Bikram Yoga Challenge: Day 30.

Today was Day 30 of the Bikram 101 Day Challenge. And I have only one feeling right now:

BLAH!

But as I was going through the posts from the first 30 days in the previous Bikram 101 Day Challenge, I found this post which reminded me that there are phases for your body in this challenge...

• 30-Days: A readjustment period... You're getting your body primed for an on-going practice. Just getting through a 30 consecutive day challenge is a difficult for most people. It can be difficult to mentally commit yourself to going to class for 30 consecutive days. 
• 60-Days: In the 60-day challenge, the second 30 days are 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: This is when your body suddenly (or so people claim) changes shape. You will notice in the 30 and 60-day challenges that muscles and body parts tighten up. But 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. You can see your "yoga bum" starting to take shape. 
• 100-Days: Ten extra days, just to make things a nice big number... 
• 101-Days: Because you just have to show up for one extra day.

The first 30 days has definitely been a readjustment period for me. While I am not proud of how class went today (I sat out second sets of a lot of the Floor Series and my lower spine is killing on forward bends), I am proud of the fact that I got to class every day during this challenge. Every. Day. No doubles needed. I think I have done that ONCE in a 30-Day Challenge. The first time, six years ago.

I am already noticing, though, my body starting to change.  I can go deeper in awkward. My balance is back to where it was three years ago at the END of the 101 Day Challenge. My hips aren't quite as open yet... But getting there.

So I guess I can't be too hard on myself. It's going to take time to feel like I am kicking ass in class.

And going through my old posts I also found this old Bikram quote...

"Your journey to Self-Realization will be a long one; it's not an overnight thing, like they Fed-Ex it to you or something."