Posts Tagged ‘Bikram Yoga Kozpont’

 

New Progress Pics for May

June 16, 2009 at 12:37 am in Yoga Practice | Please subscribe!

Dandayamana janushirasanaI’ve just updated my Progress Page to display the latest photos (for May). The pictures were actually taken by Liliane after I arrived in Luzern as things got a little crazy during the last few days in Budapest. This happened in the last 3 locations so at least I’m consistent!

So the photo may not be a spectacular rendition of Dandayamana Janushirasana: my left leg is a little low, I’m leaning to far back, am sporting a little fat roll and I forgot to pull my pants up properly over my butt! But it marks a special point in my practice – May was the first month I’ve ever locked “both” knees!

So how am I doing now? Well, last week I was struggling a fair bit. When it all comes together it’s magic, when it doesn’t, I try to imagine lying on a beach getting a tan on a very hot day.. hey it works for the first 5 or 10 seconds! But I’m back to practicing some strong classes again. Speaking with other yogis here, they felt the same, so it’s good to know I wasn’t suffering alone!

Timo, a teacher from Zurich dropped in for a Saturday afternoon class and showed me how to do the back bending properly (hands walking backwards down the wall), so I can start to open up a bit more and hopefully go a little deeper during class. It’s a pretty intense thing doing 10 of these after class but will be a new challenge for the next month and we’ll see how I go.

Thanks for all the comments and emails coming through, it’s very inspiring for me especially knowing how many other yogis are practicing the Global Bender challenge with me right now!

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One to remember – last class in Budapest

June 3, 2009 at 1:03 am in Yoga Practice | Please subscribe!

Krisztina, Matt & Linda

My last class in Budapest hung in a delicate balance for a while with Bikram Yoga Kozpont closed on 31st of May! How could my location scout (ah.. that would be me!) stuff up so bad, placing my 365 day challenge in jeopardy. So Rob (aka RAM) and I (Team 30 Day Challenge inBudapest) met with Krisztina and Linda to seek a solution to the cold day blocking our path towards Hot Yogic Bliss.Rob Krisztina Tank Szòfi

What eventuated was the perfect farewell and a class to remember: The girls put on a small class to Bikram’s CD so we could all practice together. The room filled with energy as Bikram guided 10 yogis through the asanas before singing to us in the final savasana.

As we floated back to our mats, it was kind of spooky, looking around the room, smiling to each other in silence.Last Class

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A day in the life..

May 21, 2009 at 11:57 pm in On The Street, Yoga Practice | Please subscribe!

07:00 Wake up, bright eyed, bushy tailed. Savor a few moments of quiet contemplation before seizing the day.

08:00 Bag packed (Skins, MacBook, map, camera, water & sunnies), out the door with a brisk 200m walk to the bus stop.

08:30 Arrive Bikram Yoga Kozpont for 09:00 class. Chat with a few yogis, then enter the studio for some pre-class stretches. If I loosen up before class, the little voice whispering “What the F*#% am I doing here?” as I strain into Arda Chandrasana, isn’t as loud, especially during a morning class. Today doesn’t disappoint and I have yet another powerful class – amazing really and I have to pinch myself, why is my practice so strong? It’s day 19 in Budapest and every class has been unbelievable!

11:00 With a cheery koszonom (thank you) & sziasztok (hello/goodbye) to Linda, Rob (aka RAM) and I make our way down back streets towards the VII district. We joke about “sexy platform fairies“, “two plucky ladies”, “don’t worry” and any English sounding Hungarian dialogue during class that we have absolutely no clue about. For a westerner the practice here is unique: we follow the class in union, in tune, by feel alone. For me, this may be the reason for my strong classes: I know what I need to do, letting the unfamiliar dialogue wash over me rather than getting hung up on each instruction to be followed or the style of delivery.

11:30 Meet Harlon, a Budapest local, at Frici Papa’s for brunch of 2 boiled eggs swimming in luke warm creme of spinach. The conversation circles around Harlon’s bmx tricks, Rob’s apartment renovation, Hungarian life & how beautiful the women are here with anything idiosyncratic passed off as “This is Hungary”. We follow the meal with an espresso chaser.. life in Budapest is good.

14:00 A quick look at furniture shops with Rob before arriving at his apartment for some wifi time: reply to a growing list of emails (very cool, thank you), book flights to Zurich, research raising money for the Fred Hollows Foundation and add another Bikram Yoga studio to the Global Bender Challenge in June – my goal is to get 50 studios signed up.. c’mon yogis!

16:00 Back out on the street to meet with Tank and Anthony for coffee at Liszt Square, top up phone credit and purchase a travel adapter.

18:00 Back to Rob’s. More wifi time, sort through photos and realise how many I have and that I should be uploading them to flickr for everyone to see. I stress about not doing enough.. soon, I promise!

19:00 Tank arrives home and whips up a dinner of salad, macaroni cheese and pork. I pass on the pig but wolf down the rest, always craving fresh fruit & veg since leaving Oz. They settle down to watch a DVD and I keep fluffing around on the internet, then..

22:40 Shit, my last bus to Buda is about to leave! I say goodbyes and set off down dimly lit streets, my smile lighting the way. I’m lucky to have met Rob and his cool mates. It’s nice to spend some “bloke” time again, hanging with the boys.

00:30 Fall asleep wondering where the day went..

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Open your coffin

May 16, 2009 at 1:47 am in Yoga Practice | Please subscribe!

In the past my morning classes were like opening a coffin. I was stiff, running a cold sweat through the first set of half moon and when I creaked my way out of Pada Hastasana, I would float my arms down into a bout of vertigo.

“Mix it up, create the change” I say, so I’ve transformed my afternoon habit into a morning one; so much so, it’s what my body expects now. However when I heard the afternoon classes in Budapest are a full house, maxing out at 50 people before turning away late comers, I knew I had to get to one! I treated myself to a few afternoon sessions this week and wow – just as packed as the classes at home (see Maroochydore “Clean Sweat”) but 3 times the number of yogis, sweat and smiles after class.

Ooh, I love that energy when your mats are separated by inches, arms weave and float as one during Poorna Salabhasana and whether you’re suffocating or levitating from one Savasana to the next, you’ll thank yourself for putting ‘you’ first and getting to class in the first place.

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Saved by Couch Surfing

May 6, 2009 at 11:17 pm in Everyday | Please subscribe!

Finding a place to stay in Budapest was proving a challenge. Krisztina, co-owner / teacher at Bikram Yoga Kozpont was on the ground chasing leads while I was working cyberspace – emailing friends, posting on Facebook and sending out Couch Surfing requests.

Staying in a hostel is my last resort as I want to immerse myself in the culture of each country and the best way to do this is to stay and hang with locals, experiencing the culture through a mix of everyday life and days lost in exploration rather than through the eyes of a tourist following the lonely planet trail. Hey, I’m not bagging it but with 30 days in each location I can afford the time to do it, that’s all.

So I was lucky enough to receive a reply from Gergely (Gary) Mathe, an active Couch Surfer in Budapest with an offer to host me for 3 nights. With my own room, a cycle tour by Gary, followed by a home cooked lunch, I was in great company. Thanks mate, a bed will be waiting for you in Australia anytime!

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In Budapest, just in time

May 6, 2009 at 10:23 pm in On The Street | Please subscribe!

Before leaving Australia I decided not to purchase a round the world ticket (quote approx. AUD $9000) in favor of booking each segment of the journey on the fly. I calculated it would cost me about $1500 more but this gave me the most flexibility in case my destinations changed.

Of course I was warned against this as several countries only allow you through customs if you have an exit flight, meaning I would have to book at least a month ahead each time. But I liked the idea of living on the edge so I decided to be my own agent.

What a saga lay ahead..

I’d organized my flight from Dubai to Budapest while still in Mumbai. It was a challenge finding a flight arriving Budapest in time to attend the last class of the day, 12:00 on Sat 2nd May. I finally booked on Aerosvit Airlines with a 5hr night stopover in Kiev, Ukraine. But 2 weeks later I received an email informing me the flight from Kiev to Budapest was rescheduled and would get me into Budapest that evening, meaning I would miss the class! Great, so I canceled the flight and had to start all over again.

It took me the best part of 2 days trawling flights via any city in Europe to find an alternative. I was even considering doing a stopover in London to pick up a class so I wouldn’t miss a day – remember this isn’t an option! In the end I had to purchase a round trip (Swiss Air: Dubai – Budapest via Zurich) as this was cheaper than a one way and landed me in Budapest at 09:00. A bus, train & a short walk with some broken English directions got me to Bikram Yoga Kozpont just in time!

Now all I have to find is a bed.. but that’s another story!

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