Monday, June 7, 2010

Day 4: Resistance

Today was 6pm with Dray. I pulled up to the studio, knowing my two yoga bff's were not going to be there. I trudged up the stairs with the hot desert wind buffeting my body. This past weekend and today Las Vegas has seen temperatures upwards of 110. I set up for class feeling drained from my brief interaction with the intense heat. I chatted with regular Joe before class and told him "I'm not feelin' it today!" Once we got in there, the mental chatter kicked into high gear. "I'm tired. My calves are still sore. I don't want to be here today. My limbs feel stiff and heavy" Once the mental chatter started it was all I could do to stay put on my mat. In addition to the mental chatter I couldn't balance at all. I couldn't even balance in first part of standing head to knee. I shook my head in disgust after falling out several times, judging myself harshly. I caught myself doing this and reminded myself not to judge, to just be in this practice and try to stop resisting. By the time I got to triangle I was a bit more focused and was able to stay present and finish without too much more drama. Toward the end of class, I started to feel so grateful that I was able to come when I didn't want to and stay when I wanted to run. I was happy that I am doing a challenge or else I may have missed today. Then I heard Dray say "the worst Bikram class is the one you don't go to". And that little nugget was the best thing I heard all day!

4 comments:

  1. So true! Sometimes that a little piece of advice can make it all better. A teacher recently had us step to the back of our mats recently before pranyama. She said to really stay on the mat, and to have no attachments to the outcome of the practice. We should be thinking that at the beginning of EACH class--no attachments, even if we're expecting "good" classes!

    ReplyDelete
  2. p.s. I admire you for taking up another challenge! That's so awesome. I've been practicing a year and h ave yet to do a challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yolk E~ I have trouble with the no attachments thing. It's a good thing the teachers keep repeating their nuggets of wisdom, because I always need the reminders! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey there, it's Ray from the Rainbow studio. Just wanted to let you know if you care to share the link with your readers that they can try Baptiste or the other variations for a week for $15 instead of $30. Its a limited time deal that is only available on www.abracadeals.com and it is only for a limited time. If you want to try the different styles for a discounted price, check it out.

    ReplyDelete