YES!

 My husband, two stepdaughters, Abby and Ashley, and Abby's boyfriend, Austin did my sixtieth  class with me. I know they would have preferred to be anywhere other than the torture chamber during  last Tuesday's 6:30 class but there they were: stretching, sweating, and doing savasana by my side.  I was already on big yoga buzz after doing three doubles in three days. But between  Austin holding his breath during the poses and letting out  loud gasps at the end of each pose and looking at my husband's grimaces in the mirror,  I was fighting  fits of hysterical laughter during the entire ninety minutes. At one point during the class, Gianna jokingly said, "don't you guys ruin Heather's sixtieth class!" Yikes! Wouldn't that have been a nightmare  to redo the sixtieth class over again? But we made it through and celebrated with  breakfast for dinner at Austin Java on Barton Springs and an Elvis cupcake from Sugar Mama's for dessert after class.

This challenge was soooo much harder than last year's. Between going out of town for four days and living a lot further from the studio, the notion that the hardest part of class was getting inside the hot room was elevated to  a whole new level. I counted 8 doubles on my report card this time around and  four of them  I completed the last week of the challenge. There were times that I thought I was going to lose it in class and lose it at home. But it's all over now! Done! Finished! Ready or not new body, new life, new mind! Here I come! 

6 till sixty

Everyday I daydream about not going to yoga. Especially today.  I began the day driving out to Bastrop to volunteer and run in the Run for the Bluebonnets Race my school puts on every year. It's a short 5K race that my husband, Ashley,( my stepdaughter) and I ran/walked through downtown Bastrop. Abby, my other stepdaughter ran the race and won a second place trophy! WOO HOO! It was fun to see everyone from school but it was cold even underneath my twelve layers of clothes.
After the race we celebrated with burgers, fries, and yummy desserts at Bastrop's Roadhouse. If you have never been there it is super worth the drive. Anytime I am in the Bastrop/Cedar Creek area, it is my numero uno choice in places to eat. My black bean burger wasn't the best but they have great chicken sandwiches if you don't do cow meat, and their salads are great, too. Did I mention the apple pie and brownie we shared? AMAZING! The food was good, the company was great, but throughout the morning I was thinking what a  perfect  day it would have been if I didn't have to do the 3 or 5:30 yoga later. Let's face it, yoga compliments running. You become less prone to injury and you can stretch out your sore muscles. Some people even boast that it makes your run times get faster. But running does not compliment yoga. Your muscles are more tight and sore. You can't do the poses as well especially if you are like me and were not born with a gumby spine.

Greg, "Bluebonnet's Cardinal", Ashley, and ME

Greg and Abby

 So I was  dreading  the hot room with extra tight muscles from the morning run and  the 54 classes of yoga under my belt. But it seems like the more I dread a class, the better it is and the three o'clock with Giana was awesome! I know I wouldn't have gone  to yoga today  if I weren't for this DANG challenge! So this 60 day commitment gave me a little gift today. Surprise! Surprise!

happy heart

 After last week's roller coaster ride of tightness, fatigue, and frustration, today I am finally wearing my happy smiling face.  My two year anniversary of my first Bikram class will be this Friday! Unfortunately, I won't be celebrating it in the yoga studio since I'll be on a plane to A-TOWN, Georgia for some family fun time with the in-laws.

Now that I'm seeing everything with rose-colored glasses, I'll attempt to  make sense of my very disturbing week in the hot room. I don't understand why  in the last four classes, I have felt like I'm suffocating in CAMEL.  I panic to the extent that I rush out of the pose early and my heart feels like it will burst.   I wish I could say that this was followed by some  spiritual encounter with Jesus or Buddha.  But after obsessing about camel-time for most of the standing series today, I decided to put my mouthpiece in and breathe through any discomfort, feelings of panic, or visions of Elvis and it worked!!!! Cheesecake from here on out!! Fifteen classes to go!

just breathe

This is the point in the challenge that gets...uhhummm.... challenging. My body is so sore that even after a massage it is still sore.  It's a miracle that I make it into the hot room everyday despite the millions of distractions that pop up from happy hour at a coworkers house, heavy traffic during rush hour, or after- hour work and family obligations! ughhh! When yogis say that one of the hardest things about the yoga is getting your booty in the hot room, they are not kidding!
The other day in Michael's class he  said that we could get through any intense or uncomfortable feeling (inside AND outside) the hot room by just learning how to breathe. I can tell that after two years of practicing Bikram that I do deal with stress better, am more relaxed, and even happier. But I still struggle to breathe in class. Sometimes, when I'm really freaking out, I catch myself gulping copious amounts of my beverage instead of just BREATHING through it. It is just like when I'm stressing out at work and reach for my jar of Hershey's kisses or a piece of cake in the teacher's lounge. I wonder if there is a way I I can make deep, long breaths taste the same way as a dark chocolate ?

mini-breakthrough

New Lululemon tank. check
Appointment for massage at Milk and Honey Spa. check.
If I were a whiny baby I'd start complaining about how sore I am after twenty-six classes. But in the spirit of channeling my Bengal tiger strength, I'll refrain for the time being.
I really have no room to gripe especially after my  day off of work today!!! The rain last night caused major flooding in Bastrop  so the elementary school where I work at was canceled.  YIPPEE! I hit the ten o'clock yoga, had a light lunch with my hubby, and napped for 3 hours!!! HEAVEN! Between school prep, driving, yoga, and family time I haven't had time to breathe.  This was my day to refill my chill cup and it was exactly what I needed.
After confessing that she could read our thoughts while we were sending her visions of throwing our water bottles at her on the podium, Afton gave us some encouraging words by telling us that once we got past our walls of pain, tightness, or frustration during the challenge we would experience a breakthrough in our practice and our lives! Today I am celebrating a mini-breaththrough thanks to the rain. After keeping my nose to the grindstone, the universe granted me a little repose and I am so so so grateful!

baggage

My favorite scene of Wes Anderson's movie Darjeeling Unlimited is  when the three brothers have to toss all their luggage to the wayside in order to get on the train they are running to catch.  Being a third grade teacher, I carry so many bags for my lunch, yoga clothes, papers to grade, and computers that my husband has started calling me his bag lady. Heavy as these bags weigh on my shoulders, they are very light compared to the all the emotional baggage I carry around with me especially at the end of the day. But no matter how bad a day I have had, being in the torture chamber forces me to let go of my "weight." After the yoga buzz sets in after class, I feel lighter.
I couldn't find a clip of the scene I was referring to but watching the "official trailer"  makes me want to rent the movie again.

almost half-way

"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second. Give your dreams all you've got and you'd be amazed at the energy that comes out of you." William James

AFter sixty classes in sixty days I'm wholeheartedly expecting to access this elusive second wind. But in order to get to thirty and beyond, I'm rewarding myself with two very special gifts: a massage from Milk and Honey Spa and a new Lulelemon tank. The last time I had a massage at Milk and Honey was seven months ago right before my wedding.It melted away every ounce of pre-wedding jitters  and I  know that it will be the perfect salve for my very stiff body.  As for the tank, my Target yoga tanks are looking rough and I need to upgrade. Sixty dollars is a lot to spend on a top  but I hear the Lulelemon clothes last a long time. Whether  they endure the soaking salty sweat of the torture chamber is still up-in-the-air  but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. At least until they prove to me otherwise or I find a new obsession.