Day #125/216

Yes we are already a couple of days into Oct - can you believe it!?!! But I still haven't had a chance to post my stats for the month of September:

1807 total minutes of yoga in 30 days
Average 60 minutes of yoga a day

Although 60 minutes a day is significant, it's a bit down from where I'd like to be. I knew that my daily average would be lower this month because I've been doing too many of the shorter yoga videos. Sort of a resting month after completing my 101 days. But I still haven't missed a single day. And I am ready to kick it back up a notch starting tomorrow (Sunday) with at least 3 Bikram practices per week for the next 11 weeks until I make my big move back to CA.

So I went through and calculated my yoga minutes for the whole year just to put things in perspective.

Jan 1st - May 31st 2009
91 Bikram practices
8190 minutes of yoga in 151 days
Average of 54.24 minutes of yoga per day

June 1st - September 30th 2009
125 varied yoga practices
8180 minutes of yoga in 125 days
Average of 65.44 minutes of yoga per day

YEARLY TOTAL:
16370 minutes of yoga in 276 days
Average of 59.31 minutes of yoga per day

Now I realize that this is not exactly scientific or even technically accurate because there were occasions prior to my 101 day challenge where I went for a whole week without doing yoga at all. Regardless it gives me an idea of where I've been and motivates me to make the commitment to get where I want to be.

By keeping up my daily practice through the end of the year I should significantly raise this daily average and continue to improve my overall health and well-being. Yoga has been a god-send for me. It is slowly, but surely changing my life from the inside out.

Day #101

Home Practice - Jivamukti (53 min) # 190
Monday 9/7/09

Home Practice - Bikram #191
Tuesday 9/8/09

Home Practice - Rainbeau Mars (30 min) #192
Wednesday 9/9/09

Actually 101 was yesterday. I just didn't get around to posting stats until today...

I DID IT!!!! I practiced yoga for 101 consecutive days; for a total of 6898 minutes, which is an average of 68 minutes per day. And most importantly, did I mention that I did not miss a single day !?!!! I am very proud of myself, but now that it's over it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. I plan to keep going and complete another 101 days beginning today 9/10/09 and ending 12/19/09.

I will be leaving Hawaii for the mainland on December 20th of this year. My decision to leave is bittersweet. I'm going to really miss living in the islands but it is time for me to go. At least for now. I plan to get my RN and nowhere else can touch the California Community College system in terms of cost. In addition, my sister is having twins at the end of the year and this has made me realize that I want to be closer to my family.

Just a little over 13 weeks to soak up all this paradise has to offer.

Day #92

Home Practice - Bikram #177
Tuesday 8/25/09

Home Practice - Shiva Rea (42 min) #178
Wednesday 8/26/09

Home Practice - Bikram #179
Thursday 8/27/09

Home Practice - Seane Corn (60 min) #160
Friday 8/28/09

Home Practice - Chakra Balancing (55 min) #181
Saturday 8/29/09

Home Practice - Bikram #182
Sunday 8/30/09

Bikram Kaimuki - class #183
8:15 pm w/ Kevo
Monday 8/31/09


Monthly Stats for August:

Bikram - 9x (810 minutes)
Baron Baptiste - 6x (325 minutes)
Shiva Rea - 5x (315 minutes)
Seane Corn - 5x (290 minutes)
Chakra Balancing - 4x (220 minutes)
Jivamukti - 2x (113 minutes)

31 daily yoga practices

TOTAL: 2073 minutes of yoga
Average of 67 minutes a day!!!


That's down a bit from the last 2 months. But I plan to get my average back up to over 70 minutes per day in September with more regular Bikram practices - at least 12 for the month.

Day #38

Home Practice - Jivamukti (60 min) #127
Monday

Home Practice - Baptiste (70 min) #128
Tuesday

Home Practice - Jivamukti (53 min) #129
Wednesday

So I haven't made it to the studio yet this week. I have 2 rooms vacating at my house so I've been interviewing potential roommates in the evenings. Several good candidates so far, each with their own pros and cons. Hopefully we will be able to make a decision by the end of the weekend. I pray that my intuition will guide me to select the right people to mesh with our household.

Day #33

Bikram Kaimuki - class #120
Monday 8:15 pm w/ Kevo

Home Practice - Jivamukti (60 min) #121
Tuesday

Bikram Kaimuki - class #122
Wednesday 8:15 w/ Jeremy

Home Practice - Baptiste (85 min) #123
Thursday

Well today I wanted to post some stats for the month of June.

30 total yoga practice sessions:
14 Bikram - 3x home, 11x studio (90 min each)
14 Baptiste - 8x 45 min, 4x 60 min, 2x 70 min
1 Barkan - 60 min
1 Jivamukti - 60 min

That's 2120 total minutes of yoga this month!!

Which is an average of 70 minutes per day!!!

YAY! I got my new yoga videoes. So far I have tried "Transform Yourself with Jivamukti Yoga" w/ David Life & Sharon Gannon and "Foundations of Power Vinyasa" w/ Baron Baptiste. I think I will do "Power to the Peaceful Yoga" w/ David Life, Sharon Gannon & Michael Franti this evening and then go to Manny's class in Hawaii Kai tomorrow.

My plan is to start with the 2 Jivamukti DVD's alternating w/ Baptiste workouts for a few weeks until I sort of learn those routines. Then I will incorporate the Sean Corn and Shiva Rea practices into the rotation one at a time. I don't want to overwhelm myself with too many new routines at the same time. If I add them in slowly and give myself a chance to learn one new style at a time, I think that I will avoid getting frustrated and enjoy the process a lot more.

Almost 1/3 of the way to 101!!!!

Day #28

Home Practice - Baptiste (70 min) #117
Friday

Bikram Hawaii Kai - class #118
Saturday 6 pm w/ Manny

Home Practice - Baptiste (45 min) #119
Sunday

I forgot how much I like Manny's class. He moves a bit faster through the 26 postures than other Bikram teachers I've had. But I really enjoy his take on the series. I also really like the radiant heat. It seems much hotter than the Kaimuki studio. Feels like it heats you through to your core and I am able to get deeper into the postures in a shorter period of time.

My roommate helped me put up a 30" x 60" mirror in my yoga room. Tonight's practice was the first one I did in front of the mirror. I love being able to check my alignment while I am doing postures now. Such a helpful tool, don't know how I ever got along without it.

I am really happy with my progress so far. Still not proficient at the Baptiste videoes, but getting better every day. I really can't wait for my new yoga dvd's to come this week. I am so excited to try classes with Seane Corn, Shiva Rea, David Life, and Sharon Gannon. I am going to be in yoga heaven with all the new insights and the variety in yoga styles. I feel almost like a kid counting down the days until Christmas!

Day #23

Bikram Kaimuki - class #113
Monday 8:15 pm w/ Gail

Home Practice - Baptiste (60 min) #114
Tuesday

I *really* didn't feel like doing yoga tonight. I had one of those days where I can just tell that I am about to start my period any second now. Feeling really grouchy and low energy and uncomfortable and just blah. But I practiced anyway. And I know that it did my body a lot of good. Still kinda achy but my attitude is 1000% better.

Last night I took class with Gail - who I am not at all crazy about. I guess that I should consider myself lucky that she is the only teacher I've had here that I really don't care for. I purposely went to her class, though, because Kevo was teaching the 6:30 and my body needed an easier class. My back was still pinched last night but now after tonight's home practice it feels like it has relaxed a bit.

There were several men in class last night and somebody had serious BO. And then there was someone breathing out really hard with all kinds of drama after every single posture all through the class. I was a little peeved cause the teacher didn't say anything to correct whoever was doing it - but I knew better than to have high expectations for a cohesive class. I started to just tune everything out and actually had an OK practice in spite of it all.

Day #21

Bikram Kaimuki - class #111
Saturday 4:30 pm w/ Kevo

Home Practice - Baptiste (45 min) #112
Sunday

WOW. 3 weeks straight doing yoga every day. I feel fantastic. Although I must admit my back is kinda sore after 2 days in a row of Kevo classes. He just has a knack for getting me to push myself to the edge. And maybe a little past the edge sometimes. I'm hoping that after tonight's fairly mellow workout it will be better tomorrow.

I'm really going to try to alternate studio days w/ home days so that I'm not doing the exact same sequence (including Bikram) any 2 days in a row. I feel like my body does better with that kind of variety. At least for now. But I am really stoked to keep on going strong without skipping a single day of yoga for the next 11 weeks and maybe even beyond.

Day #17

Bikram Hawaii Kai - class #107
Tuesday 7:30 pm w/ Manny

Home Practice - Baptiste (45 min) #108
Wednesday

Really just glad that I got in a yoga workout at all today.

The DVD I did tonight, Baptiste's "Power Yoga Level 3 - The Ultimate Challenge", is really tough but only 45 minutes long. So it's very good to do at home when you're on a time crunch. I am not nearly proficient at any of the Baptiste DVD's yet. But I know that my skill level will improve with time. Especially as I get stronger and lose a little bit of bulk. Any workout that I could do at all well the first couple times through would have me bored in a couple of months anyway. These give me something to work towards.

Yesterday I took another hot class w/ Manny. I was a little annoyed because this was the second day I've been at this studio when he let students join the class late. Significantly late. During pranayama breathing is one thing, but people kept trickling in through the whole first set of half moon and hands to feet pose. I do understand that the class time has changed recently, but still. This was a crowded class so people had to shift their mats over to make room each time someone else came in. What is up with that?

As you can probably tell, I started to really get my panties in a bunch about it. I know it is the teacher or owner's prerogative as to when to cut off latecomers, but in that moment it seemed grossly unfair to those of us who took the trouble to get the time right and make it to class early. But then I decided to just stop and began working on my focus to breathe through the annoyance and let it go. That way I could at least enjoy the rest class.

SIGH. I hope that this does not turn out to be a regular thing because I really don't like starting out the class with a big fat chip on my shoulder. And to be honest, it has slightly tarnished my otherwise high opinion of this teacher. Whatever. Clearly, I am *not* the boss of the universe. Much as I seem to think I should be sometimes. ;))

Day #15

Bikram Hawaii Kai - class #105
Sunday 6 pm w/ Manny

Home Practice - Baptiste (70 min) #106
Monday

Did the Baptiste DVD, "Power Yoga Level 2 - The Next Challenge", tonight. So far it is my favorite non-Bikram workout. He incorporates most of the 26 postures from the Bikram sequence (or at least variations thereof) along with several additional poses into a vinyasa flow series that is pretty strenuous, but really enjoyable. Lots of "plank position" and "downward dog" so my shoulders are burning a little.

I only did 3 studio workouts last week so my goal is to do 5 this week. Shouldn't be too tough. I am just really liking alternating studio days w/ non-studio days. So it will be interesting to see how my body responds to going to the studio 3 days in a row.

I am feeling really good. School is a bitch right now and I don't know how I'd be able to deal with the stress if it wasn't for the daily yoga. I've been sort of wondering why in the world I wouldn't keep practicing every day after the 101 days are up. It hasn't really been a struggle at all. I will have to see how I feel 12 or so weeks from now. But I'm predicting that I'll be even more addicted to getting my daily yoga glow.

Day #11

Home Practice - Baptiste (45 min) #101
Wednesday

Bikram Hawaii Kai - class #102
Thursday 7:30 pm w/ Manny

Another awesome class. I was really tired all day and on the way over to the studio I made a deal with myself that I'd take it easy. Well, that didn't happen. As soon as I got set up for the first breathing exercise I couldn't help but give my hardest, best effort. It seems that every time I set foot in the studio lately each class builds on the last and I am amazed, yet again, at my constant progress. Tonight I touched my head to the floor for the first time ever in standing separate leg stretching posture. Then I nailed both sides and both sets of Triangle. And standing separate leg head to knee. That's just to name a few. It seemed like I achieved new ground in almost every single posture(!) I've only been back in the studio 3 times now and each has been an incredibly strong practice. I'm a little dumbfounded.

I have decided that Manny just may be my new favorite teacher. He is the owner of Bikram Hawaii Kai and totally old school, like 1970's style Bikram. His dialogue is not really by the book. He adds a couple of (optional) extra postures - like push ups before fixed firm. He talks a lot about the mind body connection and self realization. Tonight he mentioned that he doesn't believe in the typical 30 day challenge for those w/ moderate fitness levels because if you're overly tired then you won't improve as much or get as much out of your practice. He says that if you're out of shape, unable to get through all the postures, and just kind of cruising through class *then* coming every day has a lot of benefit. But he encourages everyone else to come to the studio 4 times a week and really work 100%, full out in every single one of those classes.

I know that all of this will sound blasphemous to the die hard Bikramites, but it makes so much sense to me. The danger of over-training is very real in any repetitive motion exercise. Why should yoga be any different? And so far w/ my little yoga experiment I feel like a living, breathing example of the benefit of working the body with different postures and even different styles of yoga in order to deepen my Bikram practice. I have never felt stronger or more limber. Or more committed to this practice for that matter. We'll have to see how this plays out during the full 101 days. But even in this short time frame I am pretty sold on the benefit of yoga cross-training.

Day #9

Home Practice - Baptiste (60 min) #99
Monday

Bikram Hawaii Kai - class #100
Tuesday 7:30pm w/ Leigh

Whoa... I made it through 100 yoga workouts so far this year. Now that's a major milestone.

Tonight I completely got my ass kicked, but in such a good way. Leigh used to teach at the Kaimuki studio when I first dabbled with Bikram back in 2007. I'm pretty sure that she is a master instructor because there are pictures of her teaching at TT on the official Bikram website. I always loved her class way back when. And having her tonight confirmed that the Kaimuki teachers are indeed much harder, at least than the other Hawaii Kai teachers I've had so far. My arms and legs felt like jello and I was completely loopy on the ride home.

Tonight I was also blown away by the progress I've made. Really. The improvement in my practice over the last several weeks is remarkable. Is it because I started listening to the dialogue w/ Bikram himself and am therefore executing better? Is it because I took a long break and so my body is fresh? Is it because cross-training with different styles has worked my muscles in a different way and given me a deeper appreciation for Bikram's 26 postures? Or could it be a little bit of all of these combined with my body just being ready to change? Who knows. But the last few Bikram practices I have felt a bit like a rockstar. Even tonight when it seemed that Leigh was mopping the floor with us.

So glad to be back in the studio.

Day #3

Home Practice - Bikram #93
Tuesday

Home Practice - Baptiste (45 min) #94
Wednesday

Three yoga sessions down, ninety eight still to go. ;))

I am actually pretty sore. The particular Baptiste video I've been doing is only 45 minutes long but it has a lot more arm work than I am used to with Bikram. I feel it all through my shoulders and deep in my adominals as well. Exactly the kind of cross-training I am after. I'm not strong or limber enough to do all of the postures very well. But so far I like that it gives me something new to strive for.

I decided to err on the side of caution and stay out of the Bikram studio until Sunday. That should give my tattoo ample time to heal completely. It is getting better every day. I just want to be careful and make extra sure that it's 100% before exposing it to the sweatbox.

It's late so I am going to sign off now. Goodnight everybody!

Day #1

Home Practice - Baptiste (45 min) #92

So today I began my own yoga challenge. I am going to do yoga every day consecutively for 101 days(!!!) However, I have decided that I will not be doing the Bikram sequence at the studio every single day.

I want to experiment w/ a couple of Baron Baptiste videos that come highly recommended by an old roommate of mine. One is a 45 minute beginner's Ashtanga practice and the other is a 70 minute Vinyasa flow sequence. I am hoping that this "yoga cross training" will keep my muscles guessing and get me into better shape faster than just doing Bikram alone. Not to mention trying these other styles will help make me into a more well rounded yogini in the long run.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Bikram. It will still be my foundation and I will go to the studio 4 days per week religiously. But I really feel like I want to expand my horizons a bit. So I will do one of the Baptiste videos at least 2x per week. And then the last weekly practice will be my choice - either the Bikram audio cd at home or one of the Baptiste videos. Who knows? Maybe at the end of this I will return to doing strictly Bikram or maybe I will like the variety of practicing different styles. Never know until you try.

In addition, I have been invited by Penni Shelton to join her "Big Fat Raw Experiment". For the next 14 weeks, or the duration of my yoga challenge, I will be trying my best to eat a high raw vegan diet and tracking my progress for the world to see. Check out my "Raw Mana" blog if you're interested in the details.

This is sort of active research for a book she's writing. So I am very excited to see what kind of effect the combo yoga and eating a much cleaner, higher water content diet will have on my body. The two seem like perfect compliments to each other.

My ankle tattoo is still healing. I had no problem doing the Baptiste video at home tonight but I'm a little worried about the heat. I'm gonna have to see how it feels tomorrow before I decide if I'm quite ready to get back into the studio yet. If worse comes to worse I'll just do a couple extra Bikram workouts at home this week. They say everyone heals differently and it takes as long as it takes. I really love it and promise to post pictures once it isn't all crusty looking. ;))



Anyway thanks for reading & sorry for the extended absence. I assure you that I'm back with a vengeance!!

Home Practice - Bikram #87

I had a really good practice this evening. It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be, what with the fasting and all. I didn't sweat as much without the heat, of course. So I wasn't able to go as deep into a few of the postures. But much to my delight and amazement, I was actually able to go deeper into some of them. I was able to touch both hands to the floor pretty easily in toe stand, although I have still not figured out how to bend my standing knee to get my body down yet. And I was able to grab my elbows for the first time ever in the last part of wind-removing pose. Hmmm. Maybe I'm just less sore and stiff than usual after taking a week+ off. Overall I was very pleasantly surprised.

I really like doing the Beginner's Series along with the audio cd. I just love Bikram's personality. He reminds me of a dance teacher I had when I was in my teens. Tough as nails and always pushing you to your edge, but doing it with so much love and genuine concern for your personal well being. I enjoy the insight into the man, the legend. And I love feeling at least a little bit like I am taking yoga from the boss himself. When I move back to California I definitely want to drive to LA at least a couple times a month to take classes when he's in town.

Next time I think that I will try a space heater so that the room is at least a little bit warm. I mean it's not cold in Hawaii by any stretch of the imagination, but it's nowhere close to 105 degrees either. Hopefully that will get me a little bit hotter and juicier.

The Master Cleanse is going great. My sense of smell is on overdrive and foods smell *really* good, but I am not at all hungry and know that I will not break it. I am seriously on a mission this time. ;))

Hope everyone's doing well with their challenges, practices, teacher training, etc.

Aloha & Namaste

Bikram Kaimuki - class #85
Tuesday (4/21/09) 6:30 pm w/ Jeremy

Bikram Kaimuki - class #86
Sunday (4/26/09) 11 am w/ Gail

Sorry that I haven't written for a while. Life has kinda been happening and I've been slacking on the yoga. I had an old roommate of mine come to visit for 10 days. And then I went to stay with my sister and her family out at the Ko`olina Resort on the other side of the island for a few more days. Besides that I was also pretty busy with work and have been furiously studying for my final on May 13th whenever I can find a spare moment. SIGH. I have had a *really* hectic schedule and let the yoga slide a bit. The bigger problem is that I let my eating habits slide too.

Well now that the visitors are gone and I'm down to the 2 week countdown before my trip I have decided to do the Master Cleanse to wipe the slate clean. (I will be posting the nitty-gritty details on my Raw Mana blog.) While I am on this detox program I will be doing yoga at home and not going to the studio. I'm afraid that the heat will just be too intense for me while detoxing. And at home I am a lot more in control... I can stop the cd and take a rest if needed, I can go get more water/lemonade from the kitchen, etc... But I do hope to practice at least 10 times in the next 13 days before I leave.

Then I also plan to get my ankle tattoo while I am in the Bay Area. Which means another 2 weeks that I'll need to stay out of the studio. So basically, I need to keep up my practice at home for the entire month of May. But to *sort of* make up for being out of the studio for a month, I'm thinking about doing a 30 day challenge in June. I've checked my calendar and as of yet there are no events that will prevent me from doing the full 30 days consecutively. I do hope to do 101 days at some point. But 30 days without skipping would be a start.