Water-break

Class Seven of Thirty

(7.15pm, 7th June, taught by Libby)

Third good class in a row! It was very busy tonight and it was very hot and humid but I have to say that I really enjoyed it! Got nice and deep into quite a few postures, including a great deep back bend in the second set...I do like doing them. It was nice to have Libby teach a class... there is a definite different vibe with each of the teachers despite the dialogue remaining the same. I think I only need a Hannah session and I will have the full set!

It did get me thinking though... With quite a lot of the postures it is hard to see what you look like and therefore where improvements could/should be made. I have certainly found watching the Trikansana sets that have been demonstrated. It is one thing looking at a picture but it is so much better if you can have a a good look from all angles. Yes there are the mirrors but it only gives one view - as we all know one of the ten commandments of the yoga studio is with the exception of a few postures 'the side mirror is for me, not for you, please look forwards...' I would like to know what I look like in some of the postures... maybe the studio should off a video service so you could watch your practice and identify where improvements can be made.

Despite having a good class I had to wimp out of Camel... I tried both sets but my head is still playing tricks with me and it seems that I only need to get to kneeling up and tipping my head back and I just either want to vomit, get mad palpitations or come over all emotional... but more about Camel around class 25.

So today is about the first water break... This is a great opportunity to mess with your head as the challenge is so often set down: 'If you have hydrated properly you may not need some...' There have been occasions when I haven't had a drink and it can make some of the balancing postures a little easier as despite being told to only take a sip self control is sometimes lacking! It is also a good opportunity to take stock of how the rest of the class is going to go, I have often found myself having to fight the urge not to breathe through my mouth at this point and wondering if I have the energy and/or determination to get through the balancing series...

So I am now a week through and as you will be able to see from the first week's posts it has been a bit of a roller-coaster so far. Having said that I am still enjoying it and am finding that the challenge has helped focus my mind on what else is going on with my practice rather than just the physical capability to pull some yogic shapes. I hadn't realised quite how much it affects my mood and also how much my mood prior to going to class affects my practice. I do, whenever possible, like to get to the studio early so I can have a nice long slow relax into the class first - it certainly helps deal with the frustrations of the M1 between junctions 15 and 21!!

Well I am off to hone my Savasana.

Garurasana

Class Six of Thirty

(5pm, 6th June, taught by Rachel)

Two good classes on the trot... dare I think I have turned a corner?! Yep, that's right, had another good class tonight. Was quite an odd one to be honest. Arrived early, got a nice spot in the second row then people started arriving, then more, then more... and in the spirit of being nice I thought I ought to move forward as it was getting a bit clogged up at the back but then in walks Rachel and class began so I could have got away with being where I was... oh well, so much for mister nice guy!!!

It felt like a hot one and as soon as Rachel got in she noticed that the mat from under the door in the corner had been moved and got Sharan to move it back (Just for the record that had nothing to do with me, even though it would have been welcomed!). None the less I managed to get through the whole class without the extra air... After the class I saw Sharan as I was leaving and she asked if I was OK, I said that I was and that I had enjoyed the class tonight and she said that she thought I had been in pain throughout the class... I think she had mistaken my 'I am concentrating very hard'-face for my 'Oh my God this is hell'-face... an easy mistake to make! (Mental note to self: Work on those faces!!!)

Highlights of tonight I think were some strong back bends, as I have said before that is no real surprise, but then there was tonight's Pada-Hastasana... I have also already said that I have struggled with this posture but tonight I managed to get a nice deep stretch and no hip-popping!

So tonight's posture is Garurasana, Eagle Pose. (OK, I get the palms together under the nose may, at a push, look like an eagle's beak, but beyond that, I don't get the eagle reference!) As for my experience of this posture it is one that is very much a mixed blessing. Similarly to Utkatasana this is one the postures that I could identify personal progress in from fairly early on, which is great. However, now I know where my body is meant to be in the posture it has become one that I just can't slack on!!! As this is the last of the 'warm-up' postures I can't be blamed for liking the idea of of being able to chill a little towards the end, but no! Once you have your foot hooked around, with all 5 toes showing, there is no where to go but deep into the posture. Now once you have accepted that fact there is the realisation that you will effectively have all of your body weight over and through one bent leg... and that requires one hell of a lot of concentration. Of all of the postures I think that this is one of the ones I most rely on seeing myself in the mirror. (One of the others is Padangustana - Toe stand, but more of that later!)

One of the other things about Eagle is that it is probably the first posture in the series that really feels like Yoga... it has all the elements of twisted limbs and 'just how do they do that?' about it to make you feel like you are really practicing some mystic art. This means that there is a temptation to practice this posture at home... Now that is great, and some gentle practice should surely be applauded, but one word of advice... DO NOT TRY THIS POSTURE AFTER A FEW BEERS (or whatever your tipple may be)... This posture requires concentration and balance, and after a couple bravado just doesn't cut it!!! (Think about it, when you fall sideways you have to unwrap your arms before you can put them down to stop yourself... and that takes a time , and when falling time is something you just aint got! And yes, before you ask, this is the voice of experience talking!)

You guessed it...it's the science part:

'The Eagle supplies fresh blood to the sexual organs and the kidneys, increasing sexual power and control. It helps firm calves, thighs, hips, abdomen, and upper arms. It also improves flexibility of the hip. knee, and ankle joints.' (Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class, also available from the Leicester Bikram Studio) So yes folks... this is yogic Viagra!!!!

You guessed it - off to perfect Savanasa!

Utkatasana

Class Five of Thirty

(10am, 5th June, taught by Rachel)

Phew! I have to say that after yesterday's fiasco I wasn't exactly looking forward to today's class. I had to work this afternoon so it had to be the morning class and I am not a huge fan as it can be tricky making sure I have eaten and drunk enough but with enough gap that I am not tempted to hoy the whole lot up on my mat! Anyway the class was almost very enjoyable!!

Decided to pop myself in the second row... couldn't face front row and vile class again and I don't know if it is just my head playing tricks but it seemed that any pressure I had put myself under went out the window and I was able to enjoy the yoga. (Even got a compliment on half a set of Trikanasana - not sure quite where I pulled that from but it was obviously in there wanting to get out!)

So I am five days in and it hasn't been quite the breeze I thought it would be. I suppose that despite going most days usually I know that I can have a 'day off' if I want to without worrying about it, but with this whole challenge thing I am kind of 'locked into' going every day. I know I could pull a double but I guess I think that kind of defeats the point i.e. practicing every day rather than a set number of sessions. In theory I could complete the whole thing in 12 days if I were to do every possible class - though having read the rules for the challenge that may have incurred the wrath of Libby as Yogic-Umpire and I may have found myself disqualified (apparently there is only supposed to be one double per week to catch up on any missed classes). I am still looking forward to the rest of it and am finding the whole mind-f*** quite interesting (in a bizarrely masochistic kind of a way!).

So today is Utkatasana, Awkward Pose. This was one of the postures where I could actually notice improvements fairly early on. I am sure I don't get all of the form right but I can remember the huge sense of achievement when I got through all 6 parts of the 2 sets of this posture without having to drop my arms at all! Similarly the standing on toes and 'sitting down' bit looked impossible at first but with determination I am starting to understand where my body is meant to be and can, more often than not, pull off a perfectly presentable set... However, as with all of the postures there is still lots of work to be done which I like - always more to learn and more of a challenge.

OK to the science bit:

Quite unsurprisingly this posture is good for strengthening and firming thighs and calves as well as increasing flexibility in the hips. It also firms the upper arms (bye bye bingo wings!).

Oh well off to bed, I mean for some intensive Savasana practice!

Day Four

Class Four of Thirty

(5.30pm, 4th June, taught by Harbinder)

Not really blogging this one! Twas a proper 'mare!!!

Arrived nice and early, had a good laugh with a couple of regulars, all fine... Then about 5 minutes into the class I started to think that I didn't really feel up to being there and that I couldn't really be bothered with doing a yoga class. Then I realised that that meant I was stuck there for another 85 minutes before I could escape! Hellish! Don't think I was the only one as there were comments about how it was an odd class and how the energy was a bit lethargic.

Needless to say that it was not exactly my best class! I had to sit out one set of Trikanasana, one of the following head to knee pose and as for Camel... well today my Camel had well and truly got the hump and was not playing! But I got through it, somehow... (Mental note to self: Must apologise to Harbinder for being so down on a class she took the trouble to teach!)

Lets hope class 5 is better...

Ardha-Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasana

Class Three of Thirty

(6.00pm, 3rd June, taught by Rachel)

Yayee! A good class... and that's very surprising bearing in mind how busy it was... I am talking 4 rows of yoga-junkies with the front row at the mirror! Think there are a couple of reasons that it was a better class: firstly the weather has got properly warm but not muggy, I drank around 3 litres of water today before class and the energy in the room was up tonight. As I have no control over the weather nor the energy of my fellow yogaholics I will just make sure that I have plenty to drink - I know, it's obvious, but it don't half make a difference!

It appears that there are people reading this as there was a reference at tonight's class to something I posted a few days ago. It appears that there will be demos of specific postures as part of the class. Have to say that this is a great idea though I had to giggle when Rachel suggested that she would be looking for volunteers... so long as it stays on Trikanasana I am staying well clear of the parapet, let alone putting my head above it!

So today is about Half-Moon and Hands to Feet Pose... Have to admit that this is quite a mixed bag for me. I struggle with understanding the instruction about being careful not to collapse into my back... I think I am getting it right but am hoping that the posture clinic will sort out any problems there might be. Then there is the backward bending... call me a freak but I really enjoy these. The slight trepidation of the first set and then the 'lets go for it' of the second set is one of the highlights of the class for me. The sense of satisfaction of getting a really nice deep back-bend just can't be beaten! As for Hands to Feet, well this is something of an odd one. It is one of those postures that reveals how well I have prepared for class.. if I have eaten or drank too much water there is a tightness just below my chest... vile! Then there are the days when I can get a really good stretch then I get the nipping in my hips and it feels like my hips could pop out of my pelvis - never quite sure if that is a good thing!

Now for the science part:

There are lots of benefits listed for both of these postures (improved flexibility, better posture, proper kidney function) but the one thing that gets my interest is the fact that both firm and trim the waistline... and all from a little bending to the left and to the right, staying straight as if between two panes of glass... bargain!

Well three down, twenty-seven to go, so it is off to practice some more Savasana... by the end of the thirty days I will have this posture down to a fine art!!!

Pranayama

Class Two of Thirty

(7.15pm, 2nd June, taught by Rachel)

Another yucky class... not how I had thought my 30 days would start. I know that it's a challenge but surely the beginning is the easy bit and the struggle comes towards the middle or end. If it goes on like this I could be doing the 30 day nightmare! However, it seems that having spoken to a few people tonight, I am not alone in feeling a bit grim. It could be the anticipation, it could be the fact that there are 30 days (well 28) left, and no getting out of it... well not without letting myself down, or maybe I am just a bit of a wimp!

I had to sit out of a round of Trikanasana - my heart was just about set to leap straight out my chest, and the first Ustrasana (Camel Pose) - this is the one posture that scares me, not because of what I have to do more about how it makes me feel...SICK!!! But I guess I can always fall back on the defense of 'being honest in my practice'. Anyway, enough moaning, it is a few hours after the class and I feel great now so it can't have been that bad!

So the Pranayama at the start of every class is a great way to get focussed and centered but one thing that has bothered me from the start is the reference to my intercostal muscles and the burning question that if I have them, where are they? I am pleased that I am working them but it would be good to know what they are... answers on a postcard please! (Or just click here)

I have to say I quite enjoy the high I get from a good Pranayama session... whilst it may be the 'oxygen for the class' or the 'energy for the class' in my experience it is often the 'buzz for the class'.

Now for the Science Part...

• According to the 'Bikram's Beginning Yoga' the idea of this part of the session is to teach the body how to use the 90% of the lung capacity that we don't use in our daily life.
• According to Christina Brown's Yoga Bible Pranayama 'increases vitality and mental focus, and expands consciousness... It's simple: when we breathe better, we feel better' which is why I am sure that the advice is always to return to the breath if it all gets a bit much... if only it were that easy!

Well I am 2 days in, not died yet, and still strangely looking forward to the next 28 days and what I will learn about myself and my Yoga practice... and maybe have a few laughs along the way!

Off to do a bit more work on my Savasana, more tomorrow...

And so it begins...

Class One of Thirty

(7.45pm 1st June, taught by Sharan)

Well the madness has started! One class down and twenty-nine to go. Can't say it was exactly the start I was hoping for...I kinda thought I would feel grim towards the middle and end of the 30 days but today's class was pretty tough! I am not sure if it is psychological, or a fact, but when it is rainy outside it seems to get uber-humid in there and that seems to make it harder to breathe. That then leads to breathing through my mouth and that just seems to throw everything.

As for this blog... not sure how this is going to pan out, not sure if anyone is going to be bothered to read it, but if nothing else it should help focus my mind on the next 29 days of sweaty Bikram madness!

I think I am planning on concentrating on form over the challenge. I have booked a place on the posture clinic at the end of the month as it will have been 5 months I have been practicing. It would be good to check out how things are developing and hopefully nip any bad habits I may have picked up. I certainly found the demonstration Sharan was press-ganged into giving of Trikanasana on Sunday morning very useful... it turns out that I have been over complicating things - the first arm movement is just the arms moving, nothing else. Thinking about it I am sure the dialogue says 'moving just the arms'... but by that point in the class my brain is starting to slowly braise and whilst I hear the words they don't always make sense (something I am hoping to pick up on during the course of this blog) so it was good to see what I am meant to be doing.

Well I guess that is it for day 1/30... hopefully tomorrow's class will be a little easier... so I am off to practice my Savasana for the next few hours!