The 30 days of Bikram yoga has not started yet and I'm not sure when it will start. I have been absolutely exhausted lately. I think it's a combination of a 1/2 marathon "hangover" as well as stress in other areas of my life. I read online about some Bikram studios that do a 25 classes in 30 days Bikram challenge and I think that might be more realistic for me at this point in my life.
However I did do a class on Sunday and a class yesterday. I still feel like such a beginner sometimes. But I guess that's ok - must work to focus on having "my" class, not someone else's class. Gotta put aside the ego and try to enjoy the process and just disconnect from my competitive side or my side that wants to be teachers pet and be perfect.
Argh.

ugh

I was planning to start my 30 days of Bikram on April 15th but due to some scheduling conflicts, I think it's going to be pushed back to April 17th. Sometimes life gets in the way when you're making plans. Or whatever.
I read the most amazing blog post yesterday called Survival of a Broken Heart: A How-To Guide. Really good stuff. Early last week, I was back in the thick of it - confronting that deep, dark horrible stuff. But I think that was the final bit of it. I feel much more centered now. I feel ready to move on. I feel ready to be in control of my life - I'm not waiting for him to come back. I'm not waiting for anyone - I'm just living. And for right now, I'm living without a partner and that's totally ok.

yoga blogs

I've gone through a lot of blog reading phases. For a while, I was really into craft blogs. Then knitting blogs. Then personal finance blogs. Current favorite is self-improvement and spirituality blogs. And I'm slowly exploring the world of yoga blogs. Stumbled upon Hot Yoga Mama who is here in the Seattle area as well. She's obviously much further along in her yoga journey than I am, but I really like her blog. It's honest and funny... and filled with great yoga info as well as studio reviews.

exercise extremes

I ran in the snow and slush this morning. Ok, run may not be totally accurate, but my trainer called it a trail run. I ran and walked and struggled and slipped my way through 6 miles of trails today.
Being out in the snow is pretty different from Bikram yet both push me past my physical comfort zone. And both make me feel stronger and more alive.
Yoga tomorrow. Half marathon a week from tomorrow.

i deserve new yoga clothes, right?

If I'm going to do 30 classes in 30 days, I'm going to need more yoga gear. I went to Lululemon on Wednesday and I was a bit shocked by the prices. But their stuff is so cute and comfy. I'm going to buy a couple of Yogitoes towels on eBay and then I figure that I need 2-3 more pairs of yoga capris or shorts and 2-3 tops. The tops I can probably get a Target so that should lessen the Lululemon sticker shock somewhat. And I do love new gear. When I first started running last year, I was so in love with all of my running stuff! I'm such a nerd.

A place to document my Bikram journey...

I've been trying to get into yoga for about a year and a half because I want to control stress better as well as improve my flexibility. Yoga and I aren't really in a serious relationship yet. I successfully completed one intro series of classes (hatha at the Yoga Tree) and dropped out of two others (vinyasa at YogaLife and hatha at 8 Limbs.) It's Seattle so there's lots of yoga to choose from! I went to Bikram for the first time with a friend about 5 months ago. It seemed to click more than the other yoga classes did. I've been busy with being depressed about life (end of 2007) and half marathon training (beginning of 2008) so I've only been to a few Bikram classes since the first one. However my half marathon is in 9 days so after my race, I want to do a 30 day Bikram challenge. I haven't told my running trainer that yet... but I think I need the structure and challenge of Bikram yoga more than I need running right now. I feel like it's relevant to mention that I'm not actually a sporty person, but working out helped keep me sane in grad school and since then, I've been trying to get in better shape. I've been trying to turn to exercise instead of cupcakes over the past few months... with limited success. It hasn't totally worked but I am making changes.

Breakup of a long term relationship (4+ years) + significant birthday (30) + stress at work = gotta do something different because the old way just isn't working.

Soooo... that leads to my 30 day Bikram challenge which I'm thinking will start on April 15th. Until then, I'll probably post randomly about preparing for the challenge and strategizing on how I plan to fit 45 hours of yoga (30 x 90 minute class) into a one month period.