Congratulations Kiddo!
Graduation day! Woke up a little tired from the lack of sleep but the thrill of the day quickly took over and I felt amazing! We had a couple last minute errands to take care of before we could start "getting ready". Which we did togther, our group of girls, Niki, Josephina, Heidi, Sabine and Me. We did our hair, nails, make-up,put on our dresses and heels and were ready to graduate!
The graduation it self was 5 hours long! Holy cow, I guess I shouldnt have been surprised, it was Bikram's Yoga College Graduation afterall. :) It was a very nice ceramony. And the best part was getting my certificate! We all got to give Rajashree and Bikram a hug as we accepted our certificate from them. Bikram handed my my certificate and said "Congratulations Kiddo". It was sweet. After the ceramony we had a very nice dinner provided by the Fairmont and it was very lovely. I said a lot of good-byes (or see-ya-later's rather)and thanked a lot of the staff and senior teachers for their contribution.
Then lots of people headed to the lobby bar for more mingling. Then off to club Pure. It was a night filled with loads of dancinga and celebrating. Lets just say, it was a LONG NIGHT...I krept back into my hotel room at 6 AM! :) Good times!
Teacher Training will always be an amazing memory for me. Life alternating, definitly. It was the hardest venture I have ever pursued and also the most rewarding experience of my life! ;) I am forever grateful for the opportunity. And I am truly honored to call myself a Certified Bikram Yoga Teacher!
Now...go out there and teach em'!
xooxo
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Week 9!
Fun and the Flu
Last week of teacher training, thought it would never arrive! The excitement to the week was large, everyone was taking pictures, videos, exchanging information, crying, laughing and bracing themselves to re-enter the "real world". I for one was a little numb, I was unsure of how I felt, I kinda felt afraid to go home and face the world outside of our little yoga bubble and at the same time I couldnt wait to have my life back. I had completely detatched from my life back home while I was here so truthfully I wasnt really sure what my life back home even looked like anymore. I just stayed present and absorbed the love and excitement that surrounded me.
Tuesday morning I woke up with .....THE FLU! Can you believe it? I couldnt. Whole body aches, chills, fever, nausea..the whole bit! I was abslutely miserable! I cried a lot that day, mainly because my body hurt so bad but also because I did not want to spend my last hours, classes and lectures being sick. I did have to visit the infamous puke bucket that day, and if I would have had any liquids or food in me it would have been eventful but instead it just was my support as I lay in agony. It was no fun. The nurse said there was a 24 hour flu going around and that I would feel better by the next day and I DID! :) Thank god!
Wednesday and Thursday were typical days. Craig came back to training and lectured and taught us his infamous ridiculously hard class both nights. Craig is AWESOME! I really liked him and fell in love with him immediately. He a Jersey boy turned surfer. Its no suprise he stole my heart (my dad is from Jersey and I have a soft spot in my heart for surfers, as everyone knows). I felt a little bummed that we only got him for a week, but was not sad that we only had to have two yoga classes with him, he is a hardass teacher for sure!
Friday. THE BIG DAY! Our official last day of Bikram's Yoga College! The day was perfect! Rajashree taught the morning class and it was beautiful. I placed my mat right in front of her and admired her beauty and grace. I definitely had some tears flowing, tears of joy and a little sadness for this experience coming to an end. We then had our last "lecture" which was actually a session for students to ask questions and share their stories about how they found the yoga and what brought them here. Let me just say there was not enough Kleenex in the building that afternoon, we, and I do mean WE as in all 300 of us, were choked up and very emotional. The inspiring stories just kept coming one after another, my only regret was that we didnt do this week one. We got to see people in a whole new light. I was touched, inspired and moved beyond words. I love my Fall 2008 peeps! :) Then it was time for our final yoga class, class #99! And of course Bikram, Boss himself lead us. The room was jammed packed with visitors and the vibe was right! Bikram was in a great mood and lead the best class ever! As class came closer and closer to the end the emotions built. And one of the highlights for me was when Bikram called me out saying that I had one of the best rabbits out of everyone in training! WOW! Not bad for a girl who entered TT with true hatred for Rabbit pose! I was thrilled. The end of class came and all of us requested #3 on Bikrams' CD, it was our theme song and he delivered, as soon as the song (which is Bikram singing with techno beats, classsic!) started everyone got up from Savasana and started dancing, hugging, crying, celebrating, yes, even Bikram! He was dancing and smiling, it was so adorable. I love him so much! It was a beautiful ending to TT and I will never forget that night. Oh but that was not the end, the talent show was that night, and whoa talent is what we had in deed, I was shocked to see the talent of my peers. The night was so FUN! Everyone dresssed up to see the "show" and we were greeted with pizza and beverages as we took our seats. So FUN!
I didnt get to bed til 3:30 am, I was filled with adrenaline for the next day.....GRADUATION!
Last week of teacher training, thought it would never arrive! The excitement to the week was large, everyone was taking pictures, videos, exchanging information, crying, laughing and bracing themselves to re-enter the "real world". I for one was a little numb, I was unsure of how I felt, I kinda felt afraid to go home and face the world outside of our little yoga bubble and at the same time I couldnt wait to have my life back. I had completely detatched from my life back home while I was here so truthfully I wasnt really sure what my life back home even looked like anymore. I just stayed present and absorbed the love and excitement that surrounded me.
Tuesday morning I woke up with .....THE FLU! Can you believe it? I couldnt. Whole body aches, chills, fever, nausea..the whole bit! I was abslutely miserable! I cried a lot that day, mainly because my body hurt so bad but also because I did not want to spend my last hours, classes and lectures being sick. I did have to visit the infamous puke bucket that day, and if I would have had any liquids or food in me it would have been eventful but instead it just was my support as I lay in agony. It was no fun. The nurse said there was a 24 hour flu going around and that I would feel better by the next day and I DID! :) Thank god!
Wednesday and Thursday were typical days. Craig came back to training and lectured and taught us his infamous ridiculously hard class both nights. Craig is AWESOME! I really liked him and fell in love with him immediately. He a Jersey boy turned surfer. Its no suprise he stole my heart (my dad is from Jersey and I have a soft spot in my heart for surfers, as everyone knows). I felt a little bummed that we only got him for a week, but was not sad that we only had to have two yoga classes with him, he is a hardass teacher for sure!
Friday. THE BIG DAY! Our official last day of Bikram's Yoga College! The day was perfect! Rajashree taught the morning class and it was beautiful. I placed my mat right in front of her and admired her beauty and grace. I definitely had some tears flowing, tears of joy and a little sadness for this experience coming to an end. We then had our last "lecture" which was actually a session for students to ask questions and share their stories about how they found the yoga and what brought them here. Let me just say there was not enough Kleenex in the building that afternoon, we, and I do mean WE as in all 300 of us, were choked up and very emotional. The inspiring stories just kept coming one after another, my only regret was that we didnt do this week one. We got to see people in a whole new light. I was touched, inspired and moved beyond words. I love my Fall 2008 peeps! :) Then it was time for our final yoga class, class #99! And of course Bikram, Boss himself lead us. The room was jammed packed with visitors and the vibe was right! Bikram was in a great mood and lead the best class ever! As class came closer and closer to the end the emotions built. And one of the highlights for me was when Bikram called me out saying that I had one of the best rabbits out of everyone in training! WOW! Not bad for a girl who entered TT with true hatred for Rabbit pose! I was thrilled. The end of class came and all of us requested #3 on Bikrams' CD, it was our theme song and he delivered, as soon as the song (which is Bikram singing with techno beats, classsic!) started everyone got up from Savasana and started dancing, hugging, crying, celebrating, yes, even Bikram! He was dancing and smiling, it was so adorable. I love him so much! It was a beautiful ending to TT and I will never forget that night. Oh but that was not the end, the talent show was that night, and whoa talent is what we had in deed, I was shocked to see the talent of my peers. The night was so FUN! Everyone dresssed up to see the "show" and we were greeted with pizza and beverages as we took our seats. So FUN!
I didnt get to bed til 3:30 am, I was filled with adrenaline for the next day.....GRADUATION!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Week 8!
Check, Check, 1-2-3-4
BIKRAM IS BACK! Oh ya, and we felt it! So before I start in on my stories for the week, have I mentioned yet that this training is the first in about 8 years that Bikram has been so present? He has been here pretty much the entire time minus a couple weeks when he went globe trotting. I had no idea what having him here so much actually meant but to put in generally, it means WE GOT OUR ASSES KICKED!!! Bikram's yoga classes are always everyones most diffucult classes, I think for 2 reason, 1) you want to do your best for him and 2) he makes you do your best for him. He challenges you to your deepest core, its hard to explain HOW he actually does this, but he does. Every night when we exit his class, we all look like a different breed. Worked! His classes are always hotter, harder and heavier (mentally).
Monday. Bikram taught that night and like I said in my last blog, there was a lot of anticipation about class that night, I was nervous but promised myself to stay present (which is the absolute ONLY way to survive here) and try my best. So class was as hard as I thought is would be and then some! At the end of class Bikram told us that he was testing us the entire class and...WE WON! He was very happy! He said he tried to break us all night long and we just kept working hard, didnt give up and proved to him that we had been working really hard while he was away. I for one was relieved that he was pleased but in the back of my mind I had a feeling we werent getting off that easily.
Tuesday mornings class was taught entirely in Spanish. It was the first class I have taken in another language and I really enjoyed it. I was surprised that it really made no differnce that I coulnt understand what was being said, I know the yoga and therefore knew how to do the class in unison with everyone else. It was actually very meditative, you just flow with everyone and you stay very present becuase if you think about anything else besides each pose you will be lost. It was a nice change too. Anything differnt at this point is really nice. Tuesday night as you all know was the big election in the states and Bikram was so generous and let have the night off to "watch Obama win" as he put it, and we did just that with a pizza/election party in our friends room. It was one of the best nights here for sure. OBAMA! :)
That brings me to Thursday. Thursdays are always hard for me because I feel so close to the weekend yet its still not quite there yet. I am always pretty exhausted on Thursdays too, they tend to me my most challenging yoga days. Heidi, Niki and I had a luch date with Alison that day (yay, thanks again Alison for coming out to support us all, we loved having you here and appreciated your support so much), it was nice to sit and chat about being a teacher. Then we went to class that night and were a little surprised to not see Bikrams orange towel on his chair on stage. I didnt think too much about it, I thought maybe becuase he lectured all day that he just wasnt feeling up to teaching. So we did class with a visiting teacher, finished in 90 minutes and layed in Savasana when all of a sudden Manali came in and ordered everyone to stay on their mats and not move that we had a surprise....."Check, Check, 1-2-3-4" Oh hell! Bikram walks in, the lights turn on and he says "ok, lets start class" Pure terror went thru everyone. I thought, ok here we go, our tripple! There was massive amounts of crying, laying down, freaking out, my god it looked like a disaster scene. I kept calm and collected and geared up mentally for my thrid class of the day. I thought to myself, well Sash you have never done this before, lets see how strong you really are. And class began. I had no water since I finished my water in the first class. So I pretty thirsty but I thought, I have so much water in me (I have been so bloated out here, its insane) so I just kept telling myself I would be fine without water for another class, again how strong am I? They were allowing people to go out and refill their water bottles and they also had electrolytes too but honestly I didnt want to leave the room for room a couple of reasons 1) I have not left the room once during this trainig and made a deal with myself that I was not going to ever leave the room, so again it was a test of my mental strength and 2) I really thought that if I didnt stay present for 1 moment and allowed weakness or temptation to enter I would break down and not be able to finish class, I was determined to finish. Mid-way Bikram noticed a lot of us losing glucose and fading (I was becaming very dizzy and weak, I started to get a little worried that my body was not going to cooperate with my plan) and he asked who needed candy and few of us raised our hands, so he threw us some a Werther's and we continued. Not only did I finsh the class, I also did not sit out 1 posture nor take a knee! I was very proud of myself. I realized that night how mentally strong I really am. After class I had massive chills and felt exactly how I use to feel after finishing a marathon. Its a very distinct feeling. Its like you have the flu almost, chills, aches, your insides feel tight, headache, no appetite, and pure exhaustion. We also were informed we would have lecuture that evening starting at 10 pm! Yep, you heard me right, lecture STARTED at 10 pm! So Bikram let us know that again he was testing our mental strength, and I guess he just wanted to put a cherry on top of that test because he kept us until almost 3 AM! It was a doozie! Lets just say Friday was very tough, it was the first day I actually thought about skipping class in the morning and doing a make-up class on the weekend but I didnt, I kept true to the process with everyone else and obviously survived.
So that was our week with Bikram being back. It was rough and tough to say the least. I can honeslty say though, I kinda enjoyed the torture. I know I am sick, its the trainer in my though, I am always pushing myself past my limits to see what I am capable of. I learned I am one strong chick and can handle A LOT! It is very empowering! It is what makes my life so amazing and far from average. I dont settle. When you continue to push yourself, you continue to grow and explore new territories within yourself. Its times like those that you learn you really can do anything you put your mind to and thats what I live for, to live the best life there is to live. To do what makes me most happy no matter what it takes to get there. I wish that for everyone. And that is why this yoga is so amazing, because it builds that kind of strength within those who practise it. This yoga is very much a mental strengther along with a body healer and disease preventer. Its good stuff!
Now the WEEKEND! YAY! We all couldnt wait relax and chill. Saturday we did our usual shopping for the week of supplies, dropped off our laundry and got our coconut water! YUM! I will miss that coconut water soooo much! Then laid poolside with Niki and listened to tunes on our ipods. Then it was off to Carlo's casa for a beach house party! Bonfire, candles, reggae music, locals, surfers, and sweet conversations. Again, bittersweet though, loved it so much but the reality of it coming to an end also was hitting home pretty hard. I love it here. I am really going to miss all of this so much.
There is so much more I could go on and on about but time here is precious, in a week from right now, I will be on a plane back to Phoneix! I can hardly beleive it. It seems surreal. I am really having mixed feelings about this expereince coming to an end. I know I would NEVER want to do this again and yet its been the most amazing expereince of my life! I am beyond grateful for it and will cherish it for the rest of my life. All I can really do at this point is embrace every last minute here.
I wish you all much health and happiness.
Namaste~
Your Yogini
xoxox
BIKRAM IS BACK! Oh ya, and we felt it! So before I start in on my stories for the week, have I mentioned yet that this training is the first in about 8 years that Bikram has been so present? He has been here pretty much the entire time minus a couple weeks when he went globe trotting. I had no idea what having him here so much actually meant but to put in generally, it means WE GOT OUR ASSES KICKED!!! Bikram's yoga classes are always everyones most diffucult classes, I think for 2 reason, 1) you want to do your best for him and 2) he makes you do your best for him. He challenges you to your deepest core, its hard to explain HOW he actually does this, but he does. Every night when we exit his class, we all look like a different breed. Worked! His classes are always hotter, harder and heavier (mentally).
Monday. Bikram taught that night and like I said in my last blog, there was a lot of anticipation about class that night, I was nervous but promised myself to stay present (which is the absolute ONLY way to survive here) and try my best. So class was as hard as I thought is would be and then some! At the end of class Bikram told us that he was testing us the entire class and...WE WON! He was very happy! He said he tried to break us all night long and we just kept working hard, didnt give up and proved to him that we had been working really hard while he was away. I for one was relieved that he was pleased but in the back of my mind I had a feeling we werent getting off that easily.
Tuesday mornings class was taught entirely in Spanish. It was the first class I have taken in another language and I really enjoyed it. I was surprised that it really made no differnce that I coulnt understand what was being said, I know the yoga and therefore knew how to do the class in unison with everyone else. It was actually very meditative, you just flow with everyone and you stay very present becuase if you think about anything else besides each pose you will be lost. It was a nice change too. Anything differnt at this point is really nice. Tuesday night as you all know was the big election in the states and Bikram was so generous and let have the night off to "watch Obama win" as he put it, and we did just that with a pizza/election party in our friends room. It was one of the best nights here for sure. OBAMA! :)
That brings me to Thursday. Thursdays are always hard for me because I feel so close to the weekend yet its still not quite there yet. I am always pretty exhausted on Thursdays too, they tend to me my most challenging yoga days. Heidi, Niki and I had a luch date with Alison that day (yay, thanks again Alison for coming out to support us all, we loved having you here and appreciated your support so much), it was nice to sit and chat about being a teacher. Then we went to class that night and were a little surprised to not see Bikrams orange towel on his chair on stage. I didnt think too much about it, I thought maybe becuase he lectured all day that he just wasnt feeling up to teaching. So we did class with a visiting teacher, finished in 90 minutes and layed in Savasana when all of a sudden Manali came in and ordered everyone to stay on their mats and not move that we had a surprise....."Check, Check, 1-2-3-4" Oh hell! Bikram walks in, the lights turn on and he says "ok, lets start class" Pure terror went thru everyone. I thought, ok here we go, our tripple! There was massive amounts of crying, laying down, freaking out, my god it looked like a disaster scene. I kept calm and collected and geared up mentally for my thrid class of the day. I thought to myself, well Sash you have never done this before, lets see how strong you really are. And class began. I had no water since I finished my water in the first class. So I pretty thirsty but I thought, I have so much water in me (I have been so bloated out here, its insane) so I just kept telling myself I would be fine without water for another class, again how strong am I? They were allowing people to go out and refill their water bottles and they also had electrolytes too but honestly I didnt want to leave the room for room a couple of reasons 1) I have not left the room once during this trainig and made a deal with myself that I was not going to ever leave the room, so again it was a test of my mental strength and 2) I really thought that if I didnt stay present for 1 moment and allowed weakness or temptation to enter I would break down and not be able to finish class, I was determined to finish. Mid-way Bikram noticed a lot of us losing glucose and fading (I was becaming very dizzy and weak, I started to get a little worried that my body was not going to cooperate with my plan) and he asked who needed candy and few of us raised our hands, so he threw us some a Werther's and we continued. Not only did I finsh the class, I also did not sit out 1 posture nor take a knee! I was very proud of myself. I realized that night how mentally strong I really am. After class I had massive chills and felt exactly how I use to feel after finishing a marathon. Its a very distinct feeling. Its like you have the flu almost, chills, aches, your insides feel tight, headache, no appetite, and pure exhaustion. We also were informed we would have lecuture that evening starting at 10 pm! Yep, you heard me right, lecture STARTED at 10 pm! So Bikram let us know that again he was testing our mental strength, and I guess he just wanted to put a cherry on top of that test because he kept us until almost 3 AM! It was a doozie! Lets just say Friday was very tough, it was the first day I actually thought about skipping class in the morning and doing a make-up class on the weekend but I didnt, I kept true to the process with everyone else and obviously survived.
So that was our week with Bikram being back. It was rough and tough to say the least. I can honeslty say though, I kinda enjoyed the torture. I know I am sick, its the trainer in my though, I am always pushing myself past my limits to see what I am capable of. I learned I am one strong chick and can handle A LOT! It is very empowering! It is what makes my life so amazing and far from average. I dont settle. When you continue to push yourself, you continue to grow and explore new territories within yourself. Its times like those that you learn you really can do anything you put your mind to and thats what I live for, to live the best life there is to live. To do what makes me most happy no matter what it takes to get there. I wish that for everyone. And that is why this yoga is so amazing, because it builds that kind of strength within those who practise it. This yoga is very much a mental strengther along with a body healer and disease preventer. Its good stuff!
Now the WEEKEND! YAY! We all couldnt wait relax and chill. Saturday we did our usual shopping for the week of supplies, dropped off our laundry and got our coconut water! YUM! I will miss that coconut water soooo much! Then laid poolside with Niki and listened to tunes on our ipods. Then it was off to Carlo's casa for a beach house party! Bonfire, candles, reggae music, locals, surfers, and sweet conversations. Again, bittersweet though, loved it so much but the reality of it coming to an end also was hitting home pretty hard. I love it here. I am really going to miss all of this so much.
There is so much more I could go on and on about but time here is precious, in a week from right now, I will be on a plane back to Phoneix! I can hardly beleive it. It seems surreal. I am really having mixed feelings about this expereince coming to an end. I know I would NEVER want to do this again and yet its been the most amazing expereince of my life! I am beyond grateful for it and will cherish it for the rest of my life. All I can really do at this point is embrace every last minute here.
I wish you all much health and happiness.
Namaste~
Your Yogini
xoxox
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Week 7!
Bananas and Bass
Week 7. I am finding it a little more difficult to write these blogs as time goes on, not sure why, maybe because time here is flying by at warp speed and I feel like there is barely time to take in everything that is happening. I am trying to just stay present in every moment here and in doing so you just kinda lose all the extra chatter in your mind about whats gone on, going on and going to go on. Staying present is very calming. Its funny how detached you become. I was just saying this morning that all the feelings of "missing" have kinda dissipated, not is a heartless way but more in a non-attachment way. Hard to explain but it is a very serene feeling; to just be happy where you are in the moment, not living in the future or past. No expectations and no regret. To just be.
Nicole's visit felt literally like a blink of an eye. Too fast for sure. It was so great to have her here though. We had some great dinner and breakfast talks and I even had the honor of having her in my posture clinic one day! No pressure, right? ;) THANK YOU again so much Nicole for coming out and supporting us, you have no idea how much it meant to me! Love you and see you soon.
This week was again full of dialogue, I always know when I have hit dialogue overload because I become very stressed and all the stress symptoms returned this week. No worries though, I got thru it and we only have 1 more posture to deliver! We had a few nice lectures that I really enjoyed, very contraversal but for me I agreed with a lot of the material presented so I really liked the conversations. Halloween was fun, for the evening class everyone wore orange and black or costumes, so the energy was really festive. Then for evening lecture they provided candy for us and a bunch of us dressed up in costume (Heidi and I were 80's chicks).
The weekend came super fast and we were excited to celebrate the Halloween Holiday Mexico style! A bunch of us girls headed into Acapulco town on Saturday night to see the Festival of the Dead, it was really cool, offerings were set up all over (these are like gravesites kinda, with flowers, candles, pictures, bread etc. they are offerings for the spirits when they return on that night). There were kids in costume "trick-or-treating". We had a nice little dinner in a reatuarant that overlooked the festival and then got some chocolate covered frozen bananas and headed for the disco public bus to take us to a night club where we were to meet up with some more yogis. So we get on this disco bus, blue lights and loud disco music pumping, it was a party in it self. Everyone took their places and I chose mine spot in the back of the bus where the bass was boomin' and when asked if I was ok back there, I smiled in delight and said "oh ya, I'm great back here with my banana and bass". It was a highlight for the evening for sure, guess you had to be there....
We just returned from Bonfil Playa once again after another great day at the beach! My heart is the most content at the ocean. I am really going to miss that beach and honestly am feeling a little bittersweet about there only being 2 more weeks of all this. I really love Acapulco, the people and culture, the beuty, its all so great and I am going to really miss it here.
So thats about it. Like I said, only 2 more weeks. Crazy. Bikram is back tomorrow and I am sure he will kick our asses in class for the last 2 weeks, I cant lie, I am nervous. I also am excited for his lectures again, I honestly have missed him, in a weird love/hate sorta way.
I wish you all much health, happiness and ease of well-being.
xoxoxo
Sash
P.S. THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment and all the support you all provided! So kind. I was very surprised to see that so many of you that are reading this blog have never met me but have found interest in my blog, so thank you. And if you have not yet left a comment, please do so, it truly is the highlight of my days here when I recieve a comment. :)
Week 7. I am finding it a little more difficult to write these blogs as time goes on, not sure why, maybe because time here is flying by at warp speed and I feel like there is barely time to take in everything that is happening. I am trying to just stay present in every moment here and in doing so you just kinda lose all the extra chatter in your mind about whats gone on, going on and going to go on. Staying present is very calming. Its funny how detached you become. I was just saying this morning that all the feelings of "missing" have kinda dissipated, not is a heartless way but more in a non-attachment way. Hard to explain but it is a very serene feeling; to just be happy where you are in the moment, not living in the future or past. No expectations and no regret. To just be.
Nicole's visit felt literally like a blink of an eye. Too fast for sure. It was so great to have her here though. We had some great dinner and breakfast talks and I even had the honor of having her in my posture clinic one day! No pressure, right? ;) THANK YOU again so much Nicole for coming out and supporting us, you have no idea how much it meant to me! Love you and see you soon.
This week was again full of dialogue, I always know when I have hit dialogue overload because I become very stressed and all the stress symptoms returned this week. No worries though, I got thru it and we only have 1 more posture to deliver! We had a few nice lectures that I really enjoyed, very contraversal but for me I agreed with a lot of the material presented so I really liked the conversations. Halloween was fun, for the evening class everyone wore orange and black or costumes, so the energy was really festive. Then for evening lecture they provided candy for us and a bunch of us dressed up in costume (Heidi and I were 80's chicks).
The weekend came super fast and we were excited to celebrate the Halloween Holiday Mexico style! A bunch of us girls headed into Acapulco town on Saturday night to see the Festival of the Dead, it was really cool, offerings were set up all over (these are like gravesites kinda, with flowers, candles, pictures, bread etc. they are offerings for the spirits when they return on that night). There were kids in costume "trick-or-treating". We had a nice little dinner in a reatuarant that overlooked the festival and then got some chocolate covered frozen bananas and headed for the disco public bus to take us to a night club where we were to meet up with some more yogis. So we get on this disco bus, blue lights and loud disco music pumping, it was a party in it self. Everyone took their places and I chose mine spot in the back of the bus where the bass was boomin' and when asked if I was ok back there, I smiled in delight and said "oh ya, I'm great back here with my banana and bass". It was a highlight for the evening for sure, guess you had to be there....
We just returned from Bonfil Playa once again after another great day at the beach! My heart is the most content at the ocean. I am really going to miss that beach and honestly am feeling a little bittersweet about there only being 2 more weeks of all this. I really love Acapulco, the people and culture, the beuty, its all so great and I am going to really miss it here.
So thats about it. Like I said, only 2 more weeks. Crazy. Bikram is back tomorrow and I am sure he will kick our asses in class for the last 2 weeks, I cant lie, I am nervous. I also am excited for his lectures again, I honestly have missed him, in a weird love/hate sorta way.
I wish you all much health, happiness and ease of well-being.
xoxoxo
Sash
P.S. THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment and all the support you all provided! So kind. I was very surprised to see that so many of you that are reading this blog have never met me but have found interest in my blog, so thank you. And if you have not yet left a comment, please do so, it truly is the highlight of my days here when I recieve a comment. :)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Week 6!
Oh so SIXy!
Another week down and only 3 more to go! Only 33 more yoga classes out of 97 total! 2/3 down, 1/3 left. It feels like we can finally see some light at the end of this long ass insane tunnel. Its relieving for sure!
Week 6 was the best yet. Rajashree returned on Monday (Raj is Bikrams's beautiful, graceful, powerful, intelliegent, caring and loving wife) and it was so amazing to hear her guide us thru the week with much ease. She taught class for us every morning, which was a complete treat. We then had lectures with her all week as well, all about the benefits of Bikram yoga. So inspiring! It was also a really nice break from posture clinics too. :) The concept of time here is a trip, the days and weeks in general fly by but the minutes and moments in themselves seem to be long and a lot of the time, painful. But all in all, we are flying right thru this with much ease, I have to say. I am very proud of Heidi and I, we spend minimal time complaining or speaking or thinking negative thoughts in general. Most of the time if they come up for one of us, we get them out and then move on. Its really nice. And I feel like it is such a great quality to have developed and stregthened here. I know in life there will always be days or things that just dont seem to go your way but if you can learn to move thru them as swiftly as possible the more room for positivity in your world and less room for negativity. So the goal I set last week to make the last 4 weeks as positive as possible, so far has been accomplished and I plan on keeping it that way!
The talks of graduation are starting to become more frequent amongst us students and the staff here and it feels a little unreal. It is a little bitter sweet I must admit, I have really made some great friends here and many that live very far away like-London...really Rachel? :( But the bright side of that is, TRAVELING to visit all these amazing friends. :) Today I said to Heidi that this little world we have created here is really feeling comfortable and normal. Scarry right? I still struggle every Saturday when we grocery shop though. My fitness mind that is obsessed with reading every label before buying anything, is still having a hard time with the kilogram/kcal spanish translations?? It will be such a treat to be back home and pick up a box and understand what is inside! I gotta say though, its quite stimulating, we really enjoy our trip to Mega a little more than we should probably.
Stress levels have been low this week and thank god for that, because I am not sure if some of the people here could take another hell week. I have heard a lot of elevator talk about frustrations people are going thru. I think a lot of people here just kinda hit their patience wall. Ya know? Its not easy living with 300 people. And we are together ALL THE TIME! There is really no such thing as your own space here, we live togther, eat together, study together, sweat together, learn together...we do it all TOGETHER! Its amazing how well we have gotten along. Next week should be another doozy, we have only 6 more postures to get thru and I predict we will finish this week, so its going to be mad studying and memorizing! I cant wait to finish though. :)
Nicole, our studio owner at PV arrives tomorrow and Heidi and I could not be more excited, we have been counting down the days until her arrival since we have been here. Its going to be so comforting to see a familiar face! YAY!! Oh and on that note, we are officially on the PV schedule as teachers!!! So exciting! Nervous excitement but excitement none the less. ;) For all you PV students, please be patient and bare with us as we work thru the kinks of teaching this wonderful yoga. When we teach our first class, it will be the first time that we will ever had said the entire dialogue all together! At training we learn one posture at a time and only say it once in front of the group, so you can only imagine what it will be like for us to say it all continuously and 2 sets of everything too! WHOA! It going to be quite the experience. Wish me luck! :) I can say with 100% certainty however that I am coming back to PV as a teacher to serve my students and I am fully committed to each and everyone of the students having and living the healthiest and best lives possible! I promise to give 100% of myself and all that I have learned here to you. It is my goal to share and spread my passion for this yoga with you all.
Tonight we have a special dinner for all us yogi's put on by the hotel, complete with a bon fire marshmellow roasting session on the beach! Yes! Then a few of us friends are gonna head to the reggae bar down the road to listen to some good music for a little bit. Tomorrow is surfing day! I cant wait! I have been looking forward to surfing all week! We have plans to head down to Bonfil Playa again to surf and study. :)
Thats it, things are all good. I am feeling really awesome. Lots of energy and stregth these days. I am in very positive spirits and overall just really happy.
I hope you are all well, happy and healthy!
Lots of love to you,
xoxox
Sash
P.S. I have one special request from all of you, if you are reading this blog will you PLEASE leave me a comment? At the bottom right here, you see where is says
0comments, if you click on that link you can leave a comment for me. I am very curious as to who has been following along with this blog and it would mean the world to me to find out, so please just take a minute and say hello, k? THANK YOU! :)
Another week down and only 3 more to go! Only 33 more yoga classes out of 97 total! 2/3 down, 1/3 left. It feels like we can finally see some light at the end of this long ass insane tunnel. Its relieving for sure!
Week 6 was the best yet. Rajashree returned on Monday (Raj is Bikrams's beautiful, graceful, powerful, intelliegent, caring and loving wife) and it was so amazing to hear her guide us thru the week with much ease. She taught class for us every morning, which was a complete treat. We then had lectures with her all week as well, all about the benefits of Bikram yoga. So inspiring! It was also a really nice break from posture clinics too. :) The concept of time here is a trip, the days and weeks in general fly by but the minutes and moments in themselves seem to be long and a lot of the time, painful. But all in all, we are flying right thru this with much ease, I have to say. I am very proud of Heidi and I, we spend minimal time complaining or speaking or thinking negative thoughts in general. Most of the time if they come up for one of us, we get them out and then move on. Its really nice. And I feel like it is such a great quality to have developed and stregthened here. I know in life there will always be days or things that just dont seem to go your way but if you can learn to move thru them as swiftly as possible the more room for positivity in your world and less room for negativity. So the goal I set last week to make the last 4 weeks as positive as possible, so far has been accomplished and I plan on keeping it that way!
The talks of graduation are starting to become more frequent amongst us students and the staff here and it feels a little unreal. It is a little bitter sweet I must admit, I have really made some great friends here and many that live very far away like-London...really Rachel? :( But the bright side of that is, TRAVELING to visit all these amazing friends. :) Today I said to Heidi that this little world we have created here is really feeling comfortable and normal. Scarry right? I still struggle every Saturday when we grocery shop though. My fitness mind that is obsessed with reading every label before buying anything, is still having a hard time with the kilogram/kcal spanish translations?? It will be such a treat to be back home and pick up a box and understand what is inside! I gotta say though, its quite stimulating, we really enjoy our trip to Mega a little more than we should probably.
Stress levels have been low this week and thank god for that, because I am not sure if some of the people here could take another hell week. I have heard a lot of elevator talk about frustrations people are going thru. I think a lot of people here just kinda hit their patience wall. Ya know? Its not easy living with 300 people. And we are together ALL THE TIME! There is really no such thing as your own space here, we live togther, eat together, study together, sweat together, learn together...we do it all TOGETHER! Its amazing how well we have gotten along. Next week should be another doozy, we have only 6 more postures to get thru and I predict we will finish this week, so its going to be mad studying and memorizing! I cant wait to finish though. :)
Nicole, our studio owner at PV arrives tomorrow and Heidi and I could not be more excited, we have been counting down the days until her arrival since we have been here. Its going to be so comforting to see a familiar face! YAY!! Oh and on that note, we are officially on the PV schedule as teachers!!! So exciting! Nervous excitement but excitement none the less. ;) For all you PV students, please be patient and bare with us as we work thru the kinks of teaching this wonderful yoga. When we teach our first class, it will be the first time that we will ever had said the entire dialogue all together! At training we learn one posture at a time and only say it once in front of the group, so you can only imagine what it will be like for us to say it all continuously and 2 sets of everything too! WHOA! It going to be quite the experience. Wish me luck! :) I can say with 100% certainty however that I am coming back to PV as a teacher to serve my students and I am fully committed to each and everyone of the students having and living the healthiest and best lives possible! I promise to give 100% of myself and all that I have learned here to you. It is my goal to share and spread my passion for this yoga with you all.
Tonight we have a special dinner for all us yogi's put on by the hotel, complete with a bon fire marshmellow roasting session on the beach! Yes! Then a few of us friends are gonna head to the reggae bar down the road to listen to some good music for a little bit. Tomorrow is surfing day! I cant wait! I have been looking forward to surfing all week! We have plans to head down to Bonfil Playa again to surf and study. :)
Thats it, things are all good. I am feeling really awesome. Lots of energy and stregth these days. I am in very positive spirits and overall just really happy.
I hope you are all well, happy and healthy!
Lots of love to you,
xoxox
Sash
P.S. I have one special request from all of you, if you are reading this blog will you PLEASE leave me a comment? At the bottom right here, you see where is says
0comments, if you click on that link you can leave a comment for me. I am very curious as to who has been following along with this blog and it would mean the world to me to find out, so please just take a minute and say hello, k? THANK YOU! :)
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Week 5!
I'm still ALIVE!
This week has come and gone faster than all the weeks before. That is a good thing! A really, really good thing. :)
There is not a whole lot to report this week, maybe because it was a bit of a blur, the days were pretty much all the same (except for one really special night at lecture). We had posture clinics every afternoon for 4 hours and then again all the evenings too, another 2 hours, so there was a TON of memorization happening in my world. Maybe thats why the week was a blur, my brain was full of dialogue and there was not much room for any other thoughts... I dont know, I officially have "Yoga Brain".
We were blessed on Sunday night with news that we got approved to change rooms, yay! Thank you again so much for you help Joe! :) We are now proud tentants in the Princessa Tower, with an amazing ocean view and internet in our room (this is pure luxury here, I am SO grateful)! By the way our room # is now 2519, in case you would like to find me. It has made all the difference in the world being in a room where we get to watch the sunset over the ocean every single night and sleep with the sounds of waves crashing.
We had another little earthquake on Thursday night around midnight, its always a trip when your bed just starts shaking out of no where but they are not as scarry as before for me because we have had so many I guess I am kinda getting use to them.
So, the special lecture night, it was Thursay night, and it was a super powerful night for me. We had a really emotional heartfelt lecture lead by some senior teachers on the topic of "healing" and the healing power that takes place in our bodies, minds and souls because of this yoga. It was really beautiful and I feel honored to be a part of the conversation that night. Then Manali (who is Bikrams niece and his assistant) gave us a huge gift, our first Meditation. She lead us thru it with a chant from India that she has heard from her father since she was 5 years old. It was beyond beautiful. And there was some really amazing feelings and healing that took place in my heart that night. I am forever grateful for it. And I cant describe in words the vibe that was present when 300 of us chanted "Om" together to close the meditation. It was incredible. Manali let us know that the meditation that night was for us to "let go", she had been noticing that a lot of us were still holding on to so much stress and anxiety and she really expressed that it was time to let it go! She also said in order for that to happen two things really needed to be present; 1)happiness and 2) mercy (forgiveness). It really hit home for me because earlier that night I was looking at photo's of my life (which I really had not done since I have been here) and I told Heidi that I really was starting to see myself with different eyes. This is good because I think I have had a bit of a disorted self imagine for the last couple of years. It felt really awesome. The first day we were here Rajashree (Bikrams's wife) requested that we fall into unconditional love with ourselves while we are here. At the time I thought, ya that sounds good, but how do I do that? True, honest unconditional love, for myself? Well, my friends, I think the process has began and it has taken place completely organically. Authentically. Self Realization, is where true happiness lies and I am beginning to open my eyes to what it is all about. Anyways, I am probably getting a little deep for a blog but I wanted to share with you all that I am really finding true happiness in my own heart and realizing for the first time that happiness in my heart IS ultimate happiness. I spoke to my mom about this very topic before coming out here, remember mom? And she assured me that I would have some clarity on the many questions in my mind and she was right! Mom, you have no idea how present you were in my meditation that night, it literally brought tears to my eyes. You are an amazing woman and I am blessed to have you as my mom. Thank you for all that you have done for me, I am forever grateful. And thank you for being the amazing soul and source of love that you are. I love you deeply. xoxo ...And HAPPY early BIRTHDAY! :)
Wow, well, thats all I got. I am comitted to making the next 4 weeks as positive as possible, and trust me it is a conscience effort that has to be made every moment of every day here. Its easy to get wrapped up in the stress and negativity, we are all so exhausted, mentally, physicall, and emotionally that its a true challenge to stay strong. I have a feeling however that the next 4 weeks are going to go by quite rapidly, so I am committed to embracing them for all that they offer.
I send lots of love and light to you all and my hope is that your hearts are all happy and healthy! I miss you all very much.
Namaste,
~your yogi chick~
P. S.-PLEASE be sure and read my roomie Heidi's blog too! She does such an amazing job.
this is our view from our room :)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
HALF WAY!!
Double Hump Day!
Today was a GOOD day! Its Wednesday (which yes we celebrate every week) and its also the official HALF WAY POINT of training!!! SWEETNESS!
Can hardly believe we are half way thru this and at the same time, I can hardly believe we are ONLY half way thru this. Either way, I am celebrating!
And, I have to admit tonight at Posture Clinic I actually went in to it feeling low energy, tired, sore, headache, simply not in the mood and ended up leaving at the end of the night on a happy high! My group is a total riot, we dominate the Posture Clinics, with our group 6 gang signs and raps, we are official the "ganster group" and we are on a serious mission to have fun! And tonight that finally happened complete with rhymes flowing and pre-jitter jiving, it was a good time....yep you heard me right, I laughed out loud and enjoyed the evening! FINALLY.
Oh and to kick it all off, they ended the class tonight by blaring Bon Jovi's, "Living on a Prayer", you know "whoa, we're half way there, whoa oh, living on a prayer, take my hand, we'll make I swear....". It was pretty funny, 300 people pumped in Savasana singing their sweaty hearts out. Ya, I know, we know how to have a fun around here. :)
Just wanted to fill you all in on my half way mark mood.
Namaste~
Today was a GOOD day! Its Wednesday (which yes we celebrate every week) and its also the official HALF WAY POINT of training!!! SWEETNESS!
Can hardly believe we are half way thru this and at the same time, I can hardly believe we are ONLY half way thru this. Either way, I am celebrating!
And, I have to admit tonight at Posture Clinic I actually went in to it feeling low energy, tired, sore, headache, simply not in the mood and ended up leaving at the end of the night on a happy high! My group is a total riot, we dominate the Posture Clinics, with our group 6 gang signs and raps, we are official the "ganster group" and we are on a serious mission to have fun! And tonight that finally happened complete with rhymes flowing and pre-jitter jiving, it was a good time....yep you heard me right, I laughed out loud and enjoyed the evening! FINALLY.
Oh and to kick it all off, they ended the class tonight by blaring Bon Jovi's, "Living on a Prayer", you know "whoa, we're half way there, whoa oh, living on a prayer, take my hand, we'll make I swear....". It was pretty funny, 300 people pumped in Savasana singing their sweaty hearts out. Ya, I know, we know how to have a fun around here. :)
Just wanted to fill you all in on my half way mark mood.
Namaste~
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