They call it practice for a reason

I'm continuing to practice. Continuing to experience the ups and downs of the hot room. I'm getting better at experiencing ups and downs in the hot room but still not so good at experiencing them in life! Some of my postures are getting better, I tried 6am yoga for the first time (it's awesome by the way and deserves a full post of its own!), and I got a new Breathe yoga mat/towel combination which kicks major ass. Life is hard though. I'm looking for a job, trying to figure out if I want to stay in my field, trying to push myself to explore some new exciting (but scary) opportunities.
Who knows what's around the corner? I don't but there is part of me that has been dragging my feet instead of running ahead.
Ok, for the next post I promise more yoga, less rambling about life!

The last few days in review

Didn't practice Wednesday because I was an extra in Lynn Shelton's newest project. She's a local filmmaker who made the movie "Humpday." It was an interesting experience - not sure I would do it again, but I liked learning a bit more about how movies are made.
Didn't practice yesterday due to car issues. My car key would open my car door but wouldn't start the engine. Not cool. Had to be rescued with an extra key.
PRACTICED TODAY! Great class taught by Jenn. She's awesome! Didn't get down to my elbows in fixed firm, but that's ok. I've got the rest of my life (and maybe my next life or twelve) to practice yoga.
I'm feeling kind of dehydrated and gross at the moment. I really need to focus more on my diet. I've been living on junk food for the past few months. Not cool at all.

Get your money's worth

For the most part, I like my studio, but it's not the most welcoming place in the world. It doesn't really feel like a community. There's not a lot of conversation between the instructors and the students. But today before class, I decided to ignore that fact and I went to talk to the instructor to get more info on how to get down to my elbows in fixed firm. I told her that I got my butt down on my mat for the first time ever yesterday. She explained what to do - I had apparently been oblivious to the part of the instructions that talked about putting your hands on your feet. So during class, I got down to my elbows! Yay!
Long story short - the instructors are there to help and even if they are standoff-ish, go up to them and ask questions when they aren't busy. You're paying for the class and you're showing up so you might as well get your money's worth!

Note to fixed firm: watch out because you're going to get pwned!

It was very hot in the yoga room today. While this did, at times, make me feel like I was going to die, I also had to look on the bright side and see that it made me feel bendier. Unlike some lucky folks, I don't have great natural flexibility. Also I have long legs and a short torso - not exactly a great yoga physique! I struggle with the postures. I love the yoga. I like reading the Bikram blogs. I put yoga classes on my calendar so I make sure I go to classes taught by teachers I like. But I have a LONG way to go on quite a few of the postures. Fixed firm has been my nemesis for quite some time. Before getting into Bikram, I was running quite a bit and I have some foot issues which I probably should go to a podiatrist for but have been avoiding it. Long story but basically that means that I have some foot/ankle/knee issues. However I was finally able to get my ass down on the floor completely in fixed firm today and was able to sort of kind of go backwards. My teacher was trying to get me to go back on one elbow first which felt kind of awkward but I guess it's similar to how you go back for camel. I'm looking forward to improving at some of my more difficult postures. I guess I've got my whole life to perfect my practice. And also I've got to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT MY POSTURES LOOK LIKE! It doesn't even matter in terms of getting the full benefits from the yoga.
Ok, I'm keeping perspective on this, but am also excited to make fixed firm my bitch!

Another one of my crazy Bikram theories...

No, this one isn't about sex. It's about my other favorite topic - - - FOOD! :) Back in college when I was young and foolish, my friend and I had this idea that we should only eat when we were drunk. This isn't an idea we actually implemented, but the basis for it was just that everything tastes really good when you're drunk. Even random cheap trashy food can be quite nom nom nom after a few beers. I kind of feel the same about food after Bikram yoga - things tend to taste really good to me. French fries from McDonalds taste ridiculously salty and delicious. A can of Coke is so yum that it's ridiculous that it costs less than a dollar. Tonight I'm eating Greek yogurt with sliced apricot and a bit of almond butter and even that is pretty darn tasty.
Maybe I should go to Bikram teacher training... then I would pretty much only be eating after yoga. I bet everything tastes delicious! (kidding - I'm sure Jenn or someone will chime in here about how that isn't the case!)

Good class today

It's been a while since I've had a good class. I know that any Bikram class I actually get to is good, but today was a *good* class. Didn't sit out any postures, got some helpful corrections from Jenn and she said that my half moon backwards was "looking good." Just had a green smoothie at Chaco Canyon and now I'm feeling healthy. Now if only the boy would stop being busy all the time...

Have I told you about this theory I have about Bikram yoga?

The main reason I haven't been on my mat much lately has been the heat. Also I think I got slightly burned out after my 30 days but was in denial that I was burned out. But the fact remains that my body and mind are much happier when I'm on my mat most days. And I really need the yoga these days because I'm a single lady with a crush on a boy who is playing hard to get.
Things with the boy are kind of limping along. We got ice cream and saw a movie last week. And that's great. Really. When we see each other, it's good and I feel like we have chemistry and we send each other silly little emails and texts sometimes. However, the bad part is that he's been out of town and super busy with work stuff but he says that things should calm down in a week or two and then he will be social again... but until then, I am pining away a bit. It's not that I'm sitting home doing nothing - I even went on a date with another guy last week, but of course this one particular guy is the one who I like.
That brings me to my theory. I have this theory that Bikram yoga is the perfect activity for the sexually frustrated woman. Not only does it help one burn off a bit of extra energy as well as get more toned and fit for the dating scene, there is also the added bonus of seeing men of all shapes and sizes in Speedos. I don't know about you, but seeing men in Speedos (especially ones with long ponytails, gross tattoos and/or big bellies) really turns me off and makes me question whether I am even attracted to men at all.
So that is how my renewed Bikram practice is going to help me deal with liking a boy who is playing hard to get. Thank you Seattle men in Speedos for being such a huge turn off - especially those of you at the 4pm class I went to today.

Finding it hard to get on my mat...

Have been seduced by summer. Leisurely walks around the lake. Drinking beers on patios. Trips to Target to get SPF 70 sunscreen.

But I miss the yoga. And I miss reading @MeiNg and @ilovesweat's blogs every day. And I am intrigued by the fact that one of my favorite Bikram Twitterers (@yogaballs) now says he may not even want to teach Bikram even though he just finished teacher training. There's got to be a story there and hopefully he'll share it with us.

But for now I'm going to enjoy summer...

Still thinking about the water situation...

Practiced today. I didn't feel very flexible, but I felt pretty strong. No ice in my water today... and this shouldn't be a surprise, but I didn't want to drink as much after Eagle because it wasn't cold, frosty and delicious. Did every posture. Is it because the thought of sitting out a posture without icy cold water waiting on the floor for me just isn't as tempting?

I think further testing is in order, but I think there definitely could be something to this...

After class, I went to the new Trader Joes in Ballard. It's so spacious! I picked up almond butter and some other healthy-ish food that I've been reading about on The Hungry Yogini. Trying to get more into cooking healthy food. Supposedly it can be fun and tasty?

Water

Haven't managed to get back on the mat as much as I wanted to, but summer is difficult because hot days mean the yoga room is funkier and it's harder to stay hydrated outside of class. Speaking of water...

I met a boy a few weeks ago and we went out this week. He has many good qualities - one being that he listened to me babble about Bikram yoga for a while :) I was telling him about the controversy over water in class. Some people, like the legendary Mary Jarvis, suggest no water during class. Lots of us students enjoy water with ice (me!), but that is supposedly harder on the body than drinking room temperature water. The boy suggested that ice water might have the added benefit of lowering core temperature a bit which could help the body in the hot room. I don't really know what the "right" answer is on the water question, but I hadn't considered the core temperature idea. All of the yoga blogs I've read have been negative towards ice water from both a physical and mental perspective so this was an interesting perspective. I suppose that could be an added physical benefit of cold water although I am still unsure whether my feelings toward water are more physical or mental. I suppose I should try a water-free class and then I would have a better idea about how I use water.

Hope this late night water rambling was semi-coherent...