Holding elbows in Wind Removing Pose.. finally!

I've been to class twice this week... both classes went amazingly well considering I only did one class last month.

During Wind Removing Pose on Wednesday's class, I was able to hold my elbows for the first time ever! It amazes me how from time to time, I'll just be able to do something during a pose that I've never been able to do something before.

Crazy having people still ask me to this VERY day how much weight I've lost or what size I'm 'down' to. When that happens it reminds me of how amazing the Bikram Yoga is...and reminds me how I need to keep doing it for the rest of my life!

YeeYahhh!!!

1 Yoga class for November... on to December...

November was not a good month for me at all and the Bikram!

I was sick the first two weeks of the month. The third week I only went one class as I was coming out of the sick funk and then the last week was the Holiday and Madonna week... so no yoga.

I have not had a month since I started yoga (back in January 2nd of 2007) where I only did one class a month. I'm ashamed and sad, but ready to get back into it!

Today's the day! Woo Hoo!!

The Wonder that is Bikram Yoga - and Jason Winn Seminar

I've been wanting to blog about my Bikram practice for a while now... so here I am... finally!

Too much has happened in the 10 months I've started Bikram to write about in this specific blog - still, a good starting point. Not only has my personal life changed dramatically, but so has my health. I sleep better, I've lost 50 lbs, I eat better, I am more patient and I handle stress a lot better than I used to (no more panic attacks and my anxiety has gone down quite considerably) and my chronic back pain has gone away. Colonics go hand in hand with the yoga... but that's a completely different blog for another time.

When I started yoga, my instructor told me I would go through 'phases' with classess and poses. I didn't know what she meant until October. When I first discored Bikram I was completely addicted. I slept, ate, breathed and dreamed Bikram Yoga. After 5 months and 40 lbs later, I slowed down a bit. (Meeting my boyfriend also got me away from Bikram - as now I had special someone to spend my time with and we went through that 'discovery mode' where we were together all the time!) Anyways, I went through slow times with the Bikram Yoga, but a month or so later, I would hit it back harder than ever. Each time, I was more flexible and more able to do the postures to the best I'd ever been able to do them.

In September, our studio teacher and owner, Jenny, was awesome enough to get Jason Winn (yoga god who has studied -and still studies- with Bikram) to come to a beginner's seminar at our studio. (Scheduled for October 18th.) This was very exciting. We all had so many questions for him on technique... we anticipated his visit like crazy! All we knew from what Jenny had told us is that we would have class with Jason then lunch, then posture clinic.

Jenny knew that I was a photographer, so she offered to pay my seminar fee if I photographed the day events. I was way excited, but a little skeptic of how I would be able to do the class AT THE SAME time I took pictures. After weeks of debating how I would handle this, I decided I would do the Pranayama warm up breathing, a few standing postures to get me warmed up and after Standing Bow Pulling Pose I would photograph for one set, and do the posture on the next set.

Things did not go as planned. The photographer took over in me and I was unable to focus and concentrate on the class. So I shot away... it was very interesting. After all the classes I've done I've never looked much at other people's practice (well - I did when I first started, but after I always concentrated on my posture, alignment and technique.) So being able to photograph my fellow yogis, working their butts off, seeing their practice, alignment and technique was too cool!

Here are some pics from the actual class:

Some pictures from posture clinic:

Menah's kick butt Half Moon...

Rebecca's sweet Backbend....

Jason & James helping get my foot behind my leg for Eagle...

Jason showing off with Jenny....

Jason's effortless and perfect Standing Head to Knee...

All in all, it was an amazing learning experience on so many levels. I learned more about Bikram Yoga technique and correct posture and alignment. I got to see Jason Winn kick butt... I learned that I'm able to take pictures under crazy hot, sweaty and 'extreme' circumstances.

It was truly awesome!

If you want to learn more about Jason, visit his website at http://www.yogajasonwinn.com/.