Bikram Yoga Do's and Don'ts

I've been doing a lot of reading about Bikram Yoga and other people's take on the proverbial (and sometimes literal) torture chamber lately. There were two articles I recently came across detailing the Do's and Don'ts of your Bikram Yoga class and I wanted to put my own spin on it.

Here are my own top 5 Do's and Don'ts for your Bikram Yoga practice:

Do's

1. Do... Take the time before class to quiet your mind so you’re better able to listen to the dialogue. Everything you’ve ever wondered about the practice, the postures, the breathing, everything – it’s all in the dialogue. There are still classes after 8 years of practicing (and having the dialogue so ingrained in my mind I could – and sometimes do – recite it in my sleep) where I will hear something in a new way and it just clicks and makes sense in my body, deepening my practice and my understanding of the posture. It’s only possible to get to that level when you’re able to quiet your own internal dialogue and be present and receptive to what the teacher has to say.
2. Do... Have everything you need at your mat before class starts. Ok, for your first few classes this might not apply, but if you are a Queen (or King) of Kleenex and have a habit of walking to the front of the room for a tissue during party time, plan ahead! Grab a couple before class and keep them within reach. This will limit the amount of excess movement during class, which will save you energy and not distract your fellow students or teacher!
3. Do...Stay in the room. Even if you’re having the hottest, most difficult class of your life, the best thing you can do for yourself is to just take it easy. Kneel down, lie down, do whatever you need to do, but stay in the room! The teacher won’t call you out for sitting out a posture or two, but they will if you bolt for the door. The change in temperature can be a big shock for your system, so just accept that once class starts, you’re in there until the end. Trust me, it’s possible even through the hottest classes – I’ve yet to leave the room during class and I’m still here to write about it.
4. Do... Move together. Whether you believe it or not, your neighbours in the room have a big influence on your class. It’s important to support one another by engaging in the collective energy and moving in and out of postures together, sharing energy and strength throughout the class. Pay attention to if you are consistently the last person to grab your foot in standing head to knee or raise your arms over your head for triangle. If so, try to break these habits and in turn inspire your fellow yogis.
5. Do... Set mini goals for yourself. There are always things to work towards in yoga, and it’s not just about having the perfect postures. Having small goals in class will help to keep you accountable during your time in the hot room. Maybe it’s to avoid wiping your sweat (see below), to stay in the room, or to touch your forehead to your knee. Whatever it is, small, achievable goals will hold you accountable while deepening your practice. 

Don’ts

1. Don't... Take yourself so seriously! It’s just yoga, no need to make that angry face at yourself in the mirror. Sometimes we don’t even realize the faces we make in the room until someone calls us out on it. One of my current struggles is to SMILE, especially during Standing Bow. All my energy is concentrated on the kick, the reach, the balance – none of it can be spared for a smile. Or so it seemed. Once I started to practice smiling in the posture everything felt a lot lighter, and a lot less frustrating if I lost my balance or fell out of the posture. I really believe that if we take our practice less seriously, we will take ourselves less seriously outside of the hot room. How we approach our practice is how we approach our lives.
2. Don't... Wipe your sweat! I get it, sometimes sweat gets uncomfortable, especially when we’re not used to sweating as profusely as you do in a Bikram Yoga class. Sweat is the body’s natural air conditioning system, working to cool the body down. When we wipe the sweat off our skin, we’re taking away that cooling system and our body will naturally begin to warm up even more. On top of that, even more energy is expended working to get that sweat back to the skin. In short, every time you wipe your sweat, you are going to feel hotter and hotter. 
3. Don't... Come to class on a full stomach. Just like the advice not to swim after eating, it’s important not to avoid eating prior to practicing yoga. Not only is it going to be seriously uncomfortable to practice if you’ve recently eaten, it’s going to feel a lot more difficult that normal. When the body is busy digesting, blood flow is directed away from the muscles to the digestive system. What happens when these two areas of the body are competing for blood? Neither systems end up with enough oxygen and you may begin to feel weak and even light headed. Not fun. 
4. Don't... Chug your water. This is definitely something I have a hard time with. It’s not easy to stop chugging your cool, refreshing water once you start! It turns out that the water you drink during class doesn’t actually do much in the way of hydration – that has to happen before class. On top of that, any cold water we drink in class has to be brought back to normal body temperature, which takes energy away from where you need it the most.
5. Don't... Let your thoughts take over. When you’re lying in Savasana, it’s normal for thoughts to pop into your mind. The key is to acknowledge them, and then send the on their way. If you’re coming to yoga right after a busy day at work, do your best to let all of that go at the door (or preferably, at the office). Any planning, list making or problem solving can be done after class. Your time in the room is to focus on yourself, and nothing else.

Your First Bikram Yoga Class - What to Expect

In the last little while I’ve had a number people express interest in trying their first Bikram Yoga class. There seems to be a lot of fear around the yoga – whether it’s the heat, the length of the class and the time commitment that entails, or that they feel they aren’t flexible enough. “I can’t even touch my toes!” is a common excuse I’ve heard. I want to start off by saying – it doesn’t matter if you’re not “flexible enough”.  Saying you’re not flexible enough is like saying you’re too dirty to take a bath.

The hardest thing to do is make up your mind to go. Feeling prepared can help to get yourself out the door. Here are a few simple tips for what to expect before, during and after your first class:

Before

• You’ll want to drink LOTS of water the day of your first (and any) class. Think 1-2 Litres, or for my American friends, at least 40 oz. Don’t expect to be hydrated from the water you drink during class
• Avoid eating too close to class. Some fruit or coconut water about an hour or so before class is a good idea, but yoga on a full stomach is never fun and will actually make your class harder if your body’s energy is going toward digesting the big dinner you just ate
• If you have them, bring a mat and large beach towel. The towel will go on top of your mat, so make sure it’s big enough. Trust me, you’ll want it for when things get a little juicy! If you don't have either, no problem, most studios will rent you a mat and towel (and it may even be included in your intro package)
• You’ll want to wear something that’s breathable and easy to move in. Whether that means something stretchy or loose is up to you, but you will probably find that less is more. I suggest wearing as little as you feel comfortable in. Many girls wear shorts and a sports bra, but some are most comfortable in pants and a t-shirt. Guys, anything goes from board shorts to a teeny bathing suit. If you choose to wear a shirt, you might find yourself peeling it off you not long after class starts
• Bring an extra towel if you plan on showering after class, along with a change of clothes. Your yoga clothes will likely be drenched, so you’ll want to have a plastic bag or a separate waterproof compartment in your bag
• The teacher should be aware that it’s your first class, but feel free to let him or her know of any concerns you have prior to getting settled in the hot room.  Remember, once you are in the room, please respect the silence for those around you

During

• The teacher will guide you through each of the 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, but they won’t be demonstrating the postures for you. If you’re unsure what they’re asking you to do feel free to take a peek at the people around you
• The heat can take some getting used to, but the best thing you can do for your body is stay in the room. The temperature change when you leave the room can cause even more discomfort as the blood that was going towards your heart and other internal organs is redirected to your skin to maintain a consistent temperature
• It's perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed, dizzy, nauseous or lightheaded. If that's how you feel at any point, it’s perfectly fine to kneel or sit down
• It’s perfectly fine if you can’t get into the full expression of a posture. The dialogue is there for a reason, to guide you step by step in and out of each posture. Take it one piece at a time, and never sacrifice form for depth
• Remember that others in the room may have been practicing for weeks, months or even years. It’s not a competition, and you don’t need to worry about doing a posture like the yogi master wearing the speedo in the front row (and yes, boys, speedos are acceptable if you’re up for it!)

After

• You made it! When you’re ready, after giving yourself a few minutes in savasana to cool down, pick up your mat and towel and head for the cool, fresh air on the other side of the door. It’ll feel like heaven!
• Drink lots of water following class, and have something to eat. You can burn anywhere between 600 and 1200 calories in a typical Bikram Yoga class
• Check in with the teacher if you have any questions, and come back again as soon as possible. You might find you feel stiff the next day, but the best relief is to come back and work it all out again. Trust me, pretty soon you’ll feel like a million bucks. This yoga is like a reset button for your body and mind

Now stop reading about what your first class will be like, and get out there and see for yourself! I’d love to hear about how it goes! Take care, and Namaste.

Living the Good Life

After quite some time, I have decided to fire up the old blog again. It may have seemed as if things fizzled out for the second half of my Bikram Teacher Training, the truth of it is is that after the halfway point I decided to be present and take in every last minute of the experience. Rajashree had said, on our very first day of orientation, that the best thing to do is just be. Take it all in, and don’t worry about documenting the details. Everything will be in your heart as a memory. As much as I loved the idea that I could detail my experience on here and share what I was doing with my friends and family back home, I felt like the time I was spending blogging was taking away from the time I had to take it all in. The second half of training was spent with the friends that truly made my Teacher Training experience what it was. Many people I met over the nine weeks in LA have now become lifelong friends who live across the globe. I am incredibly grateful to have met so many inspiring souls. I know without a doubt that the friendships and memories from Teacher Training will last a lifetime.

Now that I’m back home in Calgary, and have been teaching for about 8 months, I feel like it’s time for an update!

My first class was terrifying. Or at least leading up to it was. It’s funny when you’re doing something you truly believe in, and sharing something so important to you, that things just kind of work. To be completely honest my memory of my first class is a bit of a blur, and I’m sure it was far from perfect, but I survived, and my students survived. From that point on it has been such a great learning experience, about myself, the human body, and my inspiring yoga community. I’ve taught people of all ages, all walks of life, and all ability levels over the last 8 months, and am always inspired to see someone trying something new, or something they previously thought they weren't able to do. This yoga is so powerful in that way. At first you might feel like you can’t handle the heat, or you’re not flexible or co-ordinated enough, but if you choose not to believe (or even listen) to those thoughts in your mind and give it your honest effort, you just might surprise yourself. After a while when you make it through an entire class without leaving the room, or one day are able to do the full series without sitting out a posture, you realize how far you’ve come and just what you’re capable of – both in and outside of the hot room. Bikram calls this Self Realization.

Not long after I started this yoga, I knew that I wanted to become a Bikram Yoga instructor. Given the age limit of 21 to attend TT, I decided at the (too) young age of 17 to pursue higher education and wait it out. Little did I know that this age restriction was rather flexible – there were people not quite out of their teens at my training. I will never regret my choice to go to university; however it appears it has led me in a somewhat roundabout path. I got a degree in Health Information Science, knowing that I wanted to pursue a career in health in some form, and that in the midst of a faltering economy, a stable job in Health IT was probably a very smart choice. My schooling provided me with some amazing opportunities, namely the chance to spend a co-op semester in Germany, as well as at two other health authority jobs in Canada. With graduation right around the corner, I was able to secure a job with one of these previous co-op placements in Calgary. The people I worked with were great, and I learned a lot in my short time there. My time working in this field, however, taught me much more about myself. I realized that working in a corporate job in the conventional medicine field is not what I’m cut out for. My heart longed to be immersed in the world of yoga, health and nutrition, but as I had given my word to come back to work following teacher training, I returned to the job that I knew in my heart wasn’t right for me. After multiple stints with the flu, and other digestive related distresses, I realized that my body was trying to send me a message. Everything inside me was screaming to tell me to get out, but I was becoming very good at ignoring my gut, and it in turn responded by making me very ill.

It wasn’t long after making up my mind to pursue further education in holistic nutrition that I found a school that was a perfect fit for me. I stumbled upon the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and got shivers up my spine. This was the school I had been searching for. The curriculum was offered entirely online, and was tailored to be flexible for those working full time. As I had not yet committed to cutting my year-long contract short, I thought this was the perfect way to transition to this new and exciting field. I could spend my free time learning more about nutrition and healthy living – something I already spent my free time researching – and put my knowledge towards a career as a Holistic Health Coach! Not long after beginning the fundamental course work, with such a strong emphasis on career and the role it can play in your happiness and overall health, I knew I needed to leave my job.

It’s funny how things just work out. The day I decided what needed to be done, my studio owner told me she was looking for a full time teacher. What perfect timing! I still hadn’t fully committed to giving my notice at work, but even just entertaining the idea of giving that up to pursue my passion of teaching yoga was unbelievably freeing. Sure it would be a pay cut, and I’d lose my benefits and the stability of a career job, but I knew in my heart that it was right for me.

I have since given my notice, and am working toward my last day at my full time office job on August 9^th. I am so excited for what the future has in store for me. I feel I have really found my calling, combining yoga with holistic nutrition. I will have more time to allow me to immerse myself fully into my studies, which will prepare me to be successful as a coach for others on their path to health and wellness.  I will have a website up and running in the next few months, but for the time being I will be sharing my thoughts, experiences and recipes here for you all to enjoy!

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.

Try and See What You Can Do

Things are starting to become a lot more real, and I'm loving our (not so little) yoga family. After we got Friday night off and the Saturday morning class was unexpectedly cancelled, we all got to enjoy a nice relaxing weekend. Sarah and I spent a lot of time at the beach, which was wonderful. I'd missed the ocean so much. Sarah had never been to the beach before and she was like a little fish out in the waves. It was really fun, and the water was so warm - unlike at home. Now it's time to get back to business. Week two has officially started and as Boss said in class tonight, "vacation's over". The energy in the room has been getting better and better the more people get to know one another. Sometimes all you need is to catch someone's eye or see someone smiling in the mirror and you remember we're all in this together.

I'm already learning so much about the yoga, about teaching, and about life. Last week I was pretty close to the podium during one of the classes Bikram taught, and he paid especially close attention to me. Before that I felt like he couldn't see me in that sea of 443 trainees, so it was kind of nice to get some one on one attention, but pretty terrifying at the same time. He got me to stretch further than I ever have before in the stretching pose near the end of class. "Touch your forehead!" he said, to someone I knew must have been in my vicinity. Sure enough, when I looked up and we made eye contact I knew he was talking to me. So I stretched my body forward and touched my forehead with my thumbs as my fingers grasped my toes for dear life. I just did it, and it seemed so easy. "See what you can do when you know what you're doing!?" was his response.

I think the most predominant thing I've learned here so far is that it doesn't matter what you do, or even how you do it, it's how you try. Trying the right way is the only way to make any progress - in yoga and in life in general.

The Invitation

The other day Rajashree taught our morning class and during final savasana she read us this beautiful poem. I first read this poem about a year ago and have loved it ever since. Hearing her read it here at training was pretty profound.

	The Invitation   by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
	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 shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain mine or your own without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy mine or your own if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful be realistic to remember the limitations of being human. It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me 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. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure yours and mine and still stand on the edge of the 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 a night of grief and despair weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children. It doesn't interest me who you know or 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.

Fear Cannot Be Here

Here I am, day 3 of training, 3 classes in, and I can already tell the roller coaster is just getting started. It's like when you've strapped yourself in at the start of the ride, and all of the sudden you're not so sure that you can handle what lies ahead. But at that point when things start rolling, you know you have no other choice but to relax and enjoy the ride - no matter what ups and downs you'll face. That's sort of how things are going here. Not to say that I want off the roller coaster. But that's the sort of "uh-oh" moment I face every once and a while.

Our first class last night was really tough. Not knowing what to expect - from the feel (and smell) of the carpet under your feet to the look of the massive ballroom chandelier above your head. It's surprisingly loud in there, with these big huge vacuum pipe cannons blowing hot air into the room, and the echo of the microphone with whoever's voice on the other end of it. It's so hot you can actually see the heat waves coming from the massive heater cannons. We've had Bikram teach twice, both evening classes, and Rajashree this morning. It was such a nice change to have her today - she's such a contrast from her husband. She is so loving and seems to be so genuine in her support and adoration for us all. My favourite thing she said in the class, was that "fear cannot be here". Not in the hot room, not in our hearts. Everyone seemed to be so happy following the morning class, especially after the grueling one the night before. One positive thing that did from that class though, Bikram told us we had the best first class of all teacher trainings. Don't know if I fully believe that or not but it was nice to hear.

One week today I leave for the adventure of a lifetime. Next Thursday Sarah and I, my roommate for Teacher Training, will be setting off on a 25 hour drive from Calgary to LA where we’ll be fully immersed in this yoga and all that it stands for. The good, the bad, and everything in between. That includes the grammatically incorrect, broken English dialogue that we’re required to memorize word for word, its rather eccentric and controversial founder, Bikram Choudhury (whom I am so excited to finally meet), and the twice-a-day yoga classes we’ll be attending Monday to Friday when we’re not in lectures and posture clinics with one additional class on Saturday morning. We’ll be living in the hotel where it all takes place, with not much more than a few small appliances, my beloved Berkey water filter, and my brand new 40 and 64 ounce hydro flasks. It will be nice to have my car there to be able to do weekly grocery runs and trips to the beach, or wherever else we feel like exploring during the day and a half we have off.

As much as I sound like I know what I’m getting myself into, I’m fully aware that I do not (and cannot) fully comprehend what Teacher Training will be like until I arrive and surrender myself fully to the experience ahead of me. My plan is to follow the advice I keep hearing from all corners of the Bikram Yoga community and just “trust the process”.  I have been told by Cheryl, the studio owner here at Bikram Yoga Northwest in Calgary that I’m more than prepared mentally and physically, but I still have my doubts. She has been amazing over the past few months, helping us learn the dialogue, providing us with advice, and answering all of our questions. I can’t imagine preparing myself for this without her – or Sarah and Ian, my fellow teacher training buddies.

Last night things got real.

For the first time ever, I had the chance to walk the class through half moon pose – all four parts. Being up there was a bit surreal but it gave me a taste of what teaching will be like, which was exactly what Cheryl had in mind. I almost got a little choked up telling the class that from the side they should look like a “Japanese Ham Sandwich” (perhaps one of the most famous "bikramism" out there – what on earth is a Japanese Ham Sandwich anyway?) because I knew in that moment that I am right where I need to be. After an unexpected round of applause from the twenty some odd people in the class, I walked back to my mat and was filled with so much excitement – about training, about teaching my first class, and about everything that the universe has in store for me.