Day 12

Yesterday was day 12 of my 30 day Bikram yoga challenge. I woke up very early, well I say woke up what I actually mean is - I gave up trying to sleep and got out of the bed. I was awake for what seems like most of the night, as my throat was increasingly beginning to burn and I got so congested overnight that I was struggling to breathe. Once up I assessed the situation- I felt like hell - blocked nose, painful throat, coughs and sneezes, headache and joint ache. Sh*t. Thankfully no temperature. Small mercies. 
Even though I was ambushed by this overnight I was not remotely surprised, as both my daughter and even their nanny had it over the last two weeks or so. My first though was how am I going to get through the day, as all I wanted to do was go back to bed. My second thought was Bikram - no way!
As the day went on I read on line about practicing when ill, and it seems like a lot of the advice suggests to stay at home if you've got a fever and if you're during the first days until the infectious stage passes. Ok, so I do not have a fever and I am doing this challenge thing, so I can't exactly pick and choose which days to go and which not. The other advice I found was: if it's above neck go, if it's below neck stay home. My mind was beginning to tell me that I should really give it a go but my body was aching in terror! Bikram Choudhury in his orange yoga book actually suggests to only do standing series if suffering from cold and flu. With that in mind I very very reluctantly drove off to studio in late afternoon. I made sure I washed my hands before entering the studio, took loads of tissues which i carefully placed between my towel and yoga mat, and finally i tried to choose a spot in a less busy corner of the room. I decided to begin, not push myself at all and see how it goes. I can aways do just the standing series, and spend the rest of the class in Savasana, right? So we started, and I took it really easy. After the first 10 minutes my nose was unblocked and breathing was easy, there were also no coughs or sneezes. Once we got to the end of the standing series I decided to give the floor series a go. In the floor series I skipped the Locust Pose as that one usually requires me to exert myself, so I didn't want to push it. Over all a manageable class but I do have to say that I was operating at 50% of capacity. Amazing thing is I didn't mind heat at all, the studio felt quite cool to me. Strange.

Before going to class I drank a lot, A LOT of liquid. I also self medicated with some food. Blueberry, banana, almond milk and chia seed smoothies for breakfast with my toast. Ate oranges throughout of day and downed copious amounts of various teas with manuka honey. However, my favourite thing I take in times like this has to be bee pollen. When I was I child, my mother used to get this for my brother and me, so a couple of months ago I was ecstatic when I accidentally stumbled upon it in one of the local stores. I love the taste of it, and usually just take it off the spoon but it can also be added to your smoothies or other food. It contains approximately 22 amino acids, 25 minerals, 18 vitamins, 11 enzymes or co enzymes, 14 fatty acids, 11 carbohydrates and is cca 25% protein. A terrific source of B complex vitamins. Amongst other benefits it is enhances energy, boosts the immune system and apparently has an anti-inflammatory effect on the respiratory system. Just what is needed!

Day 11

Spent most of my day in our local park with my husband and our one year old in a typical English drizzle. She didn't mind, nor did I. What's the point of puddles if one can't jump in them. Went to Bikram soon after we got home in late afternoon. Having learnt my food lesson the hard way yesterday, today I made sure to eat a lot through out of the day. Having said that I did not to eat anything for two hours before the class as from experience this = tough class. Doing inversions and a Triangle with a full tummy is something I'll happily leave behind in my early yoga days. Good class today, went really quickly and now I feel nicely stretched and just a little bit taller than this morning.
In car, on my way back from studio this song came up on my radio and it's been playing in my head ever since. Will leave it with you, something to swing your hips to tonight, tomorrow or maybe some other time... St. Paul and the Broken Bones - Call Me.

Day 10

1/3 of the challenge done. Yaaaay! Now it seems like if I want to complete the remaining 2/3 I seriously need to start planning my meals. For me this challenge is not about losing weight. In fact, I absolutely do not want to lose any so since I began with this and up until yesterday I've been eating a lot, and I mean a lot more than I usually do. However, last couple of days were pretty busy, and yesterday due to  poor organisation I ended up eating very little throughout the day before I finally went to my 7pm class. This was bad. Pretty, preeeetty bad. I felt dizzy during the first part of the class, so much so that after The Standing Bow Pulling posture, I had to just skip the Tuladandasana or Balancing Stick and stand still looking at the mirror while recuperating my breath. I am not sure how much of it was the actual physical weakness and how much of it was just my head copping out the Balancking Stick, which although it looks quite straightforward is a killer of a posture that requires you to lock all parts of your body and can, in my case, raise the heartbeat to some phenomenal levels.

So, food planning next. If you have any nutrients, supplements or menu suggestions please do get in touch!

Day 9

Evening class. As most of the evening classes this one was extremely busy, and hot! I feel now that I have settled into the practice and I move from one posture to the next one automatically, without thinking. I am also trying not to come out of the postures too quickly but take my time to release and do it with control. Totally stopped wiping sweat off my body especially face and I am actually starting the to like the sensation of it just freely sliding down my skin. It's cooling me down...Great teacher tonight, made the whole class lough out loud with a couple of anecdotes. I love when this happens, lying down on floor, exhausted, sweat dripping into your eyes and you just laugh. It's like endorphin induced, pure, raw, happiness. While telling one of her funny stories she said something to the lines of funny stories happen all the time when you practice yoga a lot, you just notice things, which is not surprising - yoga develops different awareness. This made me think about the changes I've been experiencing and I can for sure say that I definitely pick up on stuff a lot more than before. Feel a lot more grounded with mind a lot more still that I am simply able to absorb a lot more that is going on around me. I read a bit online about yoga and awareness and here are a couple of quotes. Food for thought.

Developing awareness...

What is Awareness and how do we develop it? These are two of the most common questions asked when it comes to this subject.

Awareness is a connection that occurs in the deep parts of your brain. It is a deep level of understanding not just of one's self but of one's surroundings. It is a sense of togetherness with the many parts of the mind and incorporating the body to become "whole."

Awareness can only come about from an open minded attitude and a positive state of mind. It goes to the core of one's self, a yearning to learn more about yourself and/or your surroundings.

A person who develops this state of mind can feel every part of their body, and they are in touch with there senses. They are proactive and will always think first and move second. They don't fly of the handle so to speak. They are continually in a state of control.

Yoga develops awareness of what is taking place in the moment. It allows you to perceive thoughts at their early stages, before they have acquired any real emotional power.

Awareness is a powerful skill to learn however it is only learnt by taking the journey inwards. It is something that you can't learn at a class in university but it can be learnt by the practice of yoga. (Source: www.yoga.org.nz)

...one more thing about bikram yoga and the mind.

The Mind

Bikram yoga helps you to develop a focused and calm mind, reduces stress and increases your awareness of your body & mind.

Focused and calm mind: Bikram Yoga is challenging. With a regular practice of even one or two classes a week you slowly develop a deeper focus and calmer, more relaxed mind, as well as an amazing awareness of your whole body.  As this develops you will find you are able to increase your level of precision and intesity within the poses.  This process works because Bikram Yoga is intensely physical, it forces you in to meditate, to focus, to be aware of your breath, and to disengage from all outside thoughts.

Stress Reduction: Physical activity is good for relieving stress, and this is particularly true of Bikram yoga. Because of the concentration required, your daily troubles, both large and small, seem to melt away during the time you are doing yoga. This provides a much-needed break from your stressors, as well as helping put things into perspective. The emphasis yoga places on being in the moment can also help relieve stress, as you learn not to dwell on past events or anticipate the future. You will leave a yoga class feeling less stressed than when you started.

Body Awareness: Doing yoga will give you an increased awareness of your own body. You are often called upon to make small, subtle movements to improve your alignment. Over time, this will increase your level of comfort in your own body. This can lead to improved posture and a greater self-confidence. (source: www.sohotbikramyoga.co.uk)

Day 8

Ok, so today turned out to be a family yoga day. My 3 year old has been very intrigued by what I am doing and increasingly pulling out my yoga mat for some self initiated 'stretching' as she calls it. I therefore decided to take her to try out kids yoga. Having looked up some classes in the area the closest one turned out the be the kids class taught by wonderful Antonia Pollock.  I took Antonia's pregnancy yoga classes 4 years ago when pregnant with Mila and loved them, as they were relaxing and really helped with pregnancy induced back pain. I have to say though I probably had more fun on this kids class as all of the kids seemed to be enjoying Antonia's story telling and there was some serious 'stretching' involved both for little ones and parents. The whole thing felt very special to me, as the last time I've been to that particular studio and saw Antonia my now 3 yr old was inside my tummy, and here she was today running around and we were doing it together. Amazing. Mila was thrilled and apparently can't wait to go back. Here she is glowing and putting her mat away after the class...

After my morning kids class I decided to go for a 5 pm bikram session. I persuaded my husband to join me. He has done quite a few classes with me over the last couple of years but hasn't been since his bikram days in Geneva. At first he was reluctant to go, but I bet the prospect of having to scoop out another poo from the bath water gave him that extra push he needed. We left the girls with nanny and headed for the studio. The practice was tough. Not sure why, I just felt extremely hot. I was also distracted by looking at my husband in the mirror and checking to see how he's doing. My Standing Head to Knee still there, so was happy once again to be able to put my forehead to my knee. Felt good after we rushed straight out from the studio and drove home. Not sure how good my husband felt though as he kept muttering words: 'unsettling', 'disturbed', 'brutal'..........

Here he is still sweating, and I promise, it wasn't heated conversation this time. I had very little to do with it, well except for making him go.

Epsom salt bath tonight for both of us.

Day 7

This past weekend was pretty hectic, hence this delay in posting, but still here going strong. I arrived to Sunday afternoon class straight from my daughter's ballet school party. Having helped to set it up and then having spent two hours running around surrounded by the screaming children towards the end my mind was racing to the studio for some peace and quiet. My body however felt a little bit less eager. However, I found the class relatively easy I suppose it was so because I was completely relaxed and managed to control my breath throughout of the session. I can definitely see some progression in my practice. On Sunday for the first time ever I went fully into one of my favourite postures - Standing Head to Knee. 

There are four parts to this posture and to get to final one the first three need to be completed in sequence.

Part 1 - involves transferring the body weight to the left foot and locking the knee of the left leg while picking up the right foot and interlacing all ten fingers on its sole. The thigh of the right leg at that point should be parallel to the floor, giving the right leg the look of an upside-down L. If comfortable in that position you can move to 
Part 2 - If your standing leg is locked and you can balance you lift the upper body and kick the right foot forward until the leg is parallel to the floor. Feet on the extended legs are fixed and the heel is kicking forward, again if you can hold part 2 and if you can balance than move to 
Part 3 - Slowly round your back and while holding the extended foot bend the elbows down until they are below the calf muscle. 
Part 4 - Finally if both legs are straight and you can balance slowly bend your head down keep focused on one point on the floor, tuck your chin to your chest and slowly touch the forehead to your knee.
Repeat with other leg. 

My tips would be to always take time at the beginning of the posture to make sure that your weight is distributed evenly across all of the standing foot - heel, toes, side. Also, do not go into this posture without engaging the abdominal muscles and keeping them engaged throughout. This ensures your lower back is protected. I have been struggling for some time with part 4, because as soon as I would bring my head down I'd lose the balance and fall out of the posture. What I think really helped on Sunday was revisiting my abdominals and pulling them in tighter while also engaging both of my thigh muscles, basically locking both of knees. This made my body feel solid so it was a lot easier to pull my head down.

So this is my week 1 done. I have to say it has been hard work but enjoyable. Also I realised that I've been having a couple of hours to myself every day this past week, something I haven't been able to do for a very long time. Anyone with 2 children under the age of 3 will probably appreciate this. My husband has become a bit of a 'bikram widower' as he said the other day and has been having to manage a couple of bath times all on his own. On Sunday night before I left we put the girls in their shared bath for some bubbles fun. Just as I opened the door to go I was embraced my husband and girls' collective screaming coming from top floor as our youngest pooed in their bath water...... Took a deep breath, stepped out and closed the door. Namaste.