31-derful Days!

I made it to a morning class today! It was taught by N, and since she usually teaches in the morning, I haven't been in one of her classes in a long long time. She's a good, solid teacher and seems to be loved by all. It was nice to be her class again.

The air was thick as pea soup today, humid, humid, humid. N left the fans off until tree pose. The studio's fans don't really blow air, but they seem to help circulate the air a bit and reduce the humidity. I was short of breath, gasping for air throughout a good portion of standing series. It was a struggle!

I'm still experimenting with my water intake. If I stop and think about it, I am almost never thirsty at party time, so I try not to drink then, and it's easy not to. Sometimes I want to drink water before our 2 minute savasana, but I am often able to do without then as well. The pause at fixed firm post is what always gets me. By then, I am usually thirsty, but knowing that camel pose is coming up soon sometimes dissuades me from having more than a sip. Camel often makes me nauseated, especially if I drink cold water. If I don't consciously limit my water intake at fixed firm, I can guzzle down half a liter then!

I've been toting around my old red 1 liter Sigg bottle since I came back to yoga in October 2008. It has been dropped a lot, fallen off the bottle rack of my bicycle, and was accidentally stepped on by a big man. It's got chpped paint and a big dent in it. When I came back to yoga, I pretty much consumed the entire liter of water during each and every class. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I lost the old Sigg. All of my other water bottles hold a smaller volume of water. So there will never be another Whole Liter During Class day for me!

I hope to one day have a hot, sweaty class where I don't drink a single sip of water. I want to do that before the challenge is over.

Another thought about water: At one of the first Bikram classes I ever took, a student complained that his water was too warm to drink, since it was in the hot room with him. Our teacher said, "Actually, it is better for you to drink warm water. Cold water is hard on your kidneys." I don't know about that, but I do know that I have almost always been a tad averse to cold, icy beverages, even in the summer. Room temperature water doesn't make me feel sick during yoga the same way that cold water does. I always see people in class with big bottles filled mostly with ice, and it seems weird to me.

When I am trying to hydrate at home before and after class, one thing I enjoy are warm herb 'teas' (tisanes or infusions of herbs). They are easier for me to drink on cold days, and there are a lot of herbs that can help replenish minerals. Ginger has magnesium and potassium, and it's commonly used to aid digestion and treat nausea...it's the perfect herb tea for me.

Well, 31 days of of the challenge done, 70 days to go, and it is feeling pretty wonderful. I'm so glad we're doing this!