Be Here Now

Class #40, 2010

2010-03-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

Once a week, I'm aiming to do both xfit and yoga. This is a tall order - but I think it's good to have one day where you kill your body, and then one full day off during the week. My goal right now is 3 xfits, and 4 yogas/week - with one day off in the mix somehow. Today was my "double" and it went well.

Yoga at 4 felt great - super full class with B.J., surrounded by nice hardworking people (one of whom clearly had a garlic-laden lunch...pew!) but all in all, a nice solid Bikram class. I already can feel some improvement in certain postures, perhaps just from more body/muscle awareness (because they hurt!). However, I cannot do eagle on my left side (and normally, Eagle is "my posture"...) apparently my hip has tightened up! And again, my standing head to knee is poo, but that's ok, it'll get there. Stamina was good all things considered, but I was a serious sweat ball. At the savasana, I noticed the gal next to me had a mere sheen of sweat, and I was in a sloppy puddle, dripping from every pore.

After class, I stayed and worked on some hip openers (pigeon) and a few other advanced postures I've been playing around with. Good yoga time!

Crossfit #3, 2010

2010-03-12T07:11:00.000-08:00

Today I didn't intend necessarily to go to xfit, because I'd already committed to 4 p.m. yoga. However, I was up and energized so I actually hit 6 a.m. xfit. There were two other newbies, dudes, and the three of us did the workout with Paul at the helm.

Warm-up as usual.

Then this torture device known as a Fit Wheel was handed to us - you strap it to your feet, with a single wheel in the middle, and we attempted (in my case) to do three different core/ab exercises. I was pretty much a failure but I tried hard, and expect I'll get better next time now that I'm a little bit familiar with the concept. Yet again, my core strength...blows. And now I've got my work cut out for me!

The WOD today didn't involve running, and I was thrilled because the weather was crap and though I'd run a in a little morning mist the day before, it was all out cold, windy and pouring.

The WOD:
3 assisted pull-ups
4 push-ups
5 air squats

I needed HELLA assistance on the pull-ups..two bands. But I could do the three required barely (again, upper body strength is poor), ditto for the push-ups (from my knees) but I did them all. Now, my shining beacon of hope in all of this is my lower body strength is actually respectable, so the squats were nothin'!

This we did 15 times through on the minute; if you didn't finish in the 1 minute, you had to wait for the next one. We all pretty much stayed together and finished in about 40 seconds, with a 20 second rest (about enough time to set up my band(s) for my pull-ups) before starting again.

15 minutes to finish

Super fun, I even beat one of the dudes! (Of course, he was doing real pull-ups and push-ups, so it really doesn't count). I think because of the yoga, I'm really not feeling competitive - I realize we all have different bodies and bring different strength and ability to the table. I just want to get better for myself!

Crossfit #2, 2010

2010-03-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

Today again I was the only one who showed at 7 a.m. so I got another personal training session with Paul. We started with the warm up, and then the skill set was all lunges and squats...and once my lower body was trashed, we moved on the the WOD.

Today's WOD:
400 m Run
10 box jumps
10 burpees

I didn't walk at all in the run!
My box jumps were on two stacked up weights, because I'm still in fear of the actual (2' high) box, but I did'em
I did the burpees WAY better than I thought I could.
I didn't take ANY breaks!

22:57 to finish, and I was in and out in 1 hour all together.

Again, I liked it - in fact, I'm somewhat in awe of how much my mind and body are enjoying a different exercise environment, movements, and vibe. There's music on. You can talk. You get to go outside.

Don't get me wrong: Bikram is my first love. But xfit is a nice complement!

Class #39, 2010

2010-03-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

Oh I could not possibly get to yoga soon enough today! I was in so much pain from my first day of xfit. So, I was working from home and decided to hit the nooner at Sweatbox with Gary. It was lovely! After feeling so sore and tight, my body was thrilled for the heat and stretching!

However, my gawd did parts of me hurt. My standing head to knee was a mere shadow of its former self. But in some ways, having everything in your body hurt gives you a keen muscle awareness - you feel every movement really profoundly, which I found helped me with adjusting and even moving deeper into certain poses.

I do believe the two (xfit + Bikram) are going to work well together. I love the yoga, but my body needs a shake up, and from my first day of xfit alone, I can see how I have lower-than-desired upper body strength and core strength. Hopefully xfit will improve my yoga, and vice versa!

Crossfit #1, 2010

2010-03-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I started Crossfit.

Crossfit, if you don't know, is yet another cult-like way to get in shape. The people who do Crossfit, similar to those who do Bikram, believe it is the way. My girlfriend, Jill, and my sister, Julie, do Crossfit (abbreviated as xfit). They go 5 times or so a week, and Jill is almost at her 1 year anniversary.

The premise is to be fit and healthy by doing all the types of movements you would need if you were stranded on a desert island. Push, pull, jump, grab, lift, run...lateral strength, core strength, upper and lower body strength, agility... This is done primarily though a lot of classic exercise movements - push-up, pull-ups, squats, lunges - and much of it with body weight only, but also with weights.

The new xfit gym that I'm going to, The Lab, A Crossfit Gym on Eastlake, is awesome because it has two separate rooms. One for the big kids (like Julie and Jill) and one for those of us who are a bit more...remedial. The Elements room, as it's called, requires you to be able to accomplish a lengthy list of exercises with perfect form, skill and strength before graduating to the big kids room. I plan to stay there for a long time, if not forever. And that is fine with me!

Today was my first day. I went to 7 a.m. (it felt luxurious to sleep until 6:30 a.m. before working out, unlike yoga which requires a 5:30 alarm). The gym is quite new, so I was the only one - so I effectively got a personal training session from Paul, who is a super sweet (and quite cute) guy who plays Rugby and is very fit. And very supportive.

There are three components to each visit:
1) Warm-Up
2) Skill Building
3) The WOD (workout of the day)

The warm up is a series of 6 exercises you do 8 reps of 8 times through with a little bit of weight in your hands. Up down, side to side, diagonal to diagonal, hip opener, and abs. Take about 5-10 minutes.

The skill segment focuses on learning a particular "xfit move" without the pressure of time or reps, but rather with a spotlight on form. Today was Turkish Get-Ups...a process of going from laying down to standing through a series of three movements. The first movement I did 10 times, then the second one 5 times (combined with the first) and then the whole movement 3 times, combining all three segments into one movement. This was another 10-15 minutes.

Finally the WOD.

WOD's can be scary, but today's looks accessible to me and I was happy about that! It was:

200m Run
10 Kettlebell Swings (with a mere 18 lbs)
100 jump ropes

5 times through. Yep. 5.

I finished that part in about 22 minutes. I had to walk a little because I was so winded from the jump roping that I couldn't quite catch my breath... but I did it! And, oddly, liked it!

So I'm committing to 6 months, right here, right now, on the big bad internet.

Class #38, 2010

2010-03-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

Today was my first class since last Tuesday - that class was brutal, and the next day work was hell and I opted for margaritas with my boss rather than yoga with my boss. Then, Jill and I went away for the weekend to Whidbey Island, where there is no Bikram Yoga. While there, I tried to take a 'regular' hatha class but mis-read the schedule and actually ended up in my first pilates mat class.

And today, two days after the pilates class, my arms KILLED in yoga. I had to - gasp! - drop my arms in the second set of the half moon series. I remember that feeling when I first started practicing! My triceps...oy!

I'm pretty open about the fact that I believe in Bikram Yoga (did'ja get that?) but also, I'm honest that it doesn't target *everything* - many who practice feel a lack of (weight-bearing) upper body work, as well as serious attention to the abs. Well, this pilates class took care of my arms, and my belly...it hurt to laugh for the whole next day.

Still, class was awesome today, a nice class back after 5 days off and with Frani, a seasoned teacher whose been out of town for 4 months- so fun to have her back. I'm about to integrate some other exercise - which makes me nervous because I'm already feeling overextended, so something will have to give. But, both the pilates class and the scale are saying I need a little shake-up - so that, along with some dietary lock-down, will hopefully get me back to center by my birthday in June.

Onward.

Class #37, 2010

2010-03-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Oh dear God.

6 a.m. class today, my first in a while, was phenomenally hot...like, seeing spots and stars hot. Like, swearing with my neighbor at the savasana. Like, I may never do this yoga again hot.

But, what was cool, was that the teacher was Brooke, who I went to training with - and she is a little spitfire up there! Fun and good class, once I came back to life.

Class #36, 2010

2010-03-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

Erika, Fremont, 4 p.m.

Class #35, 2010

2010-02-28T12:53:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning 8 a.m. with Saiko, before teaching, where I was a giant sweatball, spraying my sweat in a giant halo behind the podium as I taught! Yum! ;)

Class #34, 2010

2010-02-27T19:52:00.000-08:00

Another Saturday afternoon fun time with Gary!

Class #33, 2010

2010-02-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

It's fun to have a new teacher (to me) once in a while. Today it was Glenn, in Redmond. Good class with co-workers. Super-soaker, Redmond style!

Class #32, 2010

2010-02-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

Julie at 4 p.m. in Fremont. Nice having her back!

Class #31, 2010

2010-02-22T17:48:00.000-08:00

4 p.m. with Kristen in Fremont. Kicked ass!

Class #30, 2010

2010-02-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon with Penni.

Class #29, 2010

2010-02-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

I'm a little embarrassed it's the past mid-February and I've not even done 30 classes! I also know that sometimes, we don't always get to have what we want. In this case, I would like more time. Please. Yoga is a huge time commitment and those of us who do it, know this to be true. Indeed it's worth the time! That is, if you have it on a given day. I'm struggling with this, and in fact, having lunch last weekend with a teacher friend in the same boat (fulltime work, teaching a couple, a fiance, and -gasp!- other interests). She asked how I was doing it and my answer was, "Well, not very well." Hence I reduced my classes in March (well, they got reduced for me - but unlike last month, I didn't go seeking sub opportunities which in February got me too many classes!).

Right now, I've been practicing at 3 different studios owned by 3 different owners. And it has been a nice variety for sure. Different teachers, different students, different vibe. The one on the eastside near Microsoft is...well, lots of Microsoft. The one in my neighborhood is 'home' and is filled with people I know as both students and as fellow yogis. The other is on Capitol Hill, my old neighborhood once known as the 'gay hood' but really is more a 'counter culture' hood, and I dig the variety of people who go there (not a class goes by without a fully tattooed body in class).

Today I taught 8 a.m. at still a different studio - but I just wasn't up to the 10 a.m. - so I didn't take it, and instead planned to go to 4 p.m. on Capitol Hill. I find going to the yoga when your head is not in the game usually produces a less-than-optimal outcome. If I have the time in a day, I will go when I am moved to go - it's better that way.

Class today was so strong for me!! OMG. The heat seemed light but then of course by Balancing Stick I was feeling plenty of heat. My postures were surprising me left and right - my body on point for every request of the teacher (and my mind).

Lately, I've had two postures unfold for me. I cannot believe sometimes there is still more to learn, but there is! What makes this yoga so amazing is that you are truly never done. I feel like I'm on a trek, and most days I move forward but sometimes, I come to something amazing on my path. Like seeing a forest creature right before your eyes on a hike, or stumbling upon a gorgeous field of wildflowers. For me, Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee and Separate Leg Head to Knee - obviously two related but very different postures - have all the sudden opened up to me in a new way.

In the standing version, I've kept my knee straight and taken a wider step. Bikram always says "No one takes a wide enough step" and indeed, it is a whole new posture to me right now. Crazy, but I feel like I've been doing this posture for 1 week, not 3.5 years. In the floor version, at the end of class, I've taken to grabbing my foot, locking my knee, bending my elbows to the floor and then putting my forehead on my knee; well, currently it's on my shin just below the knee, but sometimes I'm getting it all the way to my knee. My standing head to knee is poo right now, because I think I'm working on the same concepts in other postures or something. But I'm ok with it! It feels exciting.

Whenever people say they get bored with Bikram or who haven't even tried it and expect they would get bored and use that as an excuse for not going, I want to tell them about things like this. I realize they wouldn't likely 'get it' - but this is why this yoga is so titillating - you do face some boredom, sure - but then you come upon a field of flowers and all the sudden have new aspects to explore and learn from. It's so worth powering through to the next big thing, because it's always going to show up!

Class #28, 2010

2010-02-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

Ah, two days off. Not necessarily because I wanted to, but had a 14-hour day Wednesday driving from Seattle to Portland and back for work; and Thursday is always a day off due to my writing class. Today was nice. In fact, on my way to class, I decided it was going to be a really nice, I daresay easy, Friday class. And it was.

I took a spot I've never taken in the 3.5 years I've practiced at my 'home' studio in Fremont. It turns out, the spot by the men's locker room door emits a cool breeze from the crack underneath it. My feet were cold. It was weird. I didn't actually like this fact but took note for future classes where I sense a struggle coming on and need to keep it doable. :) Anyhow, it was a gentle class and a great set-up for the weekend!

Class #27, 2010

2010-02-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

Honestly life has been busy and I feel bad my posts have been mostly informational and not necessarily a crafted writing effort. However, this week is a bit nuts and it starts to calm down and March will be better! I am going to teach a little less, which makes me sad but is necessary to maintain a balanced life. Just sayin'

Anyhow, I think I've mentioned that I'm on a mission with my group at work (Microsoft) to get them to try Bikram. And, well, my first 'victim' was my boss, who after two classes bought a 30-punch and became more of an evangelist than I am! Between us, we have 9 people on our recurring invitation and we go once/week as a group right now. As of now, including him, 5 have actually gone, with the other 4 waiting for a day when they can get away.

Today, two newbies went with my boss (Andrew) and I, and another co-worker who'd gone once before (to that BRUTAL class last week - his first one!) came back. It was a fab class with 35-week-pregnant Jenny, and it was just right - that studio is hot. Really, really hot. She managed it well and actually kicked the thermometer my way and it was only 102...but 56% humidity. That's a heat index, or "feels like" temperature of 130. Yikes.

It was a really good class for me though, and Andrew. Of the two newbies, one sat out about 1/2 the class, but she never tried to leave (I was proud) and in the end, after class, she said she really liked it (to my surprise) and would be back. (And, since I'm writing this a few days after, am happy to report she did go back, 2 days later). The other newbie did great - I could tell from her personality it would be a good fit and she did well and loved it. Andrew and I both had strong classes, and the fella who came for a second time said it was "much, much better..." :) Yay, Bikram!

Class #26, 2010

2010-02-15T21:08:00.001-08:00

I subbed tonight teaching the 4 p.m. in Fremont. It was nice and full of energetic regulars, and one new guy who killed it. I think due to President's Day and lots of folks having the day off, a more relaxed energy filled the room. 43 people well into February, this is a good thing!

I stayed on and took the 6, and I worked super hard which is always satisfying. A student who is going to training was next to me and was excited to practice with me, so that made me work extra hard ;) Sometimes being a teacher gives me a little outside pressure to work harder, which on those lazier days, brings me up a notch.

My standing series was killer focused. Sometimes I wish there was a way to have the eye-to-eye mirror through the floor series, it keeps me so focused...alas.

Class #25, 2010

2010-02-14T12:03:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun at SB yesterday I went again today, this time with Frankie, one of the owners, teaching. I'm subbing a bit in the near term and wanted to re-acquaint with some of the SB "style" since the "Fremont style" is different. It was a good class - after two big winners I wasn't expecting a third - and indeed, it was challenging but felt great. It feels like my practice is on a bit of an upswing after a downer period. But, it could just be that last week sucked. Hm.

Class #24, 2010

2010-02-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

For months now, I've wanted to go to the other official Bikram studio in Seattle, The Sweatbox, to catch new teacher Gary's class. I took his first class after training and was stunned and amazed at his dialogue, his comfort (he is in a rock band (two, actually), so being on stage is not foreign to him) and his lightness. So, today I was up in time to make it to Capitol Hill, found great parking and was in the studio with a good 5 minutes to spare. That particular studio fills up in the front row first, so to be up front, I had to take the wimpy spot by the bathroom (there's a wee bit of cool air that flows underneath the door, which provides actual oxygen that is, well, a treat...).

It was my best practice in ages.

Still coming off my trauma from last Monday, I was delighted to enjoy myself. My postures felt yummy and my body was right on! I used to teach there (now I sub) and was next to a regular student, who has a great practice and whose husband was behind me, taking his very first class! Gary was awesome. He is so good, really, just a gifted teacher whose got the energy, skill, interest and personality to get it done in a really endearing way. My two favorites from today:

1) During Camel, "Don't think about how much this sucks. Think about how good it is for you!"
2) Between sets of Rabbit, "You know, the paper you sign says emotions may come up. If they do, just do like your parents told you and suppress them." It got quite a chuckle.

Man it felt good to be in a different space, different teacher, different energy from the students...nice energetic change!

Class #23, 2010

2010-02-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

I was stuck. Thank god for Jill for just making me go today - it'd been three days since the brutal class on Monday and I just couldn't get myself there. Without looking at who was teaching, I just went to 4 p.m. - and it was perfect. The instructor was a newer one who I really have enjoyed watching as she's grown into her confidence. Her class was so good! I was thinking how proud of I was of her, though that is not appropriate really while practicing :)

Heat was great, my practice felt good, but mostly, I was just glad to be back! Phew!

Class #22, 2010

2010-02-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

Oh my.

Some classes just simply kill me. This Monday afternoon class, with my manager and two co-workers a long (one for his first class!) was brutal. I cried a little in standing separate leg head to knee, but you know, you can't really breathe much less emote in that posture...so then I stopped. But it was hotter than hell, and I could tell from about breath #4 in Pranayama that I was gonna be in trouble. And trouble I was in...

I tried to kneel for a sip of water at the break to catch my breath, but Heather wasn't having it. "Get up." Ok. I'm up. But I'm in trouble! Carrying on, I made it through without a break but with a little bit of a broken spirit by the end. Phew. In fact, (writing this a few days later) I ended up taking 3 days off to recover. And sometimes, it's just like that.

Class #21, 2010

2010-02-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

This week was insane for work, and though I ascribe, in general, to "no excuses" in regard to going to class, I also believe in balance and know that in a particular week or even month sometimes, the world will not cave in if I don't get to class as much as would be idea. I mean, as we're often reminded in class - it's yoga, people. Super important, but so are other things.

With that, Friday I had no intention of going to class when Christi, a pal and student, called at 3:44 to say no one had showed up to teach 4 p.m. Living about 4 minutes away, I threw on clothes and dashed down there, calling the teacher who was on the schedule en route. She was able to make it on time, but I did the sign-in and then was going to take off when she said, "You should stay. You're here. Take class!"

So I did and it was great, of course. I was worried I'd be late to my work function and up through Eagle, I was thinking "I shouldn't have stayed, I shouldn't have stayed..." but then came to: Well, you did. So shut up and practice. I was reminded of how freeing it is to practice when you don't plan to; and how much pressure I tend to put on the preparation for class throughout the day. Determination: This is lame. Perhaps I should always go to class as if I didn't really plan to! Keep it light, right? :)

Class #20, 2010

2010-02-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been practicing about once a week in Redmond after work, as I've mentioned. My new manager, and today, another teammate, joined me. Had a bevy of teenage girls behind me - that was...special. Actually the good news was I didn't let them impact my practice too much, and had one of the strongest classes I've had in a while (in fact, I think that's 3 in a row that haven't nearly killed me, as it's seemed most have, lately). Such a different vibe there than at 'home' but it's really nice to mix it up.

My favorite line tonight, by Jenny, who is always a hoot on the podium, in Fixed Firm, "Grab your elbows...no, not like you're chill-axin' on the beach, really grab them..." Made me smile.

Class #19, 2010

2010-02-01T22:34:00.000-08:00

I really, really did not plan to practice today. Because I didn't want to - practice OR teach, but since I couldn't get my 8 p.m. class covered, I figured I'd go to 6 p.m. practice to knock myself into order to teach. I love teaching, but like anyone, sometimesI don't want to go to work.

So I showed up to class at oh...5:55, and found 60+ people there already. It was like Thanksgiving or something! I ended up with the poo spot - the black 'parking spot' by the door not intended for use; it's meant to be left open as a passageway. Still, with no space, I took the hit (plus, I was late, it was my own doing!). Well, that spot is a bit breezy, and in the third row. I always practice up front.

What ended up happening is I had a kickass practice. I couldn't really see myself in the mirror, except for when the girl in the front (coveted) row laid down (a lot). It brought me back to training, knowing your body well enough to know you were in the posture correctly, to my full ability... a nice reminder of that feeling, that focus.

And then I taught 8 p.m. - and it was a good class, and I was happy to be there. I had a student who'd taken my class quite a while back whose recently return tell me "Your teaching has really improved." It was kind of her to say. Another, after class, told me, "You are TOUGH! I've got to like 5 studios and you are the toughest I've ever had!" That surprised me, but I was glad she got a good workout in! (And then I thought of all the teachers who (I think) are way, way tougher than me!) ;) I guess I was supposed to teach that one to be reminded that when you teach, it matters, to someone, every time. I know all my teachers matter to me :)

Class #18, 2010

2010-01-31T14:54:00.001-08:00

Friday during 6 a.m. I think I pushed a little far for the state of my early-morning body and seemed to have kicked up my right-side sciatica a bit, so both yesterday and today at my 8 a.m. class, I had to take it easy. This is ok, but it doesn't seem to yield the same feeling after class in your body or mind. Taking it easy is less challenging - but it's also safer, and smarter. Still, it feels a little like...non-alcoholic wine. It's missing the buzz!

That said, my head this morning wasn't really in the game. I didn't really want to practice today, truth told, but this week is insane and I'll be hard-pressed to get enough practices in this week as it is, not practicing today would've have been something I regretted later this week when I simply cannot practice due to work requirements. I set up next to a regular student of mine which helped me stay accountable and by, oh, final stretching, I finally felt awake and engaged in my body. Better late than never, I guess. Taught the 10 a.m. after, good stuff, and am of course glad I did the 8 after all... :)

p.s. Feeling a little lame with 18 classes in 31 days... that's 58%. An "F" by most standards...but not a failure at all! I went more days than I didn't go. However, will aim a little higher in February.

Class #17, 2010

2010-01-30T14:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning class - it was actually a good one. Seems all my classes lately have been a super hard physical struggle, or a super challenging mental struggle. Today was, well, kinda a 'gimme'...it was just a class that was hot and good and went along and then ended. I was surprised how so many people were really struggling; and I wasn't...just goes to show the yoga, your body: different every day.

Class #16, 2010

2010-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

On the whole, 6 a.m. is not my favorite time to practice. But, I think there is something to be learned from it that cannot be found at different times of the day. I feel as if my practice would not grow if that was the only time I went; however, by going occasionally at this time, I'm reminded of a few things:

1) Tightness! Wow, the body is so tight after sleeping vs. coming at 4 p.m .when you've walked around all day.

2) Mental focus: You haven't had a whole day to process. It's amazing how you 'get out of your own way' so easily when you're frankly, so tired you just kind of surrender to it.

3) Ego check: You're postures will not be as deep or as good as going later in the day. Period. And that is something you have to be ok with, and not overdo it and hurt yourself just because 'your backbend doesn't look good' etc.

It was a nice class - to my surprise, Suzanne & Saiko. fellow teachers + my friend/student Cherie were all there - so fun to see pals at that hour! And, so great to get'er done so early! The best part of 6 a.m. is not having to think about/plan your day around yoga...It was a good 6 a.m. class for sure!

Class #15, 2010

2010-01-27T21:14:00.000-08:00

Wow.

Tonight I went to yoga near where I work now, on the Eastside. Fortunately this studio allows all teachers to practice for free (most in the world do - but two in our area don't - my 'home' studio included...alas). Anyhow, my new boss went along for his second class, as he got that 'fear' that tends to build up after the first class. He was so excited, he was recruiting around the office and telling everyone how amazing Bikram yoga is! Yet, he (by his own admission) made excuses and did not go back until today, 8 days later! So I put it in our calendars and went along for moral support. We all need a push, sometimes.

Arriving, to my delight, I found that Heather was teaching. She was on staff at my teacher training. She is a serious person with a stern veneer but has a very, very compassionate heart and is a stellar teacher. I hadn't had her class since she moved back to Seattle a few months ago and was so delighted she was teaching!! (The online schedule had said otherwise). Class was *kickass* - so challenging as the heat was afire, and she pushes hard! Aside from some minor suffocation on the spine strengthening series, I made it through but it was not easy - not that it should be - but whoa. Kickass hard, kickass good.

Her teaching reminded me of the value of using the dialogue in a way that is personal but still involves a lot of operational commands that your brain can hear and process without adding thinking. The different between "Next, you wanna pick up your foot" and "Pick up your foot." We all add words, but she is especially skilled at using these commands without any sort of robotic sound to her cadence. It was a real treat actually, to have her class, and I can't wait to go again!

Class #14, 2010

2010-01-23T14:08:00.000-08:00

Class tonight was another 5 p.m. January-packed-with-newbies and oldies alike. Good class, these ones are just so energetic with all the people! They help to keep me focused, in that often there is a lot going on around. Plus, as a teacher, I feel that extra 'pressure' to be a good example - but I like that, if I don't have enough in me to hold myself accountable, I can always turn to that to make me stay on track and work harder!

I'm a little ashamed that I've had spells of 3 days off here and there, due to work and school - not to make excuses, because yes, I could go. I can always go. But sometimes the trade-off isn't worth it, for a couple days, anyhow. Still I feel guilty, which isn't very yogic I realize, but well, I do...

Class #13, 2010

2010-01-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

Sometimes going to a different space makes a big difference in my practice. Today, I took my new manager (of a mere 2 months) to his first Bikram class. I opted for the studio nearest to work, in case he actually liked it, so he could more easily get to class.

It was a nicely-populated 4:30 class and he was the only new person. I also opted for a male teacher, who knows if it makes a difference, but especially for a man who's never done any yoga, just seems like it'd be cool to see a dude up there guiding you through. And, by the way, my manager (in the words of the instructor) "killed it" :) He did really well and after had a great reaction, "I'm so proud of myself! That was so hard, and I feel like I need a week to recover...I'm shaking and whoa..." etc. I was just glad I'm not getting fired.

For me, the standing series ruled today! I felt surprisingly light and capable after my cold series of backward bending last night. In fact, my backbends felt extra-deep today, so who knows, maybe it helped! The floor, however, was another story. Thank God the teacher opened the door here and there, each time, I thought, "if I had $100, I'd give it to you right now." The air crept in, tapped my toes and circled up my body until I could breathe in that fresh, oxygen-laden air! So delicious, and it gave me the strength to go on. I could see the gauge - 111 degrees, 41% humidity - a little hot, but right in there...though it felt decidedly different, of course, I survived!

Having a different teacher at a different studio was great too. The vibe of different studios is something I appreciate - though I may not always like it. This, though, I liked. He's funny and says nice things that I don't hear anywhere else. My 'home' studio rules - it will always be home for me - but having the same teachers, who take each others' classes and steal the good stuff from each other, means a lot of repetition of similar ideas. Last night, for example, after the first set of Balancing Stick, "Someday, you may be in the hospital, lying in bed wishing to yourself, "What I'd give to do the second set of Balancing Stick right now!" - it was funny, but added perspective.

We are privileged to get to practice yoga. We are privileged to have the money to pay for class, clothes, mats, towels and water (or coconut water, as it were...). We are privileged to have the motivation to go, to have studios near us, to have teachers who guide us and want good for us. While at times it's a challenge to appreciate (say, after the first set of balancing stick) it bears reminding ourselves that the yoga is a gift, and we're lucky to be its recipients.

Class #12, 2010

2010-01-18T22:52:00.000-08:00

After the first set of bow pose at the end of the spine strengthening series, the instructor said, "Enjoy yourself." And my mind's immediate reply was "Yeah, right. Easy for you to say...it's hot and I'm tired and..." and then... "Wait. Stop. Are you able to enjoy yourself? Are you already enjoying yourself??" And indeed, I realized, I was.

It's so funny what we assume ought to be vs. what (often) actually is. Class was great. Packed. A total of 11 new people and the teacher was great in just keeping it going and letting them muddle through, which they all did and did well. And I enjoyed it, a lot.

After class, I went to do a little photo shoot for a friend's art project that involved a batch of camel, bow and standing separate leg stretching poses...in a cold, cold basement. And nothing makes you push and push and push like being photographed, with people around. So now my low back is afire - throbbing and achey - and I'm sure to pay tomorrow. That's ok though. It was fun and worth it!

Class #11, 2010

2010-01-17T13:01:00.001-08:00

I wasn't going to take class today, nope. My week is a little wonky and I am taking a friend to his first class on Tuesday, my usual day off, so I thought I'd take today off. But then I taught 8 a.m., and well, watching all my students going through the series I just started to crave it. I crave yoga. That is weird, no? Maybe not to others who practice yoga...plus, I had kind of a weird night sleep - more anxiety dreams over I-don't-know-what. Honestly on the surface, things are going pretty well in life!

So, the craving + anxiety said "practice!" - so I did, and it was great. Nice soaking wet one for me, since I'd already spent 90 minutes in the room. Heat was great, I struggled a bit around triangle as is normal, but the rest of the time I felt like the heat was on my side, helping - not wrecking me mentally and sending me off to fight the tizzy I'm headed toward.

I'm not sure what's up with my Bow pose on the floor, but dear gawd, it's doing something new and amazing lately. I love seeing my body shift and change! Of course, as it usually goes, something else goes to poo like a game of whack-a-mole, so my standing head to knee seems broken at the moment. But I just keep trying the right way, right?! I teach again tonight at 6, and I'm sure to be better for it now that I took class. :)

Class #10, 2010

2010-01-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

Saturday 5 p.m. - the time we go to yoga to earn our Saturday night out - dinner maybe, wine, etc. Or at least that's what I think it is for a lot of people. But generally, not me. For the past year, I've taught Sunday mornings. Further, Jill, my gal, owns a coffeeshop and typically opens on Sunday (re: Up at an inhumane 4 a.m.). So our Saturday nights are usually in, eating a one-pot simple meal, watching DVDs and relaxing. Still, the energy at 5 p.m. Saturday seems to say to me, "I'm working hard to go out and play hard after this!!" and I love it!

My pal Suzanne taught a kicker! Her energy was up and pace relentless, and it was awesome. I was right next to her and took all the yummy yoga energy she was pouring out, and was further surrounded by a *ton* of regular practitioners. It was such a strong class for me, and I'm always grateful for a strong class. Always.

This morning, however, I woke up and missed the 8 a.m., then thought I'd maybe go to 10...but I just didn't want to. It was so great to just decide then to go to 5 p.m. It freed me to enjoy my day, and just know today I was running on credit vs. debit. That is, when I practice in the morning, I feel like I'm on debit - I put money in my account and now I can comfortably go out and enjoy my day knowing I'm covered. When I practice later in the day, however, I struggle a bit because I feel more like I'm on credit - I'm spending myself all day and not putting money in the bank until the end of the day. On work days this is ok, but somehow on the weekends, it causes me a little strife. Another thing I can work on, I suppose :)

Class #9, 2010

2010-01-16T11:33:00.000-08:00

Friday 4 p.m. has classically been one of my most favorite times to practice. Something about kicking off the weekend right, with a crowd of others doing the same. Plus, I've always been happy with 4 p.m. because you still have an evening - getting home around 6, plenty of time to eat and still have some time. The 6 p.m., getting home at 8 p.m., feeling too late to eat and when you do eat, it's 9 p.m. before you settle in for the night...well, that has never really been ideal for me.

Last night class, with Melissa, was just right. She's an energetic, dialogue-heavy teacher who seems to have a knack for keeping me engaged in a way that seems special. I do her every command, and she is commanding! Her heat/humidity management is spot on - I feel taken care of, pushed and encouraged. Everything you want in a good Bikram teacher!

One thing I don't get is the people who continually do things that are not part of the class, even when they've practiced for years. Things they either corrected or made fun of you for doing at training. Like in Eagle, taking your leg out a foot to the right, tapping the floor, and then lifting it up and over your left leg. Unnecessary. Just lift up and over. Heavy nose-breathing - outside of breathing exercises, no one should hear your breath. And one of my all-time favorites: Slamming oneself into savasanas with a big "har-umpf!". Isn't that counter-intuitive? Slam yourself down into a resting position....great plan, sure to lower the heart rate... I mean, things happen. We all occasionally audibly squish, slap, burp...god forbid, toot. These things surely happen if you practice a lot. But the folks who make those things a choice in their practice rather than an "oops" - I don't get how that helps.

And all that said, we move through our practice at a pace which feels right to us. I was a terrible student in the beginning. For example, for a long time, I just didn't do the sit-up before final stretching after head to knee...just didn't. Nope. It felt unnecessary to me. Then a day when I thought: In general, if everyone else is doing it, I ought to be doing it. If no one else is doing it, I ought not to be doing it. And this, I think, is my point. While it's all our jobs not to let anyone 'steal our peace' as Bikram reminds us - and yesterday, next to an, how shall I say, individualist...I had to work at that - tell myself not to be annoyed, to let it go, to let that person be as they need to be for whatever reason they need to be. It's not my job to try to control anyone else but myself...on and off the mat.

Catching Up On Comments

2010-01-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

No class on Thursdays for me. I am doing a writing certificate program at the University of Washington in Creative Non-Fiction which meets on Thursday nights from 6:00-9:30 p.m. This means with a 8-5 workday, the only way to go is 6 a.m. And that is too much for me! Unless I'm doing a challenge, this is the kind of day I see as appropriate and sensible to take off. Ideally, I'd like my yoga practice to not be a source of serious stress in my life! And, hopefully, you'll see my writing grow and improve, too :)

So, today, I thought I'd catch up on a few comments. First, thanks for them! I love comments - I love the interaction that a blog allows with people who have common interests. I do moderate comments not out of fear of people disagreeing with me, but rather to avoid SPAM and also mean-spirited comments. Those don't come often, thankfully. If you do post, think about putting your name in there - I don't mind Anonymous comments really, but it's fun to know who you're talking to, and frankly, all the Anonymous comments blend together and it's hard to relate past comments from the same poster, etc. Consider it!

The first topic: Sciatica - joy! Sciatica can be caused by various problems but the result is the same issue: Nerves in the spine get crushed by your vertebrae, causing a shooting pain down one leg, and often resulting in problems on that whole side of the body. My best description of the pain follows: It's like someone jammed an ice-pick deep into my right hip, and out it's end, battery acid cascades down my leg causing my thigh to burn, shin to ache, and foot to be somewhat numb. The hip joint itself becomes sensitive. Compensation results in low back tightness on the right side, and often difficulty turning my neck. My right arm sometimes hurts too, aches in my hand, wrist and forearm, with a more burning type of sensation in my upper arm. Good times!

My only solution to it is...to rest. And it's hard to do, but when it's really bad, I reduce the number of classes I take. At it's worst in my first 'outbreak' for lack of a better word, I went down to 2x/week. After a month, it was SO MUCH better. This last time, it wasn't as severe and I went to class and took it very easy on each and every backbend (reducing the compression on the 'pinched nerve'), 1-legged postures putting extra pressure on my right leg, not always 'sitting down' far enough in triangle to reduce pressure on the hip, and did not 'pigeon-toe my feet' in Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose. There did not seem to be any good in pushing it - I had a teacher push me to "work harder" and I got to where I couldn't even grasp my knee in the separate leg portion of wind-removing! Bad advice, IMHO. Advil reduces inflammation, and I'm not adverse to taking it for that reason. There are my thoughts on sciatica!

Next, I got the following comment from Anonymous: "Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up! " At first read, of course, I thought: So, how bad was it before?? But of course, I appreciate the comment a lot. God-willing, my writing gets better as I work harder at it. And, like anything you do regularly and work hard at, phases happen...sometimes I'm inspired and have lots of time to think and write. Other times, my life feels sucky and I'm just not that into it...but mostly, I try. So thanks. And I'll keep trying to be creative and original :)

Do I get bored teaching the same 26 postures? Well, it's like asking, "Do you get bored practicing the same 26 postures?" My answer is actually the same: No. After so long, there's still so much to learn in both teaching and practicing. As a teacher, every batch of students is so different. For example, recently I taught a small class of 'regulars' - my approach to them is to help them grow in their postures, to push and push and push. My focus there as a teacher is very different than it was in another recent class that was huge and more than half of the students were in their first 5 classes. There, the job is to encourage listening, stillness, focus - the postures will come later for those folks. While the dialogue is the same, the emphasis, energy, encouraging words - they vary so much with every class, it keeps it very interesting to me. Keep in mind, though, that with working full-time I only teach 2-3x/week, and it uses since a different part of my brain than my day job, I'm pretty much always excited and enthusiastic to teach!

Special to Anthony: I'm teaching Sunday 8 a.m. the last two Sundays in February at SB Shoreline! :)

Class #8, 2010

2010-01-13T22:56:00.000-08:00

I must say, I love to practice the day after a day off. And, also, once PMS is over. These two things together: Genius. Today I went to 4 p.m. at the last moment and had a really nice practice. Then, later, taught the 8 p.m.

Here's the thing: I cannot figure out how to take 6 and teach 8 back to back. If you eat lunch around 12, snack around 3 or 4, then it's 10 p.m. before I'm home and who wants to eat dinner then! Then I wake up at 4 a.m. starving. My solution is this notion of taking 4, eating dinner, and then going back to teach 8...and it actually worked!

Anyhow, my standing series felt so strong and energetic! Then I hit the floor and felt on fire, struggled a bit but by full locust my head was back in the game and I finished happily! All was well. And you know what...I really, really love the yoga. It's just good to remember that, and say it sometimes I think. So I did.

Class #7, 2010

2010-01-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

The humidity here in Seattle is really strange right now. I mean, I've lived here for 16+ years, and done Bikram here for nearly 4 - and in the past two classes I've taken at my home studio (where I've practiced hundreds and hundreds of times without the fans being turned on once...) the fans have been on for almost the entire class. That class last Saturday, they seemed to barely help (though were appreciated). Today the instructor put them on after balancing stick, and other than savasana and wind-removing, had them on the entire class.

And I didn't mind a bit.

The thing is, when the heat is "right" you are not out of your gourd. You can listen, hear and implement the commands without thoughts of dealing with extreme heat/humidity taking up mind share. I realized today I was more focused, more about to stay with the teacher and do her every wish because the heat felt just right. I love the heat, obviously. But I do believe in the heat being right, and I'm a big fan of teachers who are engaged and aware and manage the heat properly, and I certainly aim to be one of them!

Glad I went, felt good and tomorrow I'm taking the day off! :)

Class #6, 2010 + A yoga-related "guest post"

2010-01-10T16:41:00.000-08:00

First, there are a bunch of toughies out there doing a 101 days of Bikram Yoga in 101 days! They started on January 1, and will wrap it up on April 11. They are allowing doubles, as it's impossible to think you'd never need to miss a day in 101 of'em. They have a blog, and asked for "guest posts" on Sundays - so being that I'm recommitted to writing every day, I offered. My post is up as of today - my take on the concept of surrender during our practice - stuff we've all heard many times, but honestly, I don't mind hearing it over and over in different voices and perspectives. Hence, I added my own out there on the www:

http://bikram101.blogspot.com/2010/01/surrender.html

--
I taught 8 a.m. and took the 10 a.m. again today - but oh, how nice today was! I do believe rough classes are often balanced out with a stunning class, and maybe I wouldn't call it quite stunning, it was a great class with good heat and a new teacher who just graduated in December from TT. I set up in front of two new women to keep myself honest and focused. Did I mention I love boundaries? And that I need them so I create them for myself all the time? Ok, the secret it out. (ha!)

Not a lot to say about the class, really. Well, two things actually. One of the new folks who struggled through, left a few times, etc., but after class, said to me, "Wow, that was A-MAZE-ING!" and I got all gushy inside thinking, "Wow, that could've as easily been 'I'm never coming back, that was terrible...'" but it wasn't. And I was so excited for her!! Second, the teacher who is still so new, was so different even than two weeks ago when I took her class! She said, "the more I teach, the more I realize how much I still have to learn..." Ah, so true - about teaching AND practicing. We all have so far to go, yet it's doing it day in and out that teaches us, and it's worth it :)

Class #5, 2010

2010-01-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

Let's talk about Humidity.

The other day one of the teachers said, "My sensor said humidity was 30%...it started to rain, and I looked down a minute later and it was 50%!" Welcome to Seattle in wintertime, folks.

So yesterday I taught the 8 a.m. and the temp was a little low, but the humidity was toward 50% - so the heat index, the "feels like" temperature, was definitely where it needed to be. I decided to stay for the 10 a.m., well, I had already decided, but I decided again.

Humidity is evil. I think we all know that. I'm all for a 105 degree, 40% humidity class - or it's equivalent. Today was brutal. The very, very seasoned instructor did all he could to manage it - fans on probably for the half the class, on high, and hardly making a difference. At one point, he said, "In case you didn't know, my sensor indicates the humidity is out of control in here." Thanks for the newsflash (I actually said that to him :) and then later, he said, "How high does the humidity have to get for it to rain in here?" Another student replied, "Uh, 100%." We would've normally laughed, but who had the energy or wherewithal for that?

I posted something about this to my facebook to which my darling baby sister, a self-admitted geek, responded with a link to Wikipedia's entry on Humidity - I prompted read the segment titled, "Effects of Humidity" Here is an excerpt:

Effects on human body

The human body sheds heat by a combination of evaporation of perspiration, heat convection in the surrounding air, and thermal radiation. Under conditions of high humidity, the evaporation of sweat from the skin is decreased and the body's efforts to maintain an acceptable body temperature may be significantly impaired. Also, if the atmosphere is as warm as or warmer than the skin during times of high humidity, blood brought to the body surface cannot shed heat by conduction to the air, and a condition called hyperpyrexia results. With so much blood going to the external surface of the body, relatively less goes to the active muscles, the brain, and other internal organs. Physical strength declines and fatigue occurs sooner than it would otherwise. Alertness and mental capacity also may be affected. This resulting condition is called heat stroke or hypothermia.

---
Yeah, what they said.

So the deal is, here we are in a class meant to flood our organs, glands and muscles with loads of oxygen rich blood and fluids, but at a certain point, it's physically impossible for that to happen. Trusting that our teachers are on our sides (they are, I believe that), it's then our jobs to monitor ourselves. Hard to do...ego, ego, ego...but in this case, I was losing my mind. I kept seeing spots (blacking out just a wee bit is good for you, right?) and could hardly organize myself, at times, to get in and out of postures. But, with the help of another teacher next to me who kindly mouthed swear words back and forth with me as an outlet, we got'er done. Brutal. But I got to see a little more of what I'm made of, and also, got a (yet another) reminder to take it down a notch, especially if the teacher is telling us to. Duh.

Class #4, 2010

2010-01-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

Yes. That's right. Three days off...which was kind of an 'oops!' - I was tired Tuesday and thought I'd take the day off- forgetting that I couldn't go to class on Wednesday or Thursday :(

So you know when you go to an event, fundraiser, community meeting - whatver - and you don't really want to go...but you go, because it's the right thing to do, you know you should, and you'll feel better if you do.

Well, that is how I felt today about going to 4 p.m. class...at 3:51 I got it together and headed for the studio. There was no parking, except the 30-minute tow-away zone outside the beer microbrewery in the back of the same building as our studio (hops anyone)? So I did what any desperate yogi would do: I went into the brewery and said, "You won't get me towed, right? I mean, it's 4 p.m. Friday - you're not expecting deliveries now, right?" The facial-hair riddled fella was all Seattle-beer-dude about it, "Uh, no, man, we won't get'cha towed..." Sweet!

So with mere moments to spare I jetted in and took a crappy spot on my least-favorite portion of the room. Awesome start. Not. As the teacher explained breathing to some new folks, I noticed a primo front-row spot open and not even blocking anyone! I snatched up my mat and took it and breathing started.

As class went on, after my unplanned 3-day hiatus, I found that I felt great! The best part came in Locust pose. After the separate leg part, we were gearing up for both legs - the time when I typically feel as if an elephant has just sat down upon me and hardly can see the value of trying, though I do. In this moment though, I had the notion to push my hands into the floor and stretch my toes back and then up. Like, kinda "scooping" them back and up... The result was my weight shifted to the upper part of my hip bones. My hand and arm strength was suddenly insanely accessible! My legs went up. And up. AND UP. And, the effort felt like about half of what I usually give to raise my feet (what feels like) mere centimeters.

I'm all for surprises. I felt like I won a killer door-prize at one of those fundraisers I didn't want to go to, like, "This was SO worth it! I'm so glad I came!" I ended up walking out with something unexpected and welcome.

Class #3, 2010

2010-01-04T22:47:00.000-08:00

New Years brings lots of new people to Bikram Yoga. And I say, Amen to that! If only they'd all stick with it...of course, I had a start/stop and then got serious a year later, so who am I to talk.

Last night, I took 6 p.m. class with 50 other people. At the helm was Saiko who had a c-section and a beautiful baby girl on November 25th - and is back to teaching us as of the new year already. As a student, I was reminded of all of her "Saiko-isms" that I've always loved. As a teacher, I was just so impressed by her management of a very humid, packed room. Flawless - she kept us going and kept the energy up even though at times, clearly the group was struggling hard. Such a gift to have experienced teachers like her as mentors and guides in our practices and our teaching :)

Class was hard but satisfying. I lost my mind a few times but talked myself off the ledge - a skill I've had to employ and hence have gotten pretty good at lately. It was really, really humid - super drippy by the end of breathing. Of course, I sweat like a Bikram teacher - and a regular practitioner. It's so interesting seeing the newer folks, whose bodies haven't quite become accustomed to 'turning their sweat on' so to speak, and how my towel is soaked by Tree, and theirs have a drip or two...but it's ok. I love my sweat. It means I'm gettin' it done.

Overall, my body was open and agreeable, I tried hard to pace myself because I knew it was going to be a tough room with so many people, and having a 4 p.m. class beforehand that was packed. So I took it a little bit easy to be sure I could stay with it the whole class, and it worked. I was sandwiched between two yoga pals, and the new people behind me were earnestly trying and learning, which is always great to see. I'm aim to be very patient with new people as a practioner (and teacher for that matter) because I want everyone to love and practice bikram :) So fun to see people as their practice is just being born. Lovely and amazing.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I am not a fan of teaching *after* I practice - I'd much rather teach first. The risk is being tired, breathless and still overheated from class. And of course, that usually happens when I do this in the evening (not so much in the a.m.) - but the upside is I get my big yoga high/rush right about at the beginning of the balancing series when I teach, so that is good stuff! My class had 40 people at 8 p.m. (!!!) and they were awesome. When you teach, it's not easy to know how the class really went for folks - but last night, they all seemed so energized and happy after class! For many, it was their first class of the new year, and many seemed very proud of themselves, knowing they are on a good path for the year :) I know I feel this way!! :)

Class #2, 2010

2010-01-03T12:57:00.000-08:00

What a difference a day makes. And a few other things. Class today was 10 a.m. at West Seattle with Frances, after teaching the 8 a.m. I LOVE to practice *after* I teach (not a fan of before) - I'm all warm and gushy from being in the equivalent of a sauna for 90 minutes already, I feel like butter. It's still a challenge - 3 hours in the hot room requires good hydration and focus - but when I taught full time, many days saw 4.5 - 6 hours in the hot room, and I survived it just fine. Still, I can't lie - I'm always excited for some hearty lunch after 2 in a row!

There's something about knowing how your class is going to go from the first few breaths of pranayama that often happens for me. I realize right away my shoulders are super open, I feel stable in my feet, my breath is easy and strong - just like it should be. Then half moon usually follows in that I feel gigantic height and stretch with that sought-after "smooth, steady breath through the nose." This was class today. Strong, focused, no mental ramblings to the state of avocados in wintertime (special to Anthony: indeed, I'm sure I chose poorly, but no doubt I'm willing to risk failure to try again and again... :). I didn't even bolt from the room to lay on the sidewalk outside after class (did I mention that happened yesterday? Classy!). Nope, nice savasana after class, in the room, as it ought to be.

I am teaching just 2x/week most weeks, which is perfect with fulltime work, upcoming classes I'm taking (trying Baptiste yoga intro series, and a writing course), and other life obligations - plus, of course, my own practice - which is more important than teaching to me. As they say, you have to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. :)

Class #1, 2010

2010-01-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

Today was my first class of 2010. It sucked.

I'm not complaining, just reporting what happened. But it was good too, good to go and power through though my brain felt squeezed and my energy was low. During savasana, I pondered why avocados taste so crappy all winter when I buy them at the grocery, but at restaurants, the guacamole tastes as good as summer. There's some good yogic focus for you! It was with Suzanne, in West Seattle, and after I went outside and laid on my wet towel on the sidewalk at 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday night until my heart rate recovered after about 10 minutes. Nice. Did I mention this studio is on the main drag of a populated business district?

In 2009, I laid down 2 times in class - both were Penni's, for those who know her. I'm not sure how many classes I did in total for the year, but I know I completed three 30-day challenges and practiced regularly otherwise, save for some serious sciatica in the spring (that was/is terrible, btw). I feel good about my year in terms of Bikram Yoga. I looked back over my posted goals from a year ago, and, well, you could said I failed. Epic. Miserable. Fail. But really I didn't. I just didn't reach those particular goals in all cases, and I'm ok with that.

For 2010, I'm not going to set yoga goals. I'm going to let it unfold, but I am going to try to write more about it. Here. :)

Detox wrap-up and Since...

2009-08-15T16:52:00.001-07:00

Where do I go? Why do I go?

I don't know. Perhaps because no one is paying me to blog - if they were, I'd have it done on deadline...alas.

Still, I did want to write a bit about life post-detox and whatnot. The detox 30-days itself finished up swimmingly. Both Jill and I liked it and still like it! We bought Natalia's other book, her more generalized "Raw Food Detox Diet" - which effectively lays out 5 levels of eating to get oneself to being 100% raw (it took Natalia 10 years to work through the phases). Turns out, the "Detox for Women" book we used for our detox is about her Level 3 in the other book, with a few adjustments to address yeast and bacteria in women. For example, DFW was strict about sugar and grains; whereas the RFDD allows for maple syrup, raw honey, agave, as well as sprouted wheat breads and other goodies like that. It also allows for a wider range of fruits, and adds nuts as a 4th 'food category' alongside startch, flesh, and fruit (raw veggies being the unspoken 5th).

Since our detox ended, we've still had "green lemonade" daily each morning, and, with the exception of out-of-town guests, haven't eaten breakfast since late June. We know, we know...everything tells you breakfast is the most important meal of the day, etc. but honestly - we feel better, skinnier, lighter and more energetic without it. While it took the 30-day detox to shift gears and have that fact become true, it is. We eat raw salad for lunch and sometimes add a piece of spelt toast with avocado, or a sweet potato. Dinner is more or less "normal" food but again, preceeded by a raw salad (really, a 'normal' salad) that properly combines with the cooked food we are about to eat.

To that point, we are still being mindful and careful about food combinding never mixing (save again for the out-of-town guest) the groupings - starch, flesh, fruit and now nuts/dried fruit. We still limit the sugar intake as it seems to trigger cravings for me especially, and Jill is still having 1 coffee a day and I've added a few more back into my week (split shot) because, well, I like it. Red wine remains pretty much our sole alcohol intake, and desserts stay to goat milk ice cream (Laloo's), Coconut Bliss (so good!) 'ice cream', or dark chocolate. All of these permissable "cheats" do seem to serve their intended purpose: Keeping us on track while allowing for a reasonable amount of freedom and ability for general participation in society.

We've had a bevy of houseguests this week, so we are both anxious to get back to a more hardcore detoxing lifestyle as of Monday - we have tomatoes ripening faster than we can eat them (though we give it the college try!) and are excited to just feel that super clean feeling we found so inspiring. But even my trip to PA for my high school reunion went well, I aimed to keep 'detox kosher' until dinner each night, and then graciously ate what was given to me by my various hosts. I didn't miscombine much at all, and asked for some simple adjustments ("no need to cook my corn on the cob, I'd love it alongside my salad!) etc.

I'm still doing lots of yoga and Jill is doing Crossfit. We are both happy with our exercising and are each now down about 12-14 pounds from our start in late June. We feel better, more energetic, less gassy/bloated, never feel a yucky kind of full but do typically feel satiated. Also, we went a couple weeks back and once since for colon hydrotherapy. Not being to sure about it, we thought it could be our 'prize' (some prize, eh?) for detoxing. It's a process and many believe you need to go hardcore to get full benefits, but we can't really afford to do it more than maybe 1-2x/month, and we're kind of interested to see how we feel and if anything changes as a result. Frankly, so far, we've not seen any impact that's felt profound, but it does leave you feeling very light and super-hydrated! So, we'll see how that goes.

Hopefully, some new foods will emerge on my blog soon as I'm working to expand out repertoire now that we're more or less mixing the guiding principles of DFW with the RFDD. :)

Detox & Yoga Day 26

2009-07-17T23:56:00.000-07:00

It's been hard to stay focused and not anticipate the detox coming to a close. We're bought in though, and generally plan to keep eating this way until we both lose a bit more weight. Today we went to a movie - and took a little container of cherries to snack on - and then hit Whole Foods' salad bar/food bar for dinner. We did great there, for about $20 got a good dinner that we didn't have to make! :)

Still we find it hard to operate seemlessly in a society that does not at all map to raw foods, food combining, etc. - but there are options. We are starting to read Natalia Rose's other book, the Raw Food Detox Diet - it is interesting as its focus is different that Detox for Women. It is still focused on alkalizing the body, but does not hold back on sugar (unrefined of course, maple syrup, raw honey...) or oil (cold-pressed olive oil, for example). While being "allowed" to eat these two food groups is appealing, they're also both super calorie laden. If I didn't have more weight to lose, I'd be 100% on board! But the idea of being able to use a little of these items sure does spice up. I'm not figuring on ending the eating of cooked food here at our house, but I do like how I feel, look and I love the energy I have! It's killer!

Yoga Day 26: Ok, Jenny was UNFOCUSED and did not wanna be there, but still banged out a resonably good class with Kim in Fremont. It is winding down, this 30-day challenge (in which I will only achieve 28, but I'm ok with that). I'm looking to the finish line and not necessarily focusing as I ought to.

Detox Day 26: Proud of bringing cherries to the movie! Otherwise, more of the same.

Weight: Down around 13 pounds total, and feeling really good about that!

Yoga & Detox Day 23/24/25

2009-07-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

Things keep moving along. We seem to be less freaky about eating and food - doesn't seem like we're uber-focused on it all the time, having to run to the grocery or farmer's market every 8 seconds, etc. That is to say - we are better organized and planning better, and also it seems not as hungry or anxious about being filled up or full. Seems we are simply realizing how much less one needs to eat to be satiated, and also how much room salad takes up! Often after the lunch salad I'm pretty much feeling good to go - but sometimes eat sweet potato or quinoa to keep me from being hungry 10 minutes later.

Yoga is going really well - it's so great to feel focused and for my body to be cooperating for the most part. I had two killer hot crazy soakers in a row (Lucy CH, Frani Fremont) - but then a nice solid good'ole Bikram class yesterday (also Frani in Fremont...what a difference a day makes!).

Eating...
We are eating lots repeating items and not worth listing at the moment. Once we finish, we plan to continue eating this way. I want to read Natalia's other book - her Raw Food Detox - not that we plan to do that! Rather, I want to understand where she takes people next so we can continue to assimilate her method into our eating *most* of the time. That said, Jill is planning a giant burger with an onion ring atop it with a nice double Maker's Mark next week when we finish. That sounds frightening to me! Though, a plate of Thai food or maybe a fish taco...that sounds pretty good. So we'll see!

Weight:
Doing great here! Jill has lost 9 pounds - she is quite pleased with this! I am at about 13 pounds. We intend to keep going as ultimately, Jill would like to lose around 15-20 total, and I would love to lose 25 total - so it seems another month or two and we'd be where we wanted and could work some 'regular' foods in a little more without consequence. 80/20 :)

Detox & Yoga Day 22

2009-07-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! Day 22 - only 8 days to go and really, at this point, it's become rather...easy. Seriously. Shocking.

While there is still an element of being quite limited in what you "can" eat, the overall habits have been formed. The Green Lemonade in the morning is tasty and we both can make it quite fast now, where in the beginning it felt like an ordeal. Snacking on a little fruit before lunch if needed works great, and doesn't take much to satiate me. Lunch - salads are great, I've gotten good at whipping up a salad now in no time, with or without equipment depending on what I'm making. And dinners are settling it. Not a whole lot of variety there, but at the same time, nothing feels bad or awful - just sometimes a little boring...but the meal itself is never boring. Just the idea of being so limited feels a little dull at times.

Yoga Day 22: A super soaker at CH Sweatbox with Lucy. HUMID! Phew! I had a pretty good class though, despite feeling quite debilitated by the humidity around triangle/separate leg head to knee. Revived nicely on the floor and finished with a bang. Good one!

Detox Day 22: Pluggin' away... here's what I ate:

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade

Snack:
1 c. Rainier Cherries

Lunch:
Salad of 1/2 avocado, 1/2 c. raw corn, 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, couple cups of spinach dressed with lemon juice/stevia/salt & pepper.
6 oz. baked sweet potato with a little butter, salt and pepper.

Dinner:
Salad (Pictured above) - Erika's creation above - Spinach, raw beets, cucumbers, caramelized onions, raw goat cheese. It was so nice to eat a salad I didn't (or wouldn't) have ever thought to make!
Spaghetti squash with sauteed mushrooms and onions, Rising Moon Organic Port & Asiago sauce, (which we're in love with, btw), topped with raw sharp cheddar. (Still not a fan of the goat cheese melted, sorry)....

Dessert:
Goat Milk Ice Cream with Strawberries

Calories: ~1200
Weight: Looking good - down 12.2 - and happy with that!

Detox & Yoga Day 19/20/21

2009-07-12T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's going well in Detox land. Been a busy couple days and rather than writing a zillion detailed posts, I'll call out the highlights here:

- Weight is moving again a little bit! Down almost 12 now, and that's just fine. I feel and look way, way better.
- I missed yoga yesterday. For shame. I was just...exhausted by the hot room. I did walk the lake however, so it wasn't like I was a slug.
- Food is going good. More of the same...however...

We have been social a few times lately. We went to a gathering and ended up eating...lettuce, raw carrots, a little cheese I brought in my purse and dark chocolate. They all ate giant plates of delicious-looking Mexican food.

What was interesting, however, was at the end, everyone there complained of being stuffed, too full, feeling like they needed a bucket, etc. And Jill and I both felt great. Not too full - and believe me, before, we would've been right on board with the group (this is not a diss of them!). But it's cool to see the benefits of just feeling better *all the time* - in so many ways, this being one of them.

Food intake has been around 1200 calories.

Tonight was my biggest 'cheat' yet - I had 3 bites of cupcake. Sinner. But you know, in the scheme of my day - whatever. I realize one cannot be perfect all the time. :) More soon!

Yoga & Detox Day 18

2009-07-09T22:46:00.000-07:00

Today one of my students said, "Wow, you look amazing! Have you lost some weight?" and then two other people said things to the effect of how I looked great, etc. - detox is good!! I have to say I'm feeling pretty good inside, but it's nice to know the effects are showing on the outside, too!

In a very exciting event, we ventured out to lunch today! It was my mom's birthday and my sister Julie met up with mom, Jill and I at Seattle's very hip/trendy/fitting Homegrown, an organic-locally-sourced-sustainable salad and sandwich shop located in Fremont where we live. While we did "cheat" in that we got the dressing- olive oil and a little vinegar/mustard seeds - otherwise, it was a successful detox-friendly outing. We ate organic chicken, which is permitted, rarely - but it worked and was delicious. I lamely forgot to photograph it!

For dinner, we'd prepared to have two friends over who just started the detox - but unfortunately, they canceled a couple hours before dinner. My sister Julie & her husband John kindly offered to pinch-hit and came over to enjoy what is becoming a 'regular' dinner for us of raw salad, Opah, cauliflower puree and yellow beans.
Yoga Day 18: Whoa! Holy crap. I've been practicing in the mornings just due to my schedule lately - but today warranted a 4 p.m. class as I taught 9;30, had birthday lunch with Mom and expected dinner guests at 6:30. OMG. I forgot how amazingly open one is later in the day! How delicious to just feel so powerful and strong - open and flexible. I was trying to keep track of my favorite posture but couldn't keep track because so many were so yummy today. My Rabbit pose was my favorite - I always feel so bunched up and tight in that one, today I felt like I had the biggest roundest spine ever!

Detox Day 18:

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade

Lunch:
OUT! at Homegrown - Arugula, chicken thigh (2-3 oz.) with 1 tbsp. dried cranberries, and vinegarette.

Dinner:
Salad with spinach, raw corn/peas, cherry tomatoes, 1 oz raw goat cheese, lime juice.
Opah, pureed Cauliflower and yellow beans.
Red Wine - 4 oz. or so

Dessert:
1 oz. Dark Chocolate
Strawberries

Calories: 1100ish
Weight: Still hanging in there...the same...

Yoga & Detox Day 17

2009-07-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

Another routine day in the detox and yoga world for Jenn. Sometimes the logistics are hard, like today for example. I got up and wasn't hungry so I had some water, puttered around a little and then at 9:20, got wildly inspired to go to 9:30 yoga. Having made green lemonade for Jill earlier, I grabbed mine and headed to yoga.

I had a great practice and raced to Capitol Hill to teach my noon class, drinking my green lemonade on the way. Checked in the class, taught it - feeling a bit hungry during it, ok, more than a bit - and then finished up and ended up home by 2 p.m. to eat my first food of the day. I've gotten away from snacking, so no fruit on the way home or anything like that.

Once home, then had to prepare lunch - another avocado salad with raw corn and cherry tomatoes - which I devoured along with Jill. Having waited so long to eat, the salad was plenty and I was FULL - no sweet potato, grain or anything as a follow-up.

Dinner was a little early since I taught again at 8 p.m., so again no need to snack. Comfort food tonight - simple salad with goat cheese followed up with spaghetti squash topped with mushrooms, onions and marinara...plus more raw cheese (I have raw cow when it's hot, I just don't dig the goat cheese melted - a little too goaty for me). No wine when I'm headed to the hot room! Little bite or two of chocolate though. :)

Yoga Day 17: Impromptu 9:30 with Kim in Fremont, got there with 3 minutes to spare and set up next to my pal Virgil, then had to jet right away and didn't even get to say much more than "hi" - though, it's amazing how connected you can feel to a friend just practicing next to them and sharing a mirror :) Nice class!

Detox Day 17:

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade

Lunch:
Avocado/Corn/Spinach/Cherry Tomato Salad.
Yes, again.

Dinner:
Spinach with tomatoes and raw goat cheese.
"Not Lasagna" (photo above) - Spaghetti Squash topped with a heap of mushrooms and onions, marinara and raw cow cheese.

A dollop of dark chocolate.

Calories: 1100 (that's better!)
Weight: Still down about 11, no real movement but that's to be expected with a big fast loss like I had at the beginning...

Detox & Yoga Day 16

2009-07-07T23:52:00.000-07:00

Today felt like a repeat of many days before, so there isn't too much to say that is new or exciting. What is good is that it is starting to feel a little normal, a little routine...and that feels easier and smoother. This is good!

Yoga Day 16: Up and at'em, somehow I was inspired at 5:48 a.m. to go to 6 a.m. yoga, which I made on time (3 minutes to spare) and had a nice practice with Kate in Fremont.

Detox Day 16:

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade

Lunch:
Spicy Corn Avocado Spinach Salad (again, yes...)

Snack: Some cheese while preparing dinner

Dinner:
Salad with shredded raw goat cheese
Seared fresh halibut
Green beans
Cauliflower mash

Dessert:
1 oz dark chocolate
3 oz red wine

Calories: Piggy! 1400
Weight...: The same...

Yoga & Detox Day 15

2009-07-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

We had friends over for dinner and opted to do a "starch" meal. Buckwheat soba noodles (100% buckwheat), stir fried veggies with a little butter, a touch of sesame oil, garlic, ginger, jalapeno and raw soy sauce. Yum! At this point, our dinner guests can hardly tell it's a detox meal!

Yoga Day 15: Solo practice Monday. It was good - I had a good amount of time to do it right! :)

Detox Day 15:

It's getting repetitive I know...but...

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade

Lunch:
"The Usual" - Spinach, tomatoes, raw corn & avocado.

Dinner:
More Spinach and tomatoes with avocado.
Buckwheat noodle stir fry.

Dessert:
Chocolate, berries and red wine.

Calories: 1350!
Weight: Still hanging out at about 11 pounds lost...

Detox & Yoga: Day 14

2009-07-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Before I talk about today - let me just say that there will be NO ground meat in my future. I had the *worst* stomach ache from that bitty 2 oz. burger I made yesterday. Woke up with it still at 3:30 a.m.! However, somehow it finally subsided for me to teach my 7 & 9 a.m. classes, and then I even took one at 11 a.m.! But oy, it was painful!

Today was Day 14 - tomorrow is 1/2 way!

Yoga Day 14: Great focused class with BJ in West Seattle after teaching two beforehand. Good one!

Detox Day 14: Another day in Detox land...

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade

Snack:
10 oz. lemonade with agave from the Farmer's Market (just to get me thru yoga)

Lunch:
Avocado 1/2 with lots of spinach, veggies and a little raw corn
1 - 7oz. sweet potato
1/2 oz. dark chocolate

Dinner:
Spinach, tomato and about 1/2 oz. raw goat cheese salad
3 oz. Swordfish with Asian Seasoned veggies (snap peas, mushrooms)

Dessert:
1/2 c. vanilla goat milk ice cream with
1/2 c. fresh strawberries

Calories: 1200
Weight: Down 11.2 - should start moving again I hope!

Detox and (NO) Yoga: Day 13

2009-07-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

For shame, but I decided a day out of the hot room was more important than doing 30 days of yoga in a row. That said, I intend to do a make-up to ensure 30 practices in 30 days by the end! We had a gorgeous 4th of July in Seattle, and started the day with my first coffee in 13 days, decaf Americano, no cream...but still, I miss the coffee culture! We then walked around GreenLake and I picked up a super cute dress (very versatile, as well) for my class reunion.

For lunch, we went to Thrive again - the mostly raw food restaurant. Again, while it's good and interesting, it feels like a lot of money for cold food that is good but not super satisfying (mentally). Today we had our first "nut" meal - nuts are discouraged, but if you do have them - it has to be raw, and cannot mix with starches or flesh, and fortunately, our meal fit the bill so it was legal! Salads with tahini dressing and a few pine nuts, Thai creamy coconut soup made with raw almond milk, and Chili (no beans) with cashew cream. We didn't finish it all and brought some home, the soup was pretty intense (spicy too) so 2 oz. would've done me good, and I got 14 oz. Good snack! Jill wanted desperately to heat up her chili, which we think had a lot of veggies and almonds with a "sauce" made from (we're guessing) sun-dried tomatoes, agave, and spices. Tasty and interesting.

Fourth of July! We decided to just avoid temptation and eat here. We opted for a grass-fed beef burgers on the grill with all the fixin's.

Yoga Day 13: Did not happen. :(

Detox Day 13:

Breakfast:
Decaf Americano
Green Lemonade

Lunch:
Salad with tahini lemon dressing
Lemonade with ginger and a little agave
Thai Creamy Soup with almond milk and coconut (Thrive)
Raw "Chili" (Thrive)

Dinner:

Salad With...
.5 oz. Raw Goat Cheese, shredded
1/3 c. Raw Peas
Mixed Greens
Lemon juice, stevia, salt and pepper

4th of July BBQ!
2 oz. grass fed ground beef
.75 oz. of raw cow cheddar cheese
1/2 c. carmelized onions
1 tbsp. butter (all together)
Mustard, a little tiny bit of ketchup, pickles

Dessert:
None, my belly kinda hurt from the ground beef. I'm not even a fan of it! So, only tenderloin if it's gonna be beef...

Calories: 950
Weight: Sigh. The same.

Detox and Yoga: Day 12

2009-07-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had friends over for dinner. I'm getting good at this cooking/detox thing, to the point that one might not even notice/know that they are getting a cleansing meal! On the menu was mixed greens, tossed with lemon/stevia/salt/pepper, topped with a concoction of fresh raw peas, grated raw cheese, cherry tomatoes and green onions. It was delicious! Main course was a reprise of a night earlier this week, with grilled Opah (Jill's favorite fish), cauliflower puree (with butter, salt/pepper) and green beans with a bit of herbs tossed in. Dessert? Berries - raspberries, rainier cherries and strawberries - with an array of dark chocolates. Red wine to drink, and we were happy bellied folks!

We did talk about what is missing. One of my guests suggested that "this isn't that far from how you eat anyhow..." and, while somewhat true - we are not coming from a place of pizza, coke and McDonald's - still, missing are many things:

Breakfast. Oh, for the love of God, breakfast out once a week was a favorite thing...
Coffee - particuarly a creamy soy latte...or Americano with cream...
Going to Coffee - the coffee culture here is a big part of my life, and it feels a little isolating to not be a part of it :(
Thai, Mexican, Indian food, out...
Crackers & Almonds as car snacks (now replaced with carrot sticks and cherries)
Cheese & Crackers (now replaced with cheese/lettuce/pickle/mustard wraps)
Wheat, though I wasn't hugely dependent upon it, you notice when you "can't" have it
Grabbing food on the go - nearly impossible to stop anywhere for anything on the go without prior planning or forethought
Pork. I love it, sorry, but true. And I miss it.
Eating out - while it's better not to, I sure do like to, and I miss it...

And, on the other hand - more of some stuff that I'd like:

Some days, I'd just skip the green lemonade if I could...
Salad out the ears, again, some days, you just are sick of salad
Everything, outside of fish 3x/week or so, is pretty much cold. Yeah, a little quinoa here and there and whatnot, but sometimes we both just crave a hot plate of yummy food...before dinnertime....
Grocery store/farmer's market runs...oh my! They seem constant, and expensive.

All that said - not complaints so much as observations (ok, Breakfast out, that is a complaint) :). We both feel really good, notice that our systems run more smoothly (is that eloquent enough?) and that we have a lot of good energy on a lot less food (calorie intake), and the food that is eaten is mostly raw, local, or high protein - and all of it, low carb without really focusing on the fact that this is a low-carb diet, really.

Yoga Day 12: Did my own practice in between teaching an unplanned double, just to be able to have a nice chunk of the day afterwards. My floor bow is coming along, right now it's my favorite posture!

Detox Day 12:

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade

Lunch:
Spinach with veggies, a little raw corn and spicy guac dressing.
1/2 c. quinoa with veggies and raw soy sauce (a little bit Asian, a little bit rock'n'roll)

Snack:
Raw sheep cheese

Dinner:
Mixed greens with raw peas, shredded raw cow's cheddar, cherry tomatoes, and green onion.
3/4 c. Cauliflower Puree with butter
5 oz. Opah
1/2 c. Green beans

6 oz Red Wine
1 oz dark chocolate
1 c. berries (throughout the day...)

Weight: About the same (10 pounds from the start, but nothing lately...dumb PMS)
Calories: 1500 (big eatin' day!)

Detox & Yoga: Day 11

2009-07-02T23:12:00.000-07:00

Big events today included coming up with a "honey" mustard dressing to add some umphf to our dinner salad, and making fish in parchment paper - one of my favorite healthy preparations of fish that somehow, I just kinda forgot about. Quinoa at lunch was another 'new item' that came out really delicious - like a big bowl of comfort food really!

Yoga Day 11: Butt-kicker with Kristen in Fremont. Peppy class, good energy - just a wham bam yoga class.

Detox Day 12:

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade

Lunch:
Salad with Avocado Corn Guac, spinach and veggies.
3/4 c. hot, steamy Quinoa with butter, salt and peppper. Mmmmm!

Snack:
Raw goat cheese wrapped in lettuce leaves with pickles and mustard.

Dinner:
Spinach Salad with 'honey' mustard dressing, shredded goat cheese and heirloom tomato.
5 oz. fresh halibut, cooked in parchment with asparagus tips, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, a splash of wine, butter, salt and pepper.
3 oz. Red Wine
1 oz. Dark Chocolate

Calories: 1200
Weight: About the same.

Detox & Yoga: Day 10

2009-07-01T22:37:00.000-07:00

Yay! 1/3 of the detox down! Day 10 completed. It's bizarre how much less I need to eat to feel satiated, and more surprising is how good I feel after eating, say, 1/2 an avocado and a couple cups of green vegetables. My energy is really good too, and again, it's unexpected on around 1000 calories a day primarily comprised of raw vegetables with a little cheese or fish tossed in.

Every once in a while though, I think about some food that is...well, normal. Like a bowl of Tom Kha soup at the Thai joint at the bottom of the hill. Or an enchilada. Chips & salsa, a food group for me! Or, even, just going out to breakfast is off the table since there is well, no breakfast. :(

Yoga Day 10: Somehow, I slogged myself to 9:30 a.m. before teaching a noon, 4:30 & 8 p.m. class. I didn't want to go but had that feeling - that feeling that I'd be better off and set up for a much better outcome to my day than if I didn't go. So I went, had a *great* focused practice and don't have to catch up on another day.

Detox Day 10: BORING food day....all leftover and repeats:

Breakfast: Green Lemonade

Lunch: 1/2 Avocado, simple spinach salad with random raw veggies and lemon juice. Plus 1/2 c. of thai sweet potato mash.

Dinner: Raw carrots and spinach to start. Spaghetti squash, marinara sauce and raw cheddar cheese. I didn't eat very much of it though...

Snack: 1.5 oz. raw goat cheese wrapped in lettuce with pickles and mustard.

A few little squares of dark chocolate.
Lots of water.

Calories: 1100
Weight: Up a little today - woke up with my monthly shift whereby my body puffs up a size. So, weight is at a total loss of 10.4. Not expecting much movement on this in the next couple of days.

Detox & Yoga Day 9:

2009-06-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the post today will be light as really, it's starting to be routine, more of the same. We are starting to eat leftovers from meals past now, and repeating the dishes that are good to us - which is nice and taking some of the struggle out of figuring out what to eat. Still, it's admittedly a hassle as today I spent hours shopping and prepping foods so they would be easy to grab & go over the next few days, which worked out great but did take a bit of time.

Yoga Day 9: Saiko in Cap Hill! Finally - it'd been ages since I took her class and it was really nice. Plus, I'm teaching there more lately so it is nice to practice with the students I teach!

Detox Day 9: Tonight - comfort food!

Breakfast: Green Lemonade

Lunch: Spicy Corn Guac Salad

Dinner:
Spinach Salad with beets, fennel and other veggies.
(Comfort food!!) Spaghetti Squash with Organic Marinara Sauce, Shreeded Raw (cow) Cheese, with sauteed mushrooms and onions. OMG, it was like eating pizza, sad but true!

Other:
Little red wine and dark chocolate, and a few spoonfuls of goats milk ice cream.

Calories: 1000
Weight: down 10.6 pounds, and obviously normal for it to plateau at this point. Plus, PMS is upon me!

Detox & Yoga; Day 8

2009-06-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

It is getting easier. I'm less hungry, not craving, and feeling satisfied from just eating reasonable amounts of food on the detox diet. For real...and I'm having fun trying to put together detox-friendly meals creatively and that look good enough to eat. In fact, though the book has a lot of recipes, they're all so simple and somewhat bland - I've already come up with a bunch that are just more...um...interesting, to me, anyhow - but not hard to make - just surprisingly tasty!

Twice now we've had friends over for lunch. Brave souls that they are, they've endured "detox lunch" that - had they not been told - they'd likely never labeled as such. I love to cook and am having fun getting to entertain a little without torturing anyone. Even Jill is more comfortable with things as it all settles in.

No overshare here - don't worry - but I must say there has been a corner turned in terms of elimination. It's clearly different than my former diet, and I guess that is good...right? I'm reducing fruit on an empty stomach, per the book, due to a little bloat and discomfort after eating a cup of cherries on an empty tummy. Just for a week or so, the book says, "you may not be clean enough for fruit..." alas.

Yoga Day 8: Solo practice between teaching a double. Had lots of time, nice practice - things are coming along. I quite enjoyed bow pose today. Just felt open! And, in Rabbit, I really focused on charging the energy up my spine mentally to stretch it and it felt kind of...amazing. Good one!

Detox Day 8:

Breakfast:
Green lemonade

Lunch:
Salad with Spicy Corn Guac Dressing, raw corn, heirloom tomato and spinach.
Thai-Inspired Sweet Potato Puree * RECIPE BELOW

Dinner:
My first on-the-go dinner: Lettuce wrapped around raw goat cheese, with pickles and mustard, cherry tomatoes. Like a sandwich, but not... ;) Not exactly thrilling, but it worked!

Dark Chocolate bits throughout the day: .75 oz
A couple cups of Aveda tea (I love this herbal tea!)

Calories: 950
Total Weight Loss: Down 10 pounds (gained .4 - first time to see the scale "up")

RECIPE:

THAI-INSPIRED SWEET POTATO PUREE

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves
2 quarter-size rounds of ginger or galanga
2" of lemongrass, or 1 tsp dried lemongrass
Juice of a lime
1-2 drops stevia
Salt
Pepper
--
1 medium yellow or sweet onion, chopped.
3 yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and diced to 1/2" cubes.
6 oz. coconut *WATER* (not milk!)
--

Peel and dice sweet potatoes and place in steamer. Steam until soft.

In a chopper or food processor:
2 garlic cloves
2 quarter-size rounds of ginger or galanga
2" of lemongrass, or 1 tsp dried lemongrass
3/4" round of jalepeno* (optional)
Juice of a lime
1-2 drops stevia
Salt
Pepper

Pulverize to paste, or close too it.

Add to a sauce pan with 1 tbsp butter, place "paste" into pan and cook. Add 2 oz. coconut water as needed. Cook 5 minutes. Now add diced onion, and a little more coconut water. Cook until very soft. Place mixture along with steamed, soft sweet potatoes into a food processor. Process until smooth and of a desired consistency - adding the rest of coconut water to thin mixture. If you need more liquid, more coconut water or else water or veggie stock works too.

Put mixture back into the pan and reheat. Serve with lime wedges, and chopped herbs of choice.

Detox & Yoga Day 7:

2009-06-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Phew! First week is done. AMEN. Here are my bulleted thoughts on it so far:

Doing this outside of summer - with lots of fresh berries and veggies at the farmer's market, not to mention raw corn on the cob and avocados - would be dreadful.
It's not cheap - we spend a lot of money on produce. Could we worse - eating out likely was costing us just as much - but when a run to the farmer's market is $50, every couple days it seems...but again, feeding two of us healthfully is worth it.
It's a time commitment - no matter how much her book says how "easy!" it is... what is true is that indeed, no one part is rocket science; it's the whole thing together that feels complicated at times. Always having green juice for breakfast, thinking about combining proper foods for lunch/snacks/dinner - but once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad at all.
I've gotten to where things 2 weeks ago I'd have eschewed - cauliflower puree, goat milk ice cream - I now find plum delightful! It's changes your thinking and makes you appreciate things.
Indeed, we need a lot less food to get through the day than we think we do. Period.
In the first 7 days, I officially dropped 10.2 pounds - again though, I think it's more honestly around 5 pounds (ish).
Overall, it's doable, a great reset and though I expect I'll eat somewhat normally after, it's a good baseline to aim for in that 80/20 kinda way.
I'm trying things I'd never have been into before - like goat's milk ice cream. Read all about it here!

Yoga Day 7: Oh, yum. Today was just a deliciously perfect practice in West Seattle with Frances, perhaps partially since I'd taught the 7 & 9 a.m., so 3 hours of warming up the body time before hitting my mat. All good! Yay!

Detox Day 7: Good day, it was a long time to 1 p.m. for lunch after getting up at 5:45 and being in a hot room for 4.5 hours...but I did it on my green lemonade and a handful of cherries. Tonight I promised Jill we'd have red meat to celebrate 1 week, which is allowed. We also had dessert - goat milk ice cream which was delish!

What I ate:

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade
Rainier Cherries, 1 c.

Lunch:
Butter lettuce, Onion, Tomatoes and Raw Peas
Raw sheep cheese (1.5 oz)
2 farm eggs with asparagus, mushrooms & 1 oz. raw goat cheese

Dinner:
Butter lettuce, raw corn, raw peas, cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, lemon
3 oz. Grass fed local beef (from the farmer's market)
1/2 c. cauliflower puree
1/2 c. green beans
4 oz. red wine

Dessert:
1/3 c. goat milk ice cream
1/3 c. strawberries

Throughout the day:
.75 oz. dark chocolate

Big day - 1300 calories
Weight: Minus 10.4 pounds

Detox & Yoga: Day 6

2009-06-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I think it's safe to say we're getting in a groove with this. It is hard to be perfect at it all the time, but the "cheats" are *so* insignificant in the realm of the detox (much less so in the realm of life...) but they are helping. Like today, Jill ate 2 eggs as a snack before going to workout. Technically, a "no-no" but they are on the diet and it was that or possibly not working out, for fear of being too light-headed. I had cherries after my juice this morning (the 'proper time' if you're going to have them...) and then strawberries on my way to teach a 4:30 class. It's allowed, but if I were perfect - no fruit at all. Turns out I'm not perfect (shock!) and that is ok!

Yoga Day 6: I taught a 7 a.m. class and was all warm and loose to take the 9 a.m. with Yu. Great class, reasonably good focus, the floor felt afire but it was what it was. My energy still at times feels low, but I'm eating very few calories throughout the day, and expending a lot at once in a Bikram class. I'm good with that - if my body would kindly access the excess on my hips and thighs, I'd be much obliged.

Detox Day 6: It's funny, but I feel like I want less food. She said this would happen in the book - and so it seems to be happening. Today for lunch, we had a avocado/salad concoction (one of the best yet!) and I found that though I knew in my head a sweet potato was permitted to round it out, I had no desire for it. Weird! I will admit to missing my iced soy latte on the way to teach my 4:30 class...but I had a few berries and lots of water instead. Alas. Elimination is back "on plan" today - and so that part is feeling better. Jill it seems prefers spinach to salad greens, so we're on spinach now, which is my personal favorite- so I'm in! Got more groceries today, because you never want to be without avocados or raw goat cheese (we also got some raw sheep cheese, 2nd string but permitted - and I love this one! It has rosemary dried into the rind...good eatin' cheese!). For dinner - very exciting - we splurged with a "legal" grain (recommended rarely, but is ok after the detox) of buckwheat noodles - which cost $6.50 for 8 oz. - so we damned well better enjoy them. Jill prepped the veggies, we got the raw soy sauce (Nomu Shoya), and made a stir fry paste of ginger, garlic, lemongrass, jalepeno, stevia and lime juice.

Here's what I ate:

Breakfast:

Water

Green Lemonade (frozen the night before due to 7 a.m. teaching)

Snack: about 1 cup rainier cherries

Lunch:

Spicy Avocado Dressing with Spinach, topped with raw corn, tomatoes, and avocado

Snack: about 1/2 cup strawberries

Dinner:

Spinach Salad with heirloom tomato, 1/4 avocado, lemon juice, salt/stevia.
1/2 c. buckwheat noodles & 'stir fry' veggies, with a touch of coconut water, raw soy sauce, and a mixture of garlic, ginger, lemongrass, jalepeno for flavoring. Yum! I couldn't even finish it, believe it or not!

A few squares of my new favorite organic chocolate (more on that later!)
2-3 sips of yesterday's wine :)

Cheats: 1/2 green apple in my lemonade
Calories: 900
Weight: steady at a loss so far of 8.8 pounds

Detox & Yoga: Day 5

2009-06-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe in 2 more days, we'll be at the one week mark! I'm learning more all the time as I dig into this. It seems overall, my energy is a little less than normal - it could be the caloric intake dropping to around 1200 or less per day, and most of that being "fast exit" food - which is the point - but also means not much of it stays with you. And to be honest, not much is, um, "exiting" either. I don't know where it is going really. :) I'm still curious about the impact after a month, so I'm on board, but the cheating is starting. And really, the 'cheats' are still within the guidelines of the 'maintenance' diet - alkaline foods. Today, my big cheat was I chucked a green apple into my green lemonade. I went to 6 a.m. yoga and felt weak and depleted, and I had to teach at noon! So I did it. And it was good.

Did you know quinoa, which is NOT a grain, but sure looks/acts like one, has a zillion calories? Like over 600/cup. Though it's allowed, I'm trying to drop a few pounds, so...I'm limiting the quinoa intake - that is some killer packed-with-nutrients food. Whoa.

Yoga Day 5: As mentioned, I hauled myself to 6 a.m. yoga which had around 40 (!!!) people in attendance. It was kinda nice, actually, it felt like a full afternoon class. Kim taught, and it was a good one, esp. after that disaster of a class yesterday. I felt good in it - I think overall, I'm pretty ok to be on an empty belly in the morning (6 or 9:30) but it's a lot harder to have eaten all of 1 avocado all day and then hit 4 p.m. or later. Ug.

Detox Day 5: Well, as mentioned we had a little cheat of the green apple. Also, I ate the equivalent of 1 small pickle. That's it though - those are the big cheats! Not bad for 5 days in - this is not easy. The book has so obviously been edited by the publisher to add things like "it's so easy!" and "you'll be skinny" at the end of every other page. Kinda kidding, kinda not... but it's not that complicated, true - but it does require a lot of planning, organizing, time in the kitchen and powering through some hungry moments when you're out and about as there isn't much that you can just grab at the store. The farmer's markets are saving us! Today, we scored some killer cherry tomatoes, gorgeous spinach, and red onions for our salad. So good!

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade ala Green Apple (for shame!)

Lunch:
1/4 c. quinoa leftovers
1/4 avocado
1.5 c romaine lettuce with a little red onion, red pepper and a tablespoon of corn (leftovers)

Second Lunch :)
2 Lettuce Wraps (Lettuce, Goat Cheese, Pickle, Mustard and Red Onion)
Rainier Cherries

Dinner:
Spinach Salad topped with Cherry Tomato/Raw Corn Salsa (basil, lime, salt/pepper, onion)
6 oz. Swordfish on the grill
Garlic Whips
Butter/Salt/Pepper
Red Wine

Evening:
.75 oz. dark chocolate

Calories: 1200ish
Weight: - 8.8 pounds

Detox & Yoga: Day 4

2009-06-25T19:43:00.001-07:00

Doing this during the winter would suck. Seriously, the avocados, corn on the cob, berries. I don't know how I would do it outside of farmer's market season. Speaking of which I practically spent a week's wages at the Farmer's Market in Wallingford yesterday - and can I say, it was worth every penny! Romaine as big as your head, garlic scapes, mini broccoli, Rainier cherries, carrots, beets, garlic, onions, salad mix, green beans, peas...the list goes on. And we keep eatin' it. Our yardwaste bin (which is where in Seattle you are required to put your food scraps) overfloweth. My pal Kirsten brought us a big bag of spinach from her garden for salad, and spicy greens for juicing. The spinach was 86'd by dinner.

It's really going ok, Jill is struggling maybe more than I am but it was my idea - she is (painfully) along for the ride. After all the nutso diets I've done in my life, this is actually (fairly) doable! Though today brough my first cheat: 1 dime size dollop of vinegar for my salad. I can't take the lemon juice salads twice a day anymore - and it's only day 4! But man, dinner with just spinach, shredded raw goat cheese, salt, pepper and that lil' bit of vinegar - YUM. I really cheerfully downed it. Shame on me. Catholic guilt abounds.

BTW, did I mention I've lost 8 pounds in the first 3 days. But then again, I think the first 5 were just the big mountain of Thai food I ate the night before. ;) Jill has lost about 5 pounds.

Yoga Day 4: Dear God. Somehow I did it, Lisa at 4 p.m. Fremont. But when you feel like you're in trouble by the end of the first set of breathing...it's scary. I don't think I was hydrated well. And, I think I'm better going in the morning before eating anything than going later in the day when I've stayed true to the detox and eaten maybe 300-400 calories - undoubtedly those calories were all used up by the time I got to my mat. Oy! Tomorrow's another day.

Detox Day 4: Well, I wrote about it above. Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast:
Green Lemonade

Snack: Strawberries

Lunch:
CornGuac Dressed Salad (I think I've perfected it! Revised recipe below...) in a "cobb" style/presentation
1/2 cup Pumpkin Pie Juice for dessert

Dinner:
Spinach Salad with 1 oz. shredded hard, raw goat cheese - CHEAT: 1/2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar.
4 oz. Grilled Opah
1 c. haricots vert
Butter (1 tbsp. all together)
Celtic Sea Salt
Pepper

Evening
3 oz. Red Wine
.75 oz dark chocolate

Calories: 1,000 calories today
-7.8 pounds

---
Recipe:

CornGuac Dressing (See photo above)

2 Avocados
2 Corn, raw, off the cob
Juice of 1 lime
1 small jalepeno pepper, more or less to taste
1 ring red onion, 1/2 inch thick
1 garlic clove (or more, if you like)
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
Pepper to taste
---
Swirl it all up in the food processor! The coat a giant bowl of greens with it, top the salad with some more of the corn, red pepper, zucchini, avocado, and other veggies you dig. Plop a bonus scoop of the corn-guac atop it, and dig in! Great dip too for veggies.

Detox & Yoga: Day 3

2009-06-24T14:55:00.001-07:00

So the author of the book I'm using, Natalia Rose, is a little bit woo-woo. But not THAT woo-woo. One of the things she requires you to do first thing outta bed is called "body brushing" - and I was actually surprised there is no Wiki entry on this! So, basically, it's just taking a brush to stimulate movement of the lymph fluids - which only move if you make them, there is no circulatory system within the lymph glands. Learn all about your lymphatic system here as it *does* have a wiki. Anyhow, the body brushing starts the movement of the lymph, and though it is recommended you use a "body brush" - which you can pay a lot for - I just use cheap exfoliating gloves which, as an added benefit, take with them a layer of dead skin. I must say, I've been diligent about this (evening have to undress and re-dress today, after forgetting at 4:50 a.m. - my bad, really). It feels really good! And does seem healthy and smart to do. Though, with all the yoga, I'm guessing I'm getting it done...

Yoga Day 3: Well, teaching weirdly today (6 a.m., Noon, 8 p.m.) I opted to do a practice alone after my 6 a.m. class. Being a teacher and having access to a hot room with mirrors, it just made my whole day go better and took a ton of stress off of me. I usually listen to music when I practice alone, which is a fun little bonus now and then. Went fine - I felt super open and loose, which then I felt bummed about, figuring a good push from a teacher would've probably elicited a truly kickass post-yoga bliss. Ah well, there is always tomorrow!

Detox Day 3:

The raw veggies are getting to be a little bit...much, especially when you can only dress them with lemon juice. That said, I'm carrying on! If avocado is on the menu, then all is well - easy to make a 'dressing' out of it. However, the detox rules do not allow you to mix "starch" (which for our purposes, avocado is considered) and "flesh" (nice word choice, Natalia) which includes meat, eggs, cheese. So today's lunch salad was what I terms "almost Greek" but it was kinda rough to choke down. If only balsamic vinegar was allowed!

On the upside, my big notion today was to grill asparagus and then wrap it up and take it as a car snack...and guess what? It worked! I miss my tamari almonds and crackers, but found chomping on asparagus after my noon teaching en route to my lunch worked great. Seriously. Asparagus in the car.

Hit the farmer's market today and spent 2 billion dollars but got some GOOD stuff for us to eat in the next several days - splurged on some Rainier cherries (allowed) and got buckets of veggies that we'll hopefully be able to eat cheerfully, even if raw... Here's the the day's food - again I got a little screwed up but I'm ok with how it went.

Morning:
Water
Green Lemonade

Lunch:
2 eggs
Many asparagus spears
Grilled summer squash
"Almost Greek" Salad

Romaine
Cherry tomatoes
Cuke
Black olives, diced
Greek oregano from the yard
Lemon juice
Sea Salt
Pepper
1 oz goat cheese

Dinner:
A portion of the "Awaken" Warm Grain Bowl from Thrive (check out the menu here!) - we are lucky to have this in Seattle - I'm no 'raw foodie' but for my purposes at the moment...yay! (It's at 65th & Roosevelt, across from Dania on 65th).

Quinoa
Various Veggies
A skimpy portion of Avocado (like seriously, could you spare it?)

Sadly this was a little rough on my lapband, so I didn't eat too much. Which was fine, as I just found out that quinoa - though nearly a perfect food - has 600+ calories per cup!! Since I barely ate dinner in the end, later I had:

A sweet potato
1 oz dark chocolate (which I measured and realize is a LOT. 1/2 oz. is plenty from now on).

1200 calories.

Detox & Yoga: Day 2

2009-06-23T08:57:00.001-07:00

I find it fascinating the way we need to hear the same information 100 different ways to "get it." Or at least I do. One of the themes of this cleanse is to turn the body more alkaline, hence, less acidic. If you look at this list of alkaline and acidic foods, you'll see that it's more of the same - this site suggests you aim for 70% alkaline and 30% acidic foods. Surprise! All your green and low calorie veggies, low-sugar fruits, healthy oils, nuts and seeds are alkaline - and then all the "bad" stuff is acidic - meat (no judgment on meat, I love and eat meat! but it is more work for our bodies to digest, that is a fact), dairy, grains, convenience foods, coffee, tea, fruit juices, 'bad' saturated oils, and all sugary fruits (outside of berries, grapefruit, lemon, etc.). So there it is again! I feel like this message has been delivered to me in 100 ways to Tuesday since I was 5 years old. Still, never hurts to hear it in a different way and get a deeper understanding of how the human body works. There's more to think about than just fat, carbs and protein.

BTW: I'm going to try to open each daily post with a little bit about the "point" of the detox, like above.... :) Now, more about me...

Yoga Day 2: Lovely 9:30 a.m. class at Fremont with Julie. Good heat, nice energy - handful of friends and other teachers along. Not to be all woo-woo here, but today in the standing series I just felt the word "surrender" and between postures, I really, really let go and envisioned all of my energy just pouring out of my body through my feet - emptied out and relaxed, I had a lot more focus and new, fresh energy to give my next pose. I was more focused than I have been in a long time! I also got a couple "Good Jenn" on postures (spine twist, for example) I could barely do a couple weeks ago with the sciatica - they still feel a little stiff inside, but good to know the form is good on the outside!

Detox Day 2:
I woke up feeling pretty good - admittedly a little hungry, but nothing out of the ordinary really. I often wake up hungry but after a few minutes and a glass of water, it goes away for a couple hours. Ok - now I plan to talk about 'elimination' in a very, um, internet friendly way. It's part of the deal folks - stuff goes in, stuff comes out! But I'll keep it to polite conversation, as polite as poop can be. That said, things in that regard things started well - she says to expect 2 'healthy' movements a day that just come out, no really effort. All is well in this regard. Then, I had a cup of herbal tea, made my green lemonade and went to yoga. I drank my green juice instead of water in class (timing issue, couldn't get it in before I left) and then came home to fix lunch. Getting better at the salads! Still, at a point it does feel like you've been eating salad for 2 hours.

Had a near little 'melt down' before dinner. I ended up teaching a 4:30 class today so after lunch, I just had water and then about 8 oz. of the "pumpkin pie" juice (primarily carrot, with some raw sweet potato and a little avocado). Class went fine - but driving home, I had a little 'getting off sugar, now, are ya?' headache. Came home and ate a few bites of goat cheese (we had a "flesh" dinner - see below) and a big glass of water with a dollop of lime juice - and all was well.

Car snacks for this thing are near impossible. Unless you like hot celery sticks. Bluck!

Breakfast:
Herbal Tea
Green Lemonade

Lunch:
Corn & Avocado Dressed Salad
5 oz sweet potato with butter, salt & pepper

Corn & Avocado Dressed Salad Recipe

Into the Food Processor:
1 ear of raw corn 'off' the cob
1/2 avocado
1 slice red onion
1/3 red pepper
Chunk of jalapeno pepper
Juice of 1/2 lime
Sea Salt
-
Toss with chopped romaine lettuce. I added a few chopped mushrooms, and placed another 1/4 sliced avocado on top. Yum! Next time maybe more avocado and a scoop of salsa to further jazz it up. Maybe reserve a handful of corn for on top too...

Snacks:
Lots of herbal tea and lime water for snacks today. Trying to keep it clean!
8 oz "pumpkin pie in a cup" juice

Dinner:
Raw beet, carrot & cabbage salad (ok, likely only 1/2 cup...)
6 oz Halibut (fresh, local), with a little lemon butter
Spaghetti Squash with shredded goat cheese, salt, pepper & a little butter
Broccolini, steamed

Evening:
Red Wine (4 oz)
Dark Chocolate (1.5 oz)

Calories: 1500

Detox & Yoga: Day 1

2009-06-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yoga Today:

Nooner at The Sweatbox Capitol Hill with Meghan. Perfect class for me today - good but workable heat, nice peeps and though I had to pay, decent parking. Overall pretty good practice, though I think I fell asleep at the savasana (I had just taught a 6 a.m. & 9:30 a.m. class...) Still battling the remnants of the sciatica through a totally crap Triangle pose, but otherwise feeling pretty good!

Detox Today:

First day - seems like something that will be so easy once I get the hang of it; but right now it seems exceedingly complex though it's not. The goal of this detox is to starve the yeast and poor bacteria in the body, as a reminder :) In a week this will be a breeze! Here's what I ate today (recipes for my own re-use, but feel free...):

Breakfast:
"Green Lemonade" (You'll see this daily: A head of romaine, 5-8 Kale leaves, a lemon (skin on) and a hunk of ginger through the juicer.

Lunch:
1 Sweet Potato w/ a pat of organic butter, salt & pepper
1 Guacamole Salad

Head of red leaf lettuce out of our garden, chopped
1/2 Avocado
1/3 c. raw corn off the cob
2 big mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp onion
Stevia drops (sweet), lime juice, hot sauce, salt & pepper to taste

I whipped up the avocado and corn in the food processor and used it to coat the lettuce and other veggies. The options on this one abound - next time, no stevia and I'll what I think without it. It was a creamy, veggie-packed salad that didn't feel like I was eating a whole head of lettuce!

Snack:
"Pumpkin Pie Juice!"

32 oz Carrot Juice
1/2 Avocado
1 peeled/cubed raw sweet potato
1/2 tsp each cinnamon and cloves
pinch salt

Juice the carrots - 32 oz. Then in blender or food processor, blend raw sweet potato, avocado and 1/2 the carrot juice until smooth. Add spices and rest of carrot juice. Really tasty cold! (This is from Natalia Rose's book - but I omitted the Stevia and added salt).

Dinner:

Well, I kinda got timing all messed up and had another batch of the pumpkin pie juice and some carrot/beet salad, that...well, sucked. No, really, it needs work.

Snack:
1 small square of dark chocolate (legal!!!)

About 865 calories all together. Tomorrow will focus on more protein!

And she's back...

2009-06-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? Busy. But who isn't?

I think I've been off trying to negotiate and figure out what's next for me in life. Meanwhile, though, I've been teaching lots of Bikram yoga - class #300 last Thursday in fact! Practicing has been spotty since early May when I hurt my right hip and developed sciatica - a condition that I would argue falls outside of Bikram's "you're never too old too sick...etc. to do the yoga." When you can't stand up, well, you can't do this yoga. I rested, it helped, and it's better now.

So here's what's up: I'm resetting! Starting today I'm doing Natalia Rose's Detox for Women. A 30-day detox diet that is reasonably do-able with the aid of a few niceties. And you get to actually EAT, which is the only way I'd do something like this. Here's a link to it:

http://www.detoxtheworld.com/books-detox-4-women.php

So, I plan to blog about it daily as part of my commitment to myself. I'm doing a 30-day yoga challenge too, so I'll report in on that as well!

Blog Shift + 30-Day Challenge #3 for Jenn!

2009-03-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

Sorry for the delay in posting. I had been thinking for a while about this blog, and whether or not I could comfortably write about teaching without violating the privacy of students. Sure, lots of teachers in the world blog and write and share their experiences in the classroom...but at the same time, this is different, more personal...and I wondered if this was a good idea. My thoughts on the matter were confirmed today, as I was asked not to blog about students in any way by a studio owner - and that is fair, pretty much in line with what I was thinking anyhow.

I took a couple posts down and revised one other, and from here on out, I will just be blogging about my own experience in a way that is not specific to students. I think my real goal here to just to share my own experience of doing the yoga, as well as the impact teaching has on me as a person and my practice. The nuts and bolts of teaching, while interesting reading, aren't really relevant in the big picture. I'm always happy to share with someone 1:1 about what it's like to be a teacher, about my worst and best days...but that's not so, well, public, now is it? So, if you have questions, ask me! Otherwise, I'll be blogging here about yoga, me and my life in general...and with that, I feel a little better actually. My lack of posting was my own contention with this matter and I was sent a clear direction on how to proceed, and I'm good with that!

Speaking of my yoga, I'm finished Day 25 of 30 on my pre-Maui challenge! I'm moving right along and honestly, have gone through the things one does in a challenge like this. I was excited, bored, irritated, happy, excited, bored, irritated, etc. just like it happens. This is the 3rd time I've done one (not including training, of course) and honestly, the impact doesn't feel quite as fantastic as it has in the past. Still, I have endured the nuances that come with it - the forcing yourself to go because you don't have a choice...period...the manipulating your day to get yourself there, the going at 6 a.m. because it's truly the only time you can make it, the having to do it even when you're teaching 3 that day... but it's good. I don't know that I've felt any grand effects other than that of knowing I can do it, and a a bit of pain in my right shin.

I've been teaching a good bit - still between 8-12/week right now - and that is good. I really dig teaching right around 8, having a couple days where I'm not teaching and can just practice, and once my challenge is over, getting to have at least 1 day/week out of the hot room. Since other work for me has been hit or miss, some weeks I don't at all mind a heavy load, but others - it's rough.

Jill and I are off to Maui to celebrate her big birthday next week! We are excited to do some Bikram Yoga there, of course, and maybe find some other yoga that would be fun to do/try. When I get back, I'm going to diversify my exercise as my body seems to be in a bit of a rut, doing the same thing all the time...I could stand to lob off 5 pounds and just keep things looking and feeling optimal. So, more soon, thanks for your patience those of you who had been asking for a post. I should be back with some better regularity now!

p.s. I've also been working on my book, writing like mad for that which has left me a little deflated when it's come time to blog. Hopefully I can balance the two out since the writing is so different!

JIll's 1-Year Bikram Anniversary

2009-01-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

So when I first met my girlfriend in October 2006, I had just started doing Bikram Yoga. I was still working to lose another 20-25 pounds before my plastic surgery and while I can't say I loved it right away, I loved to hate it. Or something.

I rattled on about it on dates with her and told her how amazing and hard and cool it was. She said, "Thanks, but no thanks" and stuck to running and pilates, and 'regular' yoga. I resolved that we'd just tell each other about our respective exercises, and not overlap...

Then came my plastics that December and I struggled to get back to the Bikram until that following September, 2007 - about a year after my first class. At this point I got hooked and was "in" - Jill, however, still was not. She had no need to go into a hot room like that, she hated heat.

One of my most impactful Bikram teachers was Saiko - especially in the beginning - she and a couple others "raised" me at the Fremont studio. One night I learned that she was also certified to teach Power Vinyasa (she studied with Brian Kest) which is also heated - but technically, "not as hot." I tried it, because I trusted that if Saiko taught it, it would be good...and it was. So somehow, after a longtime of convincing, I got Jill to go to Power classes with me. To me, they were just as hot as a Bikram class, but she was not willing to try Bikram.

Then, last year, in January 2008, we were in NYC and I was going to go to a class there. Jill brought her stuff along and ended up coming along for class at the Lower East Side Bikram studio. Earlier in the day we went to find it and ran into the owner, who said, "That'll be a great class - John is teaching, he's amazing. " We got there, and the teacher was John Salvatore, a Broadway actor/singer, and a flippin' hoot. Jill did great! There were two other new people who had to leave the room and struggled a lot (it was humid, way more than we're used to). According to my post on my normal blog, "it was brutal and amazing all at once. Jill did great, though I nearly died. :)"

Today we celebrated her 1-year anniversary of that first class. Looking back, she commented "Wow, to think back then you hadn't even thought about going to training...and now, here a year later, you're a Bikram Yoga teacher!" And, I thought, "Yeah, and you, who wouldn't even go - now you're regular and half the time, dragging me to class!"

Here she is, a year later, with a dedicated practice 4x/week minimum (usually maximum, too :). She has a killer backbend, camel and rabbit for that matter. She has conquered her anxiety of going into the hot room, which was huge in the beginning. Now, she has the same anxiety/stress we all have about getting to class due to logistics, tiredness or whatever else is going on in life. She said, "it's like going to the chiropractor, getting a massage, exercising and meditating and I get it all done in the same 90 minutes." Like most of us, she gets excited about getting props on postures that are hard for her...and wants corrections so she can get better. When she takes my class, she's always one of the strongest practices in the room.

Needless to say, I'm proud of her! I love when we go to class together - whether we practice together side by side or not, I love that she's in the room. She understands me, my practice, my teaching in a way that never could've been possible without her own practice and dedication to it.

Sadly, I was not able to practice with her today - and though it bummed me out, I thought about the fact that yoga is a personal journey. While you practice in a room with other people, the experience itself, once your toes and heels are touching and toes on the line, is all yours. So that she practiced alone today was fitting, in a way, because her yoga is hers. It's not about 'us' but I think we both really love that we share a love of it, and understand each other's experience of it.

The picture above is one from when she visited me at teacher training in Acapulco in June 2008. There, she did 7 classes in 5 days and got all the hits - Bikram, Emmy, Raj, Craig and Jason Winn...among others.

Big ups to my Jilly! Here's to another year of killer yoga classes and feeling really good about yourself :)

Did I really blow it already?

2009-01-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

Kinda.

I mean, I didn't post 2x last week. I only got to yoga 4x, not 5. Lame. But you know, goals are just that - goals. They aren't always met, but I sure do try!

This week was exciting in that I'm now on the sub list (officially) at one of the affiliated studios in Seattle, and teaching about 3x/week (right now) at the other. After about 6 months of putting in time at non-affiliated studios - a reality in this town - I'm happy to finally be where I want to be. I'm not able to, nor do I necessarily want to, leave the studios where I've been all this time. However, it's nice to be moving in the right direction. Bonus that they're closer to home, and/or in more appealing neighborhoods.

I continue to learn a lot and come up against new challenges as a teacher, but I keep cooking along, remembering I'm just a guide - and each person brings their own stuff into the room. I've found lately that sometimes I just say what to do, and how to do it - and in some cases, I add in the "why" because as adults, we all want to understand why we are doing something. At least I do, and when I do, I buy in *way* more than when orders are merely given out at me. So, when I see questioning looks - esp. from newer practitioners - I throw in a little more explanation in between sets. Not always, but sometimes.

Practice has been hard for me this week - motivationally speaking. My thyroid, on a related note, has been frakked up. That is to say, not working. And when it doesn't work, concentration/motivation is impacted...along with energy, sleep, metabolism. So I've just been feeling a wee bit like a pile'o'poo in that regard. Good news is I'm back on the right dose/brand of meds. I'm off to confirm with the doc tomorrow, and from here, in a few weeks once the drugs are squarely re-established in my endocrine system, I'm hoping things will look up. Still, the guilt I harbor when I don't get to class almost outweighs the painful idea of going on those days. You'd think I'd learn. Alas. Still, when I do go, I'm loving it. So, there is that!

This week I started a writing class/program at UW. It's a non-credit writing certificate program called "Writing the Memoir" - that's right, I'm gonna write me a book. While I can write, I wanted help with structure, feedback, methods, and specifically an understanding of how to best couch certain aspects of a book like this. Memoir is the art of telling non-fiction in a fiction-style of writing - so all the elements of story-writing (which I love) are there, but with the added flavor of only writing the truth...unlike fiction where you can just make shit up, that has nothing to do with anyone or anything in your life. Here, I'll be baring my soul and writing about my experiences over the past few years, tackling my weight and all that went along with it, as well as providing enough of a backstory to show what a big deal it was. For me, anyhow. Goal: To go on Oprah and make my millions. See note about goals above. :)

Jenn's Yoga Goals 2009!

2009-01-01T21:05:00.001-08:00

So I wrapped up the blog I kept over 2008 (www.yogabootcamp.blogspot.com), as I decided to go to Bikram Yoga Teacher Training and somehow managed to finish it, came back to Seattle and started teaching.

Still, and always, my practice will be more important than teaching - it has to be. It's the airplane analogy - put on your oxygen mask before you help others. Practice your yoga before you guide others through their practice. And I really, really believe it - I have a hard time teaching on days I don't practice, as I feel almost hypocritical (unless it's a "legal" day off)! While this is silly, it rings true on a conceptual level.

With that, my first post is my yoga goals for 2009:

Posture Goals:
1. 2nd Part of Awkward: First, be consistent and lose the fear of it. Second, learn to love it (or at least stop hating it?)
2. Standing Head to Knee: Touch my forehead to my knee when kicking out on the right side. Get elbows down below the calf muscle on the left side.
3. Triangle: This is the big one with a few facets to the goal. First, work with as many experienced teachers to understand this posture better in my body. Second, consistently focus on it in every class. Finally, stop hating it.
4. Camel: See my toes while keeping my hips out past my knees.
5. Savasana: No, I'm not kidding. Truly get this under control - not only the long one, but all of them. Focus!
6. Half-Moon Backwards: Keep Going! Seeing the back of my mat is the goal.

Other Goals:
1. Practice Frequency: Practice minimum 5x/week; that's 260 for the year - minimum. 300 is the stretch goal :) no pun intended...
2. Rotate Around the Room: Practice in different places all the time, and learn to focus no matter what or who is around me. Let go of preferences and attachments.
3. Triples: Do one triple each season this year (4 total).
4. Advanced: Do advanced, assuming it's offered, 2x/month.
5. Other Yoga: Try at least one "other yoga" at different studios once/season (4 total).
6. Blogging: Post at least 2x/week to this blog!
7. Visit Teacher Training: Nothing like an injection of the energy of Teacher Training, The Boss, and the enthusiasm and energy of soon-to-be-teachers.

Teaching Goals
Sadly, these are somewhat dependent on finances since - I know this will shock you - teaching yoga isn't exactly lucrative $ wise. So, these are my hopes in terms of goals:

1. Teach at least 5 classes a week if I'm doing other work; 8-10 when I'm not. And no more - I stop enjoying it at this point, and I don't want to teach unless I'm happy to be there.
2. Visit Teacher Training.
3. Go someplace or to at least one workshop or seminar on Bikram Yoga with a senior teacher, outside of Seattle.

I'm starting the year super excited about the yoga. Having spent the last couple days in Vancouver, BC, and seeing friends from training (and doing yoga with them) brings it all back - rekindles that feeling, that connection to the yoga and to the massive focus I found for myself at training. Plus, whenever I'm sharing a mirror with a TT friend, I know they know what I'm capable of. And that helps to hold me accountable, which is something I want to do more and better in regular practices. So, with that - welcome to 2009!

Let's see what we have a year from now!