Day 1 and Day 2

Bikram Yoga- Day 1 and Day 2
This week is spring break. My original plans were to go to North Jersey and visit with my college friends, but I didn’t have enough money. All I had was the $20 my mother gave me for finding our lost dog, and $20 left in my account.

So I put $20 on my Patco card (the Patco is the suburban train we New Jersey people take into Philadelphia), and invested $20 in an intro week of yoga classes at Bikram Yoga College of Philadelphia.

Day 1
On Monday, I nervously entered the studio which is located on the third floor of the building. The work-study student at the front desk was incredibly friendly. He helped me register and gave me some great tips on starting my first week.

The teacher was incredibly nice and simply asked me to stay in the room the whole time. He was loud, animated, and energetic. He said I could just watch some poses or try any of them, but if I felt tired I should sit down and rest.

Bikram yoga is a series of 26 poses (or asanas) performed in a room heated to 105 degrees! I was very, very scared about this, thinking that I would run out screaming. However, I found the class to be exciting and fun. I found the heat to be relaxing and not irritating, but the poses are definitely challenging. The class starts with breathing exercises, then proceeds to standing and balancing poses. When those are done, you lie down in savasana and then do ground poses.

In the end, I was just proud that I stuck through the whole class. The instructor was very helpful and encouraging, and in the end everyone clapped for me as a new student. Even though I knew this was the custom, I still made me feel very good.

Day 2
My second day, which was this morning, wasn’t as much of a success. There was one new student in front of me. A few students also seemed like beginners but there were many advanced students in the room as well. It seemed like the teacher was more focused/interested in working with them. I felt she was pushing us very hard. I think I would appreciate being pushed as an advanced student trying to improve my form.

However, I wasn't appreciating it today. There were several moments where I wanted to stop and cry. I was too tired to do all of the poses and had to rest frequently on my mat. The balancing poses make me feel like an idiot because i can barely balance for a few seconds without wobbling and falling out. My official "most hated pose" is locust pose (salabhasana), in which you place your arms and elbows underneath your body, palms down, and lift up one leg after the other. The image of my flabby, flopping body squirming around with my butt in the air and my face red as a tomato with sweat droplets rolling down it will be forever burned in my mind.

Something about seeing myself sitting there pathetically and in pain didn't discourage me, but made me realize how out of shape and lazy I am. I know I shouldn't be so hard on myself, but that's what motivates me the most.

In the end, the teacher completely forgot to have us clap for the new class member (as is custom) and I found myself curious of her experience. Afterwards, we talked in the locker room and she seemed to feel as frustrated as I was. We got some wonderful words of encouragement from the other ladies who have been practicing for years. One of the students from my first class even welcomed me back when she saw me in the studio. Tomorrow I take a rest from yoga and spend some time shadowing an equine vet. My hopes are that my third day of yoga goes a lot smoother.