All is well after week 3 at Bikram Teacher Training. Bikram has been away the past week so we’ve managed to finish our posture clinics and lectures before midnight. He returns this week so I’m sure the late nights watching Bollywood films and ancient episodes from the Mahabharata will start again!

The body and mind are slowly but surely remembering where I left off at the end of my endlessbender – a daily practice is truly a wonderful thing!

I’ll update on some highlights soon, till then a little anatomy study before crashing for the quiz tomorrow!

Who knows what awaits, I’m stalling inside the airport taking advantage of free wifi before I step into the infamous world of BYTT – daily double classes for the next 8 weeks, lectures, posture clinics, and apparently many absurdly late nights watching Bollywood films – designed to break you down, exhaust the body, create insane cravings for coconut juice, fill you with Indian wisdom, who knows what else.. and hopefully make a teacher out of you!

Stranded under the seething eye of Eyjafjallajokull, the Icelandic volcano, whose eruption and subsequent ash cloud stopped planes across Europe for the past week, I and I’m guessing many other yogis, are only just arriving; wondering why we were so lucky or unlucky to miss a week. The only thing I’m certain of, is that Bikram will be firing up the hot room and torching our asses until we’re as bent, broken and wired as the rest!

Hehe, I love a good challenge.. gulp, OK here goes!

During Pranayama last night I was shocked at how out of practice, my practice was: I could barely inhale for a count of 2 let alone a slow count of 6.. why? All we do is inhale then exhale, over and over again, 2 sets of 10; coupled with movements of our elbows up & down, and head back & forth. Simple right, but what’s really happening inside? I’ve heard the line, “warming up the body before class” so many times, I’ve even spoken it myself, haha, why do we all repeat the same cliched yoga speak?!

This morning I opened Bikram’s (2nd) book and read about, “breathing and our respiratory partners: the heart and lungs”. He has a great explanation about how the system works or doesn’t:

“True health requires that the lungs and heart work together, as in a happy marriage or a successful business relationship. The heart is like a trucking company under contract to distribute food (blood) to the rest of the body. The lungs run a supplier company, which provides the heart with fuel (oxygen). When business is good, the respiratory system and the circulatory system are a team, working together to deliver fresh, oxygenated blood to every system, internal organ, gland and tissue in the body.

Too Often, though, their relationship is dysfunctional and their joint business venture goes bad. Lungs Unlimited wants to know why Heart Co.’s shipments of blood are just sitting around at their deposit instead of going out to their shared customers. Heart Co. fires back that it’s not receiving the oxygen promised by Lungs Unlimited. The companies send sternly worded e-mails back and forth, then they threaten to sue. And all the while, guess who’s really at fault?

You are! Heart Co. and Lungs Unlimited are both wholly owned subsidiaries of You, Inc. You’re the owner – they’re in your body, after all – and if you’re not exercising properly, if you’re not practicing Hatha Yoga, you disrupt the supply chain and cripple the whole enterprise. You’re responsible for the lungs’ inability to ship oxygen to the heart and all the other customers in the body.”
Extract from “Bikram Yoga” by Bikram Choudhury.

I’m wondering that during my time off, if I had woken and just practiced a set of Pranayama every morning, I wouldn’t be feeling as crippled as I am now. I’m reminded of when I climbed “The Chief” with Sophia Ha, outside Vancouver during month 9. The valley was far behind me yet another huge mountain loomed ahead.

After 1 month, 11 days off, the thunderstorms were less regular and then.. nothing: wake up call! My first class back was hell, warmed up a notch; punctuated by nauseous spells, witchcraft and sorcery and I barely made it out alive. OK a little dramatic perhaps, but it did tickle.. and I wasn’t laughing!!

3 classes down, a few days apart and I’m nervous before every class. It’s so funny – like I’m starting my challenge all over again! Today though, I’m hoping, no, going to, jump straight into a 6 class/week routine – limber up, get strong in mind, and start listening to my body again.

Here’s good article to help you get back inside:

“Murry turns up the heat” BBC Sport

Here are a few links to help you catch up and stay tuned to the action:

For the facebook fans:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Yoga-Asana-Championship/139822291494?v=wall

Live feed + Results:
http://yogacup.com/live/

Results + pics:
http://ohmybikram.wordpress.com/

Much respect and congratulations to all participants who made it to the stage!

I’m a yogi and it’s been 1 month, 11 days since my last practice.

The body needed a break and I was looking forward to not feeling anything, not an ache, stiffness, pain – good or bad. It took a few days before I awoke and felt.. nada! Ah yeah that’s it.. oh no, wait.. hehe, false alarm: just the faintest, little stretching at the corners of my mouth.

I tried to enjoy my last 19 days left in South America (without yoga). I hung out in Buenos Aires, and when the passport finally arrived, took a snappy 26 hour bus ride north to Florianopolis, Brazil (don’t ever spend that long on a bus!). I bid farewell to Bikram Yoga Buenos Aires and for the first time in many months, looked into the sweaty mass of bodies and held back the urge to tear off my clothes, run in and join them. Could I be missing it already?!

With a silly grin and spinning compass, I jumped on a plane heading home, although, unfortunately, not back to Australia. Somewhere new, exciting.. somewhere very, freakin’ cold.

First though, back in Budapest – deja Vu (plus snow), ironed and lovely smelling clothes, shots of Palinka, Unicum, home made wine, Hungarian cuisine and finally.. total relaxation! Big hug and many thanks to Veronika’s family.

During this time though, I went through a little post 365 day challenge disorder: I didn’t want to talk about yoga, my challenge, how I felt, changed, gained, lost or remained the same. I wanted to say hello to old friends but laid low, shuffling the snow.

Turn page. I wake in my new home to a freshly brewed espresso, stare out the window at my little hill of bare trees and snow, and start a set of the deepest, most enjoyable Pranayama yet. I continue to Standing Head to Knee then collapse – cold stiff, weakness has crept in already.. wf?! Haha but it was enough – a familiar tickle as the first droplet of sweat snaked its way down my bum-crack.
I am alive again!

The blog continues.. at home: Stockholm, Sweden.

Nothing comes to mind… today was, just like any other day. I thought I’d get a little anxious as the sun dipped below the concrete jungle, the second hand ticking its way toward, then past, the last class of the day. No freakin way hahaha! Today I’m resting these weary bones and the few layers of skin left covering them.

In some ways I can’t believe it’s over. Part of me wonders what the hell I was thinking, and the masochist in me: why I shouldn’t just keep on going! In the past year my body has been pulled, pushed, compressed and stretched.. my mind following close behind and at this point in time, I’m not quite sure what is left, who has emerged, and what the future holds.

I’m sure in the coming days, I’ll have a little more to say and I’ll share my thoughts and feelings with you. Right now, I’ve just been gripped with emotion, thinking about the support, friendship and love I’ve received along the way. It’s been a truly amazing journey, possibly the best year of my life.. and I wouldn’t trade a second of it for a million dollars.

Hmm, a cool mil’ would enable me to do it all over again!

Stay tuned..

One class a day since 02 Jan 2009, with a double class in Switzerland and Sweden. Of course my challenge is “12 Months, 12 Countries, a 30 Day Challenge in each” so technically I finish on the 01 Jan 2010.. only 2 classes to go here at BYBA!

I should be over the moon, well over all the poses actually, but something very strange has happened to my yoga practice. I guess it started at Bikram Yoga Viña del Mar, Chile (month 11) but not quite comprehending or believing, I kept quiet, fearful I would jinx myself.

So, what happened?  As you know, there are so many things to focus on, explore and ultimately, master in your practice, for example: an even and quiet breath, unwavering drishti, and relaxed mind, that to control any one of them, is no small miracle! After the first month and each consecutive 30 Day Challenge, it seemed the harder I pushed, the more strained I became. The deeper I breathed, the louder it got. The more I tried to focus, my vision wavered.

But every month I had new teachers (guides), differing studios (energy centres) and met with more and more yogis (collective conscious) – each imparting little morsels of information. Some helped me a little and others basically slapped me in the face – for which I cant thank enough.

Then at Bikram Yoga Commercial Drive Vancouver, Canada (month 9), a teacher told me, “the more I feel the pain, the more I laugh”. Of course I laughed at the absurdity but never forgot this gem and over the coming months put it to practice – I felt the pain.. and I smiled a lot! Slowly, very slowly, all the pieces started coming together and I relaxed more and more into my practice.

And after all this time.. I’m finally starting to get what this yoga “trip” is all about.

The day started with Pablo, a fellow yogi, treating us to a quick walking tour of BA before inviting us to lunch. It was as if I’d just landed; seeing Buenos Aires with fresh eyes and I found myself looking up and around again, instead of in. Before I could fully comprehend the change of play, we left Pablo to his schedule, leapt aboard a bus and careening towards San Telmo and the person who was about to make the final cut.

I’d received an email the day before from a fellow Aussie traveler, Ben Boyle who’d been on walkabout in South America for the past 8 months. Although I didn’t know Ben, Renae Marsh, director/teacher Bikram Yoga Caloundra (just down the road from my home studio) had mentioned to him that our paths were sure to cross.

Ben was the first Aussie I’d seen since Vancouver, more Oz than the crocodile hunter, and sporting an accent to make all Australian’s proud! We entertained ourselves, chatting about our differing experiences on the road – I was jealous of him for the freedom to explore the length and breadth of a country, and he was jealous of me for the experience of travel with a daily yoga practice. It was too easy, exposing circumstance, laughing about how the universe provides and uncovering those little messages lying in wait. Two hours flashed by before Ben dropped a $100 Peso note on the table and vanished toward his next stop.

Then slowly, quietly, came the uneasiness – something just didn’t feel right, I was spooked. I looked around, not remembering where I was in the city – nothing seemed familiar: the cobblestones, the air, the people… and then I realised: I was traveling again – the uncertainty, the excitement, the unknown.. were my friends again.

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