Bikram 101... Who's In?
My practice has sucked ass lately. It is my own fault. I have let mental exhaustion get to me in the past few weeks... And I feel so low-energy. I can barely make it home after work these days... Let alone to the Bikram studio.
Really though, there is no excuse. I mean, it's not like we "think" in a Bikram class. So the excuse of "mental fatigue" is a very lame one. And I find myself itching to not only get back on my Bikram path, but also to challenge myself again.
Last time I challenged myself, I did 60 days of Bikram. This time, I'm aiming for 101 days.
Yes, 101. In fact, we'll call it "Bikram 101."
So, why 101 days? Why not just 100 days? You can read a little about it here, but the basic breakdown of the various challenge time-frames are:
- 30-Days: A readjustment period... Getting your body primed for the second 30 days. Just getting through a 30 consecutive day challenge is a difficult for most people. I say it jokingly, but truthfully, "I had to leave a job in order to do my first 30-day challenge." I couldn't mentally do it unless it was my one focus for 30 days straight.
- 60-Days: The second 30 days is where you get to the "emotional stuff." While you experience the mental exhaustion "here and there" in the first set of 30 days, you experience it far more frequently in the second set. Anger. Tears. Hysterical laughter. It all comes out here... Both in and out of class.
- 90-Days: I've never done 90 consecutive days... But this is when your body suddenly (or so people claim) changes shape. I noticed in both my 30 and 60-day challenges that things would tighten up. But I have been told that the third set of 30 is when you start to see the yoga practice pay off physically in your body. You've been feeling it up until this point... But now you can actually see it.
- 100-Days: Just to make things a nice even number...
- 101-Days: Because, I have read, you just have to show up for one extra day.
I am thinking of starting on January 1st. This means I would end on April 11th, which is one day before my 33rd birthday. And because I like to dabble in numerology, April 11th is the end of a 9-year cycle for me.
How fitting and appropriate.
Comments
Does advance count as a class? WHat if you take another style of yoga for a day (?) just curious. I might join you even though I promise myself never again, any time I do a challenge.
and btw we have the same birthday :) which is AWESOME!!! :)
Heidi: that is awesome about the b-days! Go Aries!!!!
BYC: a group blog is an awesome idea!!!!!
Most studios use the following guidelines when they sponsor a challenge: Doubles count. As do more, we had a woman do five in a day on our last challenge. If you bring a receipt for a class at another Bikram studio, you get credit for it. Advanced classes count. Home practice and practice in other styles may be good for the soul, but don't get studio credit.
Good luck if you move forward! I look forward to watching you progress!
I'm not sure if the Bloor studio will be open either... But I have to imagine that somewhere in Toronto, a studio will be open on New Years Day.
Go Aries!! We fire signs love the heat!
But I'll do my best!
Rebecca
Be fearless! Go for it!
Liz
Atlanta, GA