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.