Looks Like We Made It............

We did it!!! We finished and are now starting the journey of being Bikram yoga teachers! What a trip it has been, and for many of us, very bittersweet. The last week seemed to be the toughest and didnt seem to want to end, it was HARD!! We had Rajashree for a last morning class on Friday, and then Bikram taught the last evening. We all got up and hugged eachother at the end, it would be the last time we would all practice with eachother in the same room. The graduation ceremony was yesterday and everyone looked just beautiful. What a surreal moment to receive my certifificate from Bikram himself. I gave him a big hug and said thankyou (plus my lipstick stuck to his hair, yuck!). It was magical (not the lipstick thing)! Barb had to leave before the graduation, and I really missed not having her there for that moment, she would have loved it! I just want to send my love and appreciation to all those special friends I have made here, some of them lifted me when I felt like I couldnt get up. I will never forget this experience, and hopefully the wisdom given to me will grow and bloom as I begin my path as a yoga teacher. Thank you so much to all my family and friends who have supported me through this! I love ya lots! Namaste!

I'm in Hell and I can't get out.....

We had our 1st 3 yoga class day yesterday, the 2nd and 3rd back to back. I survived but it was TOUGH! My towels were so soaked with sweat, everytime I went into savasana, it sounded like I jumped into a swamp! Gross! We were unprepaired for this suprise 3rd class, so many of us had emptied our rations of water. Luckily, we were allowed to get water from the sink in the toilet.....nice. Then, to add to our misery, we had lecture until 2:30am. I cant say I heard too much of what was said, but I was thankful for my large caffienated Diet Pepsi. We all lived to tell the tale, a few became emotional and either cried or cursed the ground Bikram walks on, all in all it was a test of how we would cope emotionally and physically. I rolled with the punches, and was proud that I completed the tasks with a big smile on my face. So there, Boss!!! No stealing my peace!
Another problem thats been occuring since the 3rd week we have been here, people in the training are getting their rooms broken into and lots of electronics have been stolen. First they told us to keep all our valuables in our room safes, which of course we do anyway, but during our double last night, the power went out for a second. When we arrived for lecture, we found out a few people had their safes broken into, as they are electronic and when the power went out, so did the safe's power. Everyone was pissed off, and now they have security on all the floors, finally! I feel so bad for those who have been violated. I cant stand thieves.
Gotta go, smiles all around!

Bikram is Back!

Well, Friday night we ended up having a lecture, figures!! It was a great Halloween though. Everyone in yoga class sang Happy Birthday to me and I had a great yoga class! So many people came up to me all day long, wishing me a happy day, it was truly special! Then for the evening yoga class, Barb and I wore witches hats into class. I will post photos when I get home. There were so many people who came up with some really cool costumes, hand-made. One guy rolled toilet paper around his whole body, so he looked like a mummy! Lots of people wore black and orange and they took a group photo of everyone. It was fun stuff!
Saturday night a bunch of us went for dinner at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Acapulco bay. The food was fab and I had chocolate covered strawberries for dessert, yummmmmmmmmy!! Then we watched the cliff divers that are famous in Acapulco. 3 of them attend the yoga classes so we were able to cheer them on as they climbed, then jumped off this jagged, super high cliff! It was beautiful and amazing!! The hotel had a beautiful alter set up for Dias dos Muertos, with lots of treats for the dead coming to visit their loved ones. It was full of drink (of course) and Mexican sweet bread, grapes, lots of marigolds and candles. What a beautiful tradition they have! They served hot chocolate and sweet bread to all of us guests, which was delicious!
All in all, my birthday experience here in Mexico was truly memorable! I couldnt have asked for more! Thank you to everyone that remembered me on my day!
Bikram is here and we get to go back to the torture of his super-tough class and long, late night lectures/Indie films! I'm ready, I have my diet Pepsi on hand full of caffeine to ignite my energy, so I can at least keep my head off my lap! Cant wait...................Namaste!

BOOOOOOOOO!

Happy Halloween Eve everyone! Hope you have your goulish gear ready and your sweet bags stocked! This week was considerably better than last week, and I am pleasantly suprised. My body has decided to become flexibile again and is no longer fighting with me. We had a brilliant yoga class this morning with Mark, who has been here for awhile now working with us during our posture clinics. He is my absolute favorite teacher, and he announced he is leaving today. He will be missed very much. He got everyone cawing like crows during full locust pose. I could not stop laughing! He has helped me alot with my confidence with dialogue, and his posture clinics were always so much fun!!!
We are still hoping for tomorrow night off, but who knows, no control here. It would be a bummer to have to do posture clinic on Halloween, they cant be that mean, or can they???????? Stay tuned............
Well, only one more posture to memorize, the last of 26, I truly cant believe I got through it. "I Don't Believe It"!!!!!! Everyone is just so relieved, thats when you have to worry, I'm pretty sure there is more torture to come. Of course Bikram arrives on Monday, and we have been warned to work our asses off during his classes. So it will probably be 2 weeks of Indie movies until 2am, no sleep, lectures about "stuff". I hope I have the strength til the end!
Have a brilliant Halloween weekend everyone, and I will do the same! Dont be scared!

Week 7, here we come........

Had a brilliant weekend, went shopping, had a pedicure, ate some great mexican food, shared all of it with some fantastic people. Just a bit of normality in yoga-land. I cant believe we only have 3 weeks left of this adventure. I hope it will go fast, as I have a feeling it will be tougher. Bikram has been away the last 2 weeks and isnt due back until Nov. 1st. No Indian films! Yippeeeeee!! We have been tremendously lucky with nights only going until 11pm. When Bikram gets back, who knows how much sleep we will get!! My body is quite stiff, and it is getting harder to do classes as well as I used to. Everyone says this is normal, but I wonder why our muscles feel so tight at this point, you would think they would be a bit more flexible. We had a lecture on spirituality from a GP, not such a great lecture in my opinion. I just dont think we create our own illnesses, she even said children decide what kind of life they will have prior to being born, either being brain-dead, cystic fibrosis, etc. I just do not buy it. It actually pissed me off a bit. But like everything crazy here, you take what you need and leave the rest behind. Well, better go and study , think we will finish all the postures by the end of this week. I need to study everything I now have forgotten. Its like a faint memory! Have a great week everyone, will write again soon!

Fab Friday

I cant tell you how happy I am that today is Friday! My whole survival instinct circles around Friday. Someone told me yesterday that we had done our 63rd class, I have been trying not to do the whole countdown thing with the classes, its like full on yoga anxiety. I think we will do about 100 classes all together, so you can understand my need of denial. Day by day until Friday is my technique. Ignorance is bliss and denial makes it easier!! Gotta love the whole denial philosophy!
I think we all are getting sick of the whole group thing. I have started to feel like I need some space from everyone. I guess the previous trainings had to room all together, there were only about 50 students then, but I think I would go crazy having to sleep, eat, study, stretch with people every minute of the day. My room is my only space of tranquility, and we hardly get to it with all the lectures, classes and stuff. Bummer.
I better go, need to go to yoga class and stretch my muscles out again, they are starting to feel like rocks ( bless you, Advil). Going to sleep this weekend (hopefully). Thats a new thing I forgot to mention, havent been able to sleep or eat lately, its very strange to force-feed yourself ( just one more bite, here comes the choo-choo train, yummmm), if you dont, you pay for it with a crap class. How fun is this guys??? Bikram's torture chamber in and out of class! Have an awesome weekend everyone in reality land! Namaste.

Will the real Jenise please stand up...

Yes, I have met myself. Somewhere between the bending, sweating, stretching, brain implosions, tears and laughter......... I saw myself. Luckily I love most of what I see, some things of course need a bit of attention, but all in all, I feel loved by the most important person I know, me. Last week was such a soul cleansing experience, I cried so hard I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. It was real. It was powerful. It was beautiful. I wish everyone could get there and find themselves and to forget about all the issues we face everyday and just love themselves for who and what they are, what they have achieved, and to forget all those expectations society places on all of us.
So enough of that, I sound like I'm starting my own religion, yikes! We are finally slowing down on dialogue (thank goodness). My brain storage needed more space, was a bit worried I would leave here not having the postures all memorized! They really want us to just go teach a class as soon as we get back to real life.......... I don't know, might be the deer in the headlights moment!
Went to dinner with a bunch of people on Saturday night, we wanted a bit of a change so went to the hotel next door, not much different, but the company was fab! I met a girl from Bray, who now lives in San Francisco. How cool is that????
Our whole floor is occupied by yogis and its like a college dorm, people going to get ice in their pajamas, people going in/out of eachother's rooms. One night Barb and I heard loud bangs, like guns, and we ran out into our hallway with just our towels on asking everyone what the noise was, turned out to be fireworks for the arrival of the Mexican president, who I actually got to see on the way down to breakfast. He stopped and kissed a couple of blonde yogis while he was passing. I think he likes blondes, he didn't go near anyone else!
We decorated our room with Mexican style Halloween ornaments. It was so much fun getting all the stuff and hanging it up. We bought a couple witch's hats, Barb's has pink feathers around the brim and mine has purple, of course! We plan on wearing them to class on Halloween, I think most people will dress up for the holiday! I also bought myself a new dress, nothing like some retail therapy to cheer yourself up with. Such a girly thing!
Well better get back to studying dialogue. Can't wait to see what will change internally/externally this week. Its a trip, and I recommend it to anyone/everyone to give it a try. Of course not 2 times a day, but even once a day, your body just becomes such a machine, full of energy when you thought you had none. Too cool for words. Smiles and giggles to everyone!!! Have an awesome week!

To My Very Dear Friend

I want to write about someone who I adore with all my heart. Her name is Aileen and I have known her since I was 6 years old. She taught me so much about life and she was always full of fun and humor. I had the honour to go to one of her most favorite places with her, Las Vegas. Well, this girl could gamble. She always could make me see the brightest side of things and always made me feel very special. I was so looking forward to seeing her when I completed this training, and I thought about her all day on last Wednesday, as it was her 87th birthday. I didn't get the time to phone her to wish her a very happy birthday and to send my love, which is now a huge regret for me. On Thursday, October 19th, 2008, my beautiful friend left this earth. I will always carry her in my heart and I will always live my life to have fun. Her memory will always be with me, walking with me in every aspect of my being. I wish you all could have met Aileen, she was very special, and I miss her very very very much. Namaste Aileen.

Uncomfortably Numb

I don't know how to describe this week. There were tears, there was laughter, then some more tears. I got through this very tough 5th week with lots to think about. I let a senior teacher steal my peace(I now call him Monkey Sphincter), and I decided I can't let my feelings of anger continue, so today is a new day of learning and forgiveness to the best of my ability and to put aside differences and fears. It is very hard to meet our little insecurities head on and try to function with them on our shoulders. They become so heavy and after a period of time we become crippled under their weight. I have a fear of failing, of disappointing myself and others. I have to get over this hurdle and make peace with it. I'm still a work in progress, but the load feels a bit lighter.
I wanted to wish my Mom a SUPER DUPER HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!(Oct. 18th) I love you lots Mom and hope your day is special!
I also want to send CONGRATULATIONS to Bridget and Hugh, who are getting married this weekend! Lots of love your way too!
My life is moving at a fast-forward pace and I'm really enjoying the bond with everyone. My group is #10, and they are just the most awesome people! All of you are one in a trillion and I cant believe how solid we have all become!! And don't forget LET IT BE AND LOCK YOUR KNEE, DAMN IT!

Let's Make a Deal!

Thats what Bikram said at the Friday night yoga class. We were told if our class of 300 yogis could do the entire class without puking, pooping ourselves (yes, someone actually did), collapsing or sitting our ass's on the mat, we could have the rest of the night off. Well, let me tell you, the entire group of us pushed ourselves and achieved the impossible! There was one point in class when a guy got up and walked out of the room with his yoga mat, towels and water, you should of heard the pleading from everyone for him to come back, please dont go, begging him to return. Ends up the guy had a doctor's appointment and was excused! I thought everyone was going to go crazy......... toooooo funny! So my Friday night was movie-less and peaceful. Just the way "I" wanted!!!! Maybe I do have a bit of control after all! ( Yeah, sure, I'm still in denial)
My yoga practice is going brilliantly! My postures are getting stronger and I'm able to hold them longer and deeper! Its very cool! We found out we have been practicing in 97% humidity, when it actually should be around 40%, no wonder people were getting so sick and nearly passing out. They have placed fans all around the room which just blows it around and in my view, achieves NOTHING! But, as soon as they open the back doors, we get a nice breeze of fresh air. This particular studio is the first that was built in a basement, and I guess they didnt realize how much humidity the rainy season brings. They say they are working on solving the problem so some days I'm great, and others I just feel like collapsing. Very tough! We sweat so much during that 90 minutes, it actually sounds like rain fall when the sweat streams off onto our towels. Its surreal!
I'm doing pretty good on my dialogue but the teachers keep telling me to be more bitchy. I find this really difficult because I have no reason to be a bitch and I know that I would never teach a class acting like a bitch. So, I have decided that it is best to be myself. Not sickly sweet, as most of you know I'm definitely NOT, but positive and caring with a bit of humor in between. They made me pretend I was mad at my husband and to speak as though I was telling him off. I ended up really upset after. I totally forgot my dialogue and it didnt feel good to snap at the people demonstrating. I was completely out of my comfort zone. I'm going to stick with what works for me. (Sorry John, I have to leave the bitch at home!)
I have made so many special friends here and I wish I could introduce them all to you guys. When you feel sad, sore, silly, scared, these people are there to help you through. I really do owe them a huge thank you for being there for me and helping me see things in a different perspective. I now know why they tell us that by the end of this training, we will have many friends across the globe..........forever! How awesome is that? Smiles all around!!!!!

BIG GIRLS DON´T CRY

Well, I finally had a very emotional day. Loved it, hated it, accepted it. Tuesday was a major day of abandoning my grip on control. I just felt sooo defeated, tired and pissed off. My every moment is dictated down to when I want to sleep, and the worst for me, watching Indian movies. Dont laugh...... this is a serious thing for me! Barb keeps telling me to stop it everytime I ask ¨ Do you think we have to watch a movie tonight?¨, it is NOT fun!!! So, I had a small tearful moment, feeling sorry for myself, being angry, and finally, just letting go. It is hard to be so controlled when we are so used to making our own decisions everyday of our life. As Diane said in her yoga class, she is driving the bus, just sit back and relax, dont try to take the steering wheel, we have to learn first before we are able to take on a bus load of our own students. I really liked her analogy, and I smile for a moment to grasp that idea rather than trying to fight the process. It is hard and Im sure another day will come up and I will have to have a mental struggle with myself, but until then you can put away the Kleenex, cause this chick is done with the tears!! ( For now)

To Snore is to be Human

What a great day! I woke up this morning at 7am to get ready for the 8am class this morning. Did great during the standing series, bending, stretching with lots of energy. Then came the floor series. Lets just say I went into my savasana, looked up at the ceiling and started to relax for my 2 minutes. Well.........I woke up nearly at the end of the floor series. Soooooo bold! I couldn't believe I had drifted into such a beautiful, deep sleep. It was THE best sleep I have had in a very long time! I did feel a bit guilty, but then I never would have experienced it if I had fought it. Unfortunately, later on I saw the girl that practiced next to me today and she said she almost had to wake me up because I was...........snoring!!!!! I'm so embarrassed!!!! But still, it was so wonderful, I can't describe it in words. Maybe this is another example of what this yoga is about for me. Of course, if you had to do 2 yoga classes a day, along with 2 lectures and posture clinics, you could end up passed out on your mat in the middle of a yoga class!
Had a great dinner with Anne and the rest of the Dublin gang tonight. It was great fun and Anne kept our spirits high and confidence up! She is so inspiring!!! I will miss not having her around for the next 6 weeks!
Well, off to bed for a normal sleep, don't think I will get my Zen sleep tonight, shucks!! 4th week here we come!!!!

Where Was I??

Wow, this week was just a blur. Things have stepped up a notch with the dialogue having to be recited in front of your group and analyzed by the senior teachers. My nerves are getting the best of me, yet I dont feel nervous talking to people. I have come to the conclusion it is the struggle of trying to remember the dialogue word for word that is screwing with my confidence. Hopefully by the end it will be less apparent.
We have had some stormy weather with beautiful lightening storms stretching across the Pacific ocean. It was amazing to watch. Truly spectacular!
My yoga has had to take a slight rest as I strained a muscle in my middle back. I met a girl who does massage therapy and she has worked on it for me a few times, which has made it tolerable. She is a life-saver. I have been told to be patient with it and to really work at the spine strengthening postures.
During this month, the Mexican people are preparing for the holiday Dias de Muertes, which is Day of the Dead in English. It will be such a blast to celebrate Halloween in a different culture. Cant wait.
My studio owner, Anne, is here and its great to have her so close by. Some of us are feeling the strain and it has been good to have her here to talk to. Well, I better get ready for my Friday morning class. Its not so bad, but it does become a little tiresome doing the same thing day by day! I hope my body appreciates it, is all I gotta say!!!!

Blissful Bed

I just slept 5 hours and I have to say it was delicious!!! I did have a dream that my teeth were falling out, I forgot what that means! I am having dinner with the Dublin gang tonight and looking forward to some proper socializing without having to run and get ready for the next class or lecture.
Monday is our first anatomy test and posture clinics are starting. I started to go over my dialogue today and felt like I had forgotten everything, must be from just waking up, I hope!!! Anyway, stressful times are coming and I am going to try to keep 2 postures ahead of the clinics if possible.
Bikram was away last night and we actually got out of our evening lecture at 11pm. Its was so surreal to get out before my head totally started hitting my lap in desperation of sleep (Karine has a photo of me sleeping in my lap, too funny). It was soooooo good to get back and have a good night's sleep.
Tomorrow is all about studying. Hopefully my brain can retain some information. Its still overcast here and this morning it looked like we would have a storm coming in. I hope tomorrow is nice so I can go for a swim and study out by the pool! ( No, I am not on holiday, damn it!!)

What is Yoga?

I found out it is everything. The way we are with all our surroundings, internally, externally. What we need/dont need. What we do/dont do. How we interact with everything. Very interesting lecture, I wish I hadnt been so tired. Another really cool lecture was from a speech therapist from LA. We were taught how to speak from our diaphragm rather from our throat. It was an excellent 2hrs and a far cry from some of the ego-filled lectures we have been getting! I really dislike name-dropping, its annoying!
We have our first anatomy test on Monday. I think I will do ok, just some memorization. Lots of people are having major panic attacks about the test. I wonder how they will deal with posture clinics.
I cant wait for tomorrow after our last class of the week! All I want is to sleep! Sad, I know. At least I am still here and trying to remain strong.
Namaste.

Some of us need Anger Management Classes

Maybe all of us will need it by the end of next week! Things are getting heated up and not just in the yoga room. Today during our morning class with Emmy, one of the male trainees suddenly got up and started yelling and cursing about how the class was supposed to be only 90 minutes, why was it taking 2 hours? Then one of the staff tried to calm him down, and I thought for sure the trainee was just going to clobber him, then a bunch of the more muscular men trainees surrounded him and tried to calm him down. Geez, I thought this was a safe sport! Anyway, he stormed out of the room flipping everyone off and has now left for good. I guess these are the molecular emotions, which come in many different forms. Women usually cry. I havent cried yet, I cant wait!
Its absolutely pouring at the moment. We were advised on not swimming in the ocean due to sewage pouring out during the rainy season, so no ocean swimming for awhile! Who said this was going to be a holiday?

I'm a Bit Batty

We had a great posture clinic last night due to a small nocturnal mammal diving around the room. It was as if there was an airplane doing stunts because everytime the bat came anywhere near a section of the room everyone would suddenly take cover and scream (well, just those that fear flying creatures, which included both men and women). It was a nice change after listening to 312 people recite the same posture over and over and over again. Anyone who knows me knows I love bats and so I was satisfied to just sit back and see what type it was!
We got out of watching a Bollywood film as Bikram gave us a choice. Thank goodness!
We had our first class with another senior teacher this morning, Emmy. I think she is from Austria originally, and boy is she tough. She wants a bucket of tennis balls to throw at people who are doing their postures incorrectly. I think I will have to warm to her way of teaching.....slowly......!!!!
I have to say I have met so many cool people and some not so cool people( you know who you are), but all in all, more great than not.
Well, off to another lecture and I think we definitely have to watch a film tonight (joy)! I'm trusting the process, but Bollywood films somehow didnt come into what I thought the process was. But hell, what do I know?

A Little Rock and Roll, Mexican Style

We had our first earthquake at 1am this morning, not a huge deal for me and Barb, growing up in Los Angeles, but loads of people were a little freaked out. It reminded of home, ahhhhhhh.......
Anyway, we had our double class today and our lecture was pretty interesting, as we had Dr. T. teaching anatomy. Our books won't arrive until Friday, which is a bit frustrating, but what can you do??
I can see how this is becoming more like Groundhog Day by the minute. My blog will probably will get pretty boring as each day is becoming more and more the same. So I apologize now.

I Feel Zen-Full

Happy Sunday! Yesterday's class, I was sooooo tired, I just got into the zone and relaxed. I have to say it was one of my best classes this week, and I'm hopeful there will be many more to follow!
Had breakfast with everyone from the Dublin studio. They are just the most fantastic people and I love experiencing everything with them! I couldn't ask for more generous, loving, compassionate companions! :)
After breakfast we all went down to the beach and ended up buying lots of comfy dresses and sarongs. I have a feeling I will be living in these the next 8 weeks. Its fun talking down the prices and I have to say, Shirley is the best at it!
Barb and I went for a pedicure at the spa in the hotel, and I nearly fell asleep, it was GORGEOUS!!!! I think I will do that every other week. Its just what I needed.
Barb is sooooo much better and able to eat today! She found a necklace she wants and has decided that will be her reward at the end of training. Once again, I am just so proud of her, she had a really tough first week. I can only wish her better weeks to come!
Well, with tomorrow all will begin again. I will remain focused and conscience of my body and as always trust that all is good and everything will make sense(hopefully soon). I know this yoga is the best thing I can do for myself and my own unfound strengths will begin surfacing. I am blessed to be here. Namaste and smiles to everyone!

I Love Saturday!!!!

Oh joy, only one class today, yippeeeeee! I do love the classes, but I am soooooo tired and my body is just pooped. We didnt have lectures last night, which was just great, Barb and I came back to the room and watched a video. Fantastic.
My practice is getting better and better. Bikram has corrected me on a couple of postures, which I never realized I was doing incorrectly, what an honour. My body is getting used to everything and I am able to do more and more during class. Believe me, when I started, I thought I would be sitting the entire time. Mind over matter is my mantra now.
Barb is still really sick, but getting better everyday. I cant imagine having the vomiting and nausea all the time and having to do the class, shes tough and getting through it. I am sooooo proud of her for not quitting.
I recited half moon in front of Bikram last night and he said I was very sweet. What a huge relief to get it over with but Im soooo happy he liked the way I taught the posture. I know I have alot more work to do on teaching but this gave me a huge boost of confidence!
Well, Im going to just relax after this class and look forward to what next week will have to offer. I heard its gonna get tougher! Yippee???

"Sean of the Dead" yoga style

Imagine this huge crowd of glazed-eyed yogi's, hunchbacked, dripping in their own sweat, dragging their two wet towels with all their strength they can manage, clutching their soaked mat, while they move slowly through the exit of the studio, to their individual cubbies. Yes everyone, this is what I get to experience twice daily!
Last night we were up until 2am watching a 3hour Bollywood film. Just as I had feared, I am now being made to sit through these films. I really just dont get it, it must be a culture-thing because my brother-in-law from Mauritius loves them too. Bikram had the sound sooooooo loud, I was thankful for my earplugs, but my god, how we all suffered. My sister ended up laying on the floor with her head tucked under the chair. It started to look like a war-zone, with all these bodies on the floor or curled up in any posture they can sleep in. I've come to the conclusion that I have no choice but suffer through these films, who knows, I could end up really enjoying them( I think its a conspiracy)!
Im off to my second class of the day and hope for a better one than this morning. Bye for now!

I drank, I stretched, I vomited

Actually, I nearly vomited, not quite. We had our first 2 class day yesterday, and anybody who has attended TT before, you understand my heading!! Lasts nights class was my worst EVER!!!! Thank goodness I did not cramp up and convulse as some did, but I truly wanted to just crawl out of the room (my first time to ever even think this). Well, happy endings abound, and I did not leave the room thanks to a visiting teacher, Wendy. She gave me the option, if I wanted to leave to go ahead but I chose not to and that was a huge step for me mentally, because my mind was really all over and all my focus was on how miserable I felt, but I made it!!!
On a happy note, I finally got to go down to the ocean and take a quick dip after class last night. It truly was what I needed after such a crap class last night!
Well, off to class this morning, and I am trying to clear my mind of last night's class and just be in the present. As Bikram has said to us, we have nothing to lose because we had nothing to start with in the first place! Ok Boss, I'm going to trust the process! Namaste

I think they gave my bag to a couple gorillas....

Hi everyone! Well made it to Acapulco in one peice, though my luggage took a bit of a beating, everything thank goodness arrived safely!
We are attending our very first yoga class in approx. 1hr and we have been given numerous instructions on what to eat, wear, drink, how much to drink, etc. etc.... Lots of info. but I know it will be crucial for the next 9 weeks!
Barb and I are settling in to our little room and have met soooo many cool people so far (there are 312 students here in total). The surroundings are gorgeous with peacocks and flamingos outside by the pools which have waterfalls and lots of flowers around. We have been told weekends are for studying only and not to venture out to participate in other activities! Im gonna listen to what they suggest!
We had a lecture with Bikram, he is AMAZING!!!!! I didnt really know what to expect but I really loved everything he had to say, so insightful and inspiring! He will be teaching the class tonight! I told everyone that I did training to his CD at home and Vindaloo came to know his voice as much as me! (Vindy is my dog for those who dont know).
Well, will write again when I can, hello and love to all my friends and family!

Here is a photo of a few of us from Bridget's hens weekend! Loved the bunkbeds!!

Here I go, into the abyss known as Bikram's Torture Chamber

I'm packed and ready to go! My last day at work is tomorrow, it will so strange not going into work for the next 10 weeks!
Of course I caught a nasty cold right before I'm due to fly out on Saturday, leave it to my immune system to pick the best times for colds:( Anyway, no going back now! I want to send a special thanks to my physio, Colum Slevin, who is fantastic at healing all my ailments! I'm due to see him tomorrow one last time before TT, just hope the old body stays healthy and strong for me!
I just read that Jenn will be at TT so I'm super excited to meet her, anyone who is interested in Bikram training should log on to her blog, its very insightful!!!
Well everyone, stay tuned, next entry will be from Acapulco, Mexico!

Well, time is speeding up now and I feel prepared/unprepared. Sometime I think, what the hell are you doing, are you crazy??!!! Then I think about why I'm doing this crazy thing and realize that this is what I want to do into my old age, teach Bikram's style of yoga! This soothes the doubting side of my brain for awhile! Of course I have no choice now, I'm doin it!!
Nearly forgot, I just heard from someone that Bikram is planning on teaching the entire time of TT and that Craig has resigned...........anyone else hear anything different?? Yikes is all I gotta say! Late night Indie movies here we come... :) Anyway, goodluck to all you trainees coming on this journey with me, cant wait to meet the few that have signed in on Facebook!

Well, I am off to Bridget's Hen weekend in Leitrim, which should be a blast! Unfortunately I will be missing my posture clinic tomorrow, which is a huge bummer as I found it really helpful :(
I have been thinking of more goals for TT and another huge thing is the heat!! I WANT TO BEAT THE HEAT! Its one of my major worries and I hope that my body will adjust before the 9 weeks are up! As another trainee said last TT in Spring, no matter what, stay in the room! So I guess that would go with the whole beat the heat mantra as well! I can do this, I know I have experienced worse! As Bikram says " which do you prefer, 90 minutes of pain or 90 years?". I'll take the 90 minutes boss..........

Hello to anyone/everyone! Well, only 4 weeks to go! I just want to send a HUGE thank you to Anne at the Dublin studio, for volunteering her own time to coach/inspire/critique all 8 of us trainees going in the fall! I really got a suprise when I realized how hard it is to speak and direct people during the Bikram postures without stuttering on my words or going completely blank! Yikes!
I'm thinking of goals for myself during TT and there are many. I really want to keep my focus, this is soooo important to me, and lately I feel I've lost it a bit. I know Bikram talks about self-realization and not to make excuses to not do something, but damn its hard sometimes to stop and just be in that moment. This is my number one goal, and maybe it does have alot to do with my own self-realization. I need to know I can do this, but there is always this little voice saying Im not good enough or not as good as everyone else. I know this is something I need to work on and maybe when I'm at TT I will find it.

Well, its been pretty tough with the whole memorizing thing, but slowly I'm getting through it! I can't believe I will be training in less than 2 months now, the nerves are starting!! I completed my very first half marathon in Achill at the beginning of this month! It was soooo amazing, I really enjoyed it! I was on endorphines for at least 3 days after! If it wasnt for my Bikram yoga practice I would never had been able to run that far due to an old hip injury! It was amazing!!! Just another reason for all you non-yogis to go and try it out! I checked out the new Bikram website, which has been written partly by Jenn(from TT last Spring), it is fantastic! Cheers to those who finally copped on! Anyway, back to the memorizing again! Would love to hear from anyone else going for TT in Fall! Bye for now!

Practice makes perfect.....and more sleep!

I just received my dialogue from Bikram's Yoga College, and wow, feel as I'm memorizing a whole play, which is kinda true! Anyway, many sources tell me, START MEMORIZING NOW!!!! I guess it will mean more sleep during my training experience( which is always nice) but it will also allow me to absorb other factors of the training. So....... I have begun to memorize.

Wow -wee......

Have a great blog I've been reading now on a daily basis. Jenn from Seattle is now at teacher training in Mexico and has been fantastic at sharing her journey of Bikram's training!! I just want to say a sincere thank you for sharing your experience, it has been an eye-opener for me, and has helped me put some of my fears and anxieties into perspective! Anyone planning on attending teacher training should look her blog up and have a cup of tea and READ!!!! Thanks again Jenn for your input!