Living the Dream

Sunday:

It was so hard going to class on Sunday! Three days in a row, while uncommon, is not a total freak incident in my life. I had nightmares abt Sunday's alarm. I even debated skipping class and cashing in on Saturday's extra class. But I wanted to save that for when I really needed it...and wanted to keep the momentum going. Part of the goal of the 30 Day Challenge is to see how your body responds to daily practice. Still... I didn't have to like it.

The reason I got up at that ungodly hour on  Sunday to attend the earliest class is that Bikram - the man behind the yoga! -was giving a lecture in Boston that afternoon. And I was going! With my partners-in-crime Melinda and Gini. So we fit in yoga early. Generally the first class of the day is pretty bearable; the heat and humidity builds as the day goes on. If that's the case, the 9:30 must have been the 7th circle of hell because 7:30? Hot, hot, HOT! Nearly unbearable. The air was dripping. Sooo humid. If either class on Saturday came close to today's challenge, I don't think I would have survived. But, I did, and added my 4th sticker to the 30 day countdown.

After a trip home to beautify, I met the girls for brunch and bloodies at Brownstone's in Boston. Then the long awaited event! Bikram's lecture! I wanted to enjoy him. I wanted to be inspired for the 30 Day Challenge. I wanted to get my $60 worth. None of this happened :( 

In an email on Monday morning, Melinda said " I think the only work to describe what we experienced yesterday is…….ridiculous. It was RIDICULOUS!!!! I mean, the guy actually said he is more popular than Jesus. He said that."

Bikram took the stage 25 mins late and was still talking nonsense when I left after the 5pm scheduled end time with no end in sight. He admitted that he had no plan of what he was going to talk about, and just came out there and started rambling. He talked about how most marriages end because the woman can't cook... His new hair plugs... Yoga is everything... Etc. He spent maybe 10 mins talking about the benefits of his program, which was what I wanted to hear about. Maybe it's impossible to be so driven, successful and notorious without being an egomaniac; the curse of genius.

Anyway... I just hope the yoga gods don't strike me down for this blasphemy... Especially not during camel pose!

Monday: 

During the first pose of Sunday's sauna of a class, I made the decision to sleep in Monday and take the 6:30pm class. I work from home 3-4 days/week so can afford such luxuries. Ten hours of sleep = HEAVEN! I've never been to a 6:30pm class; I'm a morning gal and the latest class I've done only a handful of times is 4:30pm. The timing is right though because my fiancé is taking summer classes Monday and Wed nights, so I can go to classes those nights without missing our dinners together :) To stay loose, I took a 20 min walk over my lunch hour (bonus - I also finally mailed my sister and my niece their b'day presents. You should have them my Wed, Jess!)  

Not sure what to expect with traffic on Rt 1 North during rush hour on a rainy day, I left my house at 5:30pm (after feeding Coco, of course!) Shockingly, traffic wasn't bad and I was there by 6. So were so many other people! Classes have been super full since the Challenge started. So inspiring and such great motivating energy! A teeney-tiny part of me can't wait for people to start dropping out and missing classes so I can see the damn mirror again, but mostly it's inspiring. The evening class was good. Another sweaty class led by Evelyn (she of Sunday's torture) but much more bearable. I tried to focus on my breathing, as per my lesson learned on Day 2. It's harder than it sounds...

After class, I showered at the studio, drove home with my hair wrapped in a towel (I was so self-conscious about that for some reason! But didn't want to go to bed with a wet head) and had some tomato soup and gluten-free toast before retiring to bed. Next class is in 8 1/2 hours...

Oh, and by the way, there's this orange man in class who Melinda and Gini have nicknamed "Living the Dream" because he says that, I guess. Last night I witnessed it for the first time. He literally repeats over and over "living the dream, man, living the dream...." What the H!

Tuesday:

5:45am... YAWN!

This morning's class was good though. Crowded for an early morning class but not as crowded as the previous 5 classes. I actually felt cooled off when the fans were on. And now I'm 20% done!