The stomach rules...

It was the 4:30 p.m. Bikram Yoga class, and the conversation went something like this:

Stomach: What the hell are you doing?
Me: I think they call it the Half Moon with Hands to Feet Pose (Ardha-Chandrasana and Pada-Hastasana), and right now I'm in the forward bending part of the pose.
Stomach: Let me rephrase the question: WHY the hell are you doing the forward bending part of the pose?
Me: Well, it's part of the series. We bend to the right, and then to the left, and then backwards and forwards.
Stomach: Do I need to remind you that you had a bowl of pinto beans before you went to class?
Me: It was a small bowl...
Stomach: Yeah, a small bowl -- 45 MINUTES BEFORE CLASS!! Do you happen to remember the recommendation NOT to eat 2 hours before a class?
Me: Uh, yeah, I sort of remember something about that.
Stomach: Good! I'm trying to do my job here, digesting those beans you ate, and here you are squishing me upside down and pressing me against your thighs. It's not feeling too good, is it?!
Me: No, actually I feel like I might have to throw up. I'm feeling a constriction in the esophagus.
Stomach: Right on, Sister. Get a clue. Sit down on your mat, why don't you, and let's not trouble the esophagus any further.
Me (feeling really strange): Yeah, good idea.

A minute or two later...

Stomach (with a strong note of irritation): NOW what do you think you're doing??
Me: Well, we do each pose twice, so I figured that maybe I could do the forward bend the second time around.
Stomach: You don't learn, do you?? You think I'm any further along digesting those beans than I was a minute ago??
Me: M-m-m, probably not.
Stomach (sighing): I repeat -- sit down on your mat and give me a break or you WILL be barfing beans all over your brightly colored towel. And take it easy on the rest of the forward bending postures in class.
Me: Okie-dokie, you're the boss.
Stomach: And you're an idiot. If stomachs could choose their people, I'd be outta here.

So much better today...

Today, Early Bird Braless Bathilda (as Angie so aptly called me) made it to the 7:15 a.m. Bikram Yoga class. Three cheers for Bathilda! That was, of course, after dreaming of jumping into bottomless pools and looking down empty elevator shafts as a result of watching the segment of the Planet Earth series called "Caves," which shows skydivers free-falling into Mexico's Cave of Swallows, billed as "Earth's deepest pit cave free-fall drop." I think those images left quite an impression on my subconscious -- hence, the nature of the dreams I had.

Today's B.Y. class was taught by John who helped me with some of my postures. The guidance was much appreciated. Today's class was ever so much better because:

• Hot sunlight wasn't pouring into the room.
• My body was more prepared since my last class had been the day before yesterday.
  
• I wasn't squished between two sweaty, smelly guys.
• I was able to see what I was doing in the front mirror.
  
• There were fewer students in the workout room, giving us more room to spread out.
• I got to see Angie briefly who was coming in for the 9:15 a.m. class. Amazing how refreshed she was looking while I was feeling like a bedraggled cat.

Speaking of bedraggled cats, take a look at the misadventure of two would-be heroes who were intent on rescuing a lost cat:

http://piratepete.wordpress.com/2007/04/15/a-cat-in-hand/

~ Bathilda the Bedraggled Bandicoot ~

Tough Day Getting Back Into Bikram Yoga

Note to self: Do not go 12 days between Bikram Yoga sessions! What a mistake. I felt like I was back at Day One. Dizzy and body was stiffer. And I forgot Angie's sage advice about the back of the room being super hot in the late afternoon with the sun streaming in. Ugh. I was not a happy camper. Plus I was situated between two sweaty males, and somehow (no offense, Guys!), sweaty dudes seem to emit more of an odor than do sweaty gals. I always dab a little Vicks VapoRub ointment under my nose and around my nostrils to try to cover "sweaty male odor" and I kept moving the ointment around my nostrils telling the Vicks, "Don't quit on me now!" If I had had a can of Febreze Air Effects on me, I might have surreptitiously sprayed some to my left and to my right. Second note to self: Try not to park my yoga mat between two guys in the class if at all possible. Third note to self: Get to class a little earlier to have more choices of where to set up in the room. I tend to get there right before class starts -- a good way to end up between the really sweaty guys.

On a good note, the teacher announced that since today was the second Saturday of the month, we were invited to get 10-minute chair massages for free. What a boon! I took advantage of this free offer and found out that the left upper side of my back was much more sore than I had realized, thanks to the magic hands of J.P. the Masseur. My whole left side is a bit tweaked -- time to see my chiropractor. Yes, Dr. Scott, I will be calling you next week even though you may have forgotten what I look like -- it's been so long.

Enduring today's session made me feel even more impressed and amazed by the accounts I've read of Bikram Yoga practitioners who were dealing with a lot of physical pain and chronic illnesses when they started Bikram Yoga but continued on undaunted because they were able to anticipate that this series of Hatha Yoga postures would restore their health to some degree. To do Bikram Yoga when you don't feel good takes incredible determination and perseverance.

Today's class was my wake-up call that I need to go regularly if I don't want to feel like total crap during the class. No more slacking!!

~ Bathilda the Wilted ~

Bathilda Bagshot Boils Beans...

...Well, not exactly, but I liked the alliteration. What I am doing, however, is trying on Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live diet, which calls for eating lots of the following: raw veggies, steamed or cooked green veggies and cooked low-starch veggies (e.g., eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, onions, cauliflower and tomatoes -- the latter of which is technically a fruit), beans, legumes, bean sprouts and tofu, and at least four fresh fruits daily.

On the Six-Week Plan, you're supposed to eat limited portions of cooked starchy veggies or whole grains -- such as yellow squash, potatoes, yams, rice, cooked carrots, breads, cereals -- as well as small portions of raw nuts and seeds, avocado, and ground flaxseed.

Also on the Six-Week Plan, the off-limits foods are dairy products, animal products, between-meal snacks, fruit juice, and dried fruit. Of course, anything thought of as junk food would be totally off-limits.

I think of the Six-Week Plan as the "greens, beans, and fruit" plan. Will I, Bikram Yoga Bathilda Bagshot, follow it exactly?? Uh, no. Take away Bathilda's coffee beverage (2 tbsp. Victorian House Concentrated Coffee made by the Ryan Family, 4 oz. Silk chocolate soy milk, 4 oz. 1% organic milk, water, and Stevia) and she would be a most unhappy yogini! So I will try a "modified" six-week plan to see if my body experiences an energizing and healing transformation as mentioned in Dr. Fuhrman's book. I want to lose 15-20 pounds ideally. I figure between Bikram Yoga and this dietary program, I can't help but lose some of this weight. And if I don't, this blog and its readers will hear about it!

Speaking of Bikram Yoga, I only made it to class once this past week -- the evening session I went to on Labor Day. Since then, I haven't been back BUT given the temperature and degree of humidity this past week, I could very well open my own Bikram Yoga studio right here in the house. Temperatures have been in the mid-9os with humidity in the 30% range. Today the weather forecast SAYS it's only 82 degrees outside, but my kitchen thermometer says 88 degrees. Well, at least it's under 9o degrees inside the house! The humidity is higher (42%), which makes it feel even hotter. Ugh.

Looking forward to cooler weather...

I was pleasantly surprised!

After 18 days away from Bikram Yoga, I was feeling some trepidation about how my body would respond. Would it be like starting all over again? Speaking of starting all over, there was a new student in the class on Labor Day evening who was starting Bikram Yoga after EIGHT years away! During the session, our teacher commented that this "new" student didn't look like a beginner. So the body DOES remember!

My body felt very comfortable going through the routine of 26 postures -- like getting back on a bicycle after not riding one for a long time. Usually I feel some discomfort when I'm bending my head back in the very first Pranayama (standing deep breathing) posture but not last night. And the last time I was in class, when doing the half moon pose, I felt a cramp in my side. No cramping last night. A big plus was that in my standing bow pulling pose (Dandayamana Dhanurasana), I could actually glimpse my toes for a second or two over my head. Yeah!! This is the posture that looks so graceful -- the one that everyone wants to be able to do beautifully:

Go to: http://www.bikram-yoga-noosa-australia.com/Dandayamana -Dhanurasana.htm

For a quick overview of all the postures:

http://www.bikram-yoga-noosa-australia.com/bikram-yoga.htm

There are a number of postures that I cannot get into the final form for: the standing head to knee pose (Dandayamana Janushirasana), the toe stand (Padangustasana), the fixed firm pose (Supta Vajrasana), and the camel pose (Ustrasana). These are postures that I'm sure I'll be able to attain after months or perhaps years of practice. In the meantime, it is a marvel to see others stretch and fold their bodies into the final forms of these very tough postures.

I felt SO GOOD after class even though I had forgotten to bring a hairbrush and my hair was sticking out all over the place. I only wish everyone could give Bikram Yoga a try and see how it wakes up and energizes their bodies.

Someday I may buy the audio CD set to do the Bikram Yoga asanas at home but not right now. Right now it's important that I be in a studio with others who are sweating and struggling their way through the whole 90-minute routine.