Pre-class.. Before the exhaustion kicks in!

2nd Set

Week 2 in Vegas felt like an emotional roller coaster. The yoga classes early into the second week were tolerable. The heat was good. I started to feel acclimated to the dry weather and level of humidity in the yoga room. In between the yoga classes we finished up the remaining people who needed to deliver Half Moon in front of Bikram. For those who are new to Bikram Yoga, Half Moon is the first stretching exercise after the warm up breathing. Every trainee is required to deliver/recite this posture verbatim in front of Bikram himself. He then goes to critique. It took a week and a half to get through all the 300+ of us. Each day people would run up and wait in a long line just to get on the stage in front of him. I knew my dialogue but I didn't think it was necessary to run just to get in line behind 40 people at a time. Each day I would think, "ok I'm going to get in line today" and before I know it the line gets insanely long and then the posture clinic is over. Since the day I thought there would be a possibility I'd be on the stage, I've taken the time to straighten my hair and put on a little make-up just to be presentable. On Tuesday I knew there were less than 100 people left to go. I finally get in line. I anxiously wait for my turn for over an hour.... then Bikram decides he's done listening to Half Moon. So we ended up watching Jodaa Akbar a Bollywood movie! Wednesday afternoon I get in line again... and just my luck the power went out. So we got the afternoon free until the next yoga class. At this point there were only 20 people left. I was one of them. I finally went up on that stage and delivered my posture. Bikram's only feedback to me was that he thought I was good! I'll take that! I was anticipating that he would make a mean comment, since he did that with some other students. He had the foreign students deliver their dialogues in English and in their native tongue. He told several women to stop eating. He would comment on the tone of your voice, whether you were soft spoken or strong voiced. He'd comment on people's clothing, hair.. you name it. The entire time I was concerned about what he would say to me. I was ecstatic when he told me I did a good job! When it was over, he came and told me I did a good job and gave me hug. He said he was surprised I did so well. He also said most people who are last tend to be the ones who are least prepared. I was proud to represent Seattle, especially the Renton studio!

Now let me talk about the heat in the yoga room. The tent is heated through large vents suspended on the ceiling. It also has heating ducts that run underneath the floor. By mid week, the room was so hot that over a third of the students were leaving the room. People were getting carried out, vomiting and even crying. Thursday's classes were still way too hot. Someone took a thermometer into the room. It was 127 degrees at one point! Thursday afternoon I finally broke down. The heat from the ground was so hot that I didn't want to lay down on my mat. My butt was on fire! I started to dry heave. I wanted to vomit. I was helped out of the room and immediately taken to the sick bin. The smell of other people's vomit made me even more nauseous. I tried to throw up but nothing came out. The nurse came by to check on me. She told me I wasn't throwing up because I had nothing in my stomach. When drinking over 5 liters of water a day and the little time in between classes, it's hard to get enough to eat. On top of that I lost my appetite. I had to force myself to eat an entire tuna sandwich. I sat out the remainder of that class. I was so upset with myself for not making it through the class. The next day the heat was much more tolerable.

Trust the Process

Week one down. 8 more to go. This week was all about adjusting to a new environment. As soon as I checked into the Hilton I unpacked my 4 suitcases and my carry on. We were told a refrigerator would be provided in our room. Of course my room didn't have one. So when I called to request one, I was told I was going to move to another room the following day. Argh! They tell me this AFTER I unpacked everything! Welcome to Vegas. Welcome to teacher training!

There's approximately 300+ students here from all over the world. Some people are speaking English for the first time. It's amazing to see so many people who share my passion. Last Sunday we all registered and had an orientation. During orientation we had the pleasure of meeting Rajashree, Bikram's wife. She's the best! She's put us to ease, telling us to "Trust the Process". Coming into this training I have tried to make no assumptions of what to expect. I don't know what's to come. Throughout my life I have tried to plan and anticipate everything. Now I am trying to go with the flow. I don't have any expectations in training other than becoming certified at the end of the 9 weeks.

I'm finally here. Last year around this time, teacher training was only a thought for me. I remember a two hour conversation I had with Heidi (the manager/teacher @ Renton). She was very supportive and helped me this past year to make my decision to be here. From that point on, I knew I had to find a way to get to training. I was longing for something in my life. Something was missing. My relationship was headed south and I needed something to keep my focus. Yoga kept my mind clear. It helped me get through the hardest time of my life. I am so ecstatic to be a part of this teacher training.

Monday we finally got to meet Bikram! He's quite the entertainer. His presence captivated the entire room! He taught our first class. The room wasn't heated to his standards. It took several classes for the heat to turn up. As soon as the heat was on people started vomiting in class and some had to be escorted out from being dizzy or nausea. The staff immediately made bio-hazard bins in the back of the room for people to use for their vomit. Throughout the week Rajashree taught our morning classes and Bikram taught the evening classes.

We finally got "schedule" for the training.

Monday-Friday

8:30 yoga class

2 hour break to shower and eat (some days we get less time)

lecture/posture clinic

5:00 yoga class

2 hour break to shower and eat

9:00 until whenever for evening lecture

Saturday 8:00 yoga class. Then we are free for the rest of the weekend.

I have limited time to do anything, let alone eat. I don't have internet at the hotel. The Hilton is charging $14 a day. No bueno! So I log on when I can. Thank goodness for my Blackberry! We were each given a food card with $610 to use throughout the hotel. Everything in the hotel is over priced! A bottle of water is $3.50! So I'm using the card sparingly. My roommate and I got a few groceries. It's difficult to find healthy food that doesn't require much cooking. I have a small fridge and a microwave (provided by a fellow local student). My quick meals this week were ramen or turkey sandwiches. I splurged on sushi in the hotel the other night. During my dinner break, I hand wash my two yoga outfits in my bathroom sink then hang my clothes on the shower rod to dry overnight. I'm living in a fancy dorm! My room gets cleaned daily but I have limited resources. It's a little yoga bubble. Sunday through Saturday I never left the hotel.

I've met great people and I'm looking forward to meeting more. Everyone has their different reasons for being here. It's great hearing what has drawn people to the training. I absolutely love how yoga brings people together!

More posts when I can log on once again. Farewell for now!