because two wonderful yogis, Brian and Chelsea, came to my rescue and changed my tire for me. I realized that we really are like a big family here... there's always someone looking out for you, everywhere you turn. I'm thankful for the all the people in my life, the ones that have come and gone, and the ones that I've yet to meet but whom I know will touch my life in the future.

This weekend was full of activities and I had a lot of fun. On Saturday I went to the cute little town Hermosa Beach with Steph, my new Australian friend, where we each treated ourselves to a mani-pedi. It was so nice to do something relaxing after three strenuous weeks of training. Later that night I went out for Paige's birthday dinner with a group of trainees and her sister Chenoa who is visiting. I've known Paige and Chenoa since I was in elementary school, and it's pretty cool how it all worked out that we're in the same place at the same time here at training. We all had a great time at Benihana, a Japanese restaurant where they cook your food right in front of you at the table. Sunday I went on a Hollywood tour with Sarah and Jackie from training, and we finally got to see the city. It was great - we went to Venice Beach and Santa Monica, Grauman's Chinese Theater where all the celebrities hand prints are, saw the Hollywood sign, went all through Beverly Hills and saw celebrities houses, the Playboy Mansion and even the Fresh Prince of Bel Air house! Not long after we returned to the hotel we had a Canadian Thanksgiving feast that the hotel cooked for us. It wasn't quite the same as being at home, but it was nice to sit down and have a nice turkey dinner with my new yoga family.