Day 89??!! It's Happening So Quickly!

I can't believe we're so close to the finish line! I don't want it to end. I think. I am in yoga bliss tonight. I can still recall many a night when I've felt depleted, drained, and cranky after class. It hasn't all been bliss! But right now, I am loving my yoga practice and loving the 101 Challenge with all of my heart.

Tonight we had a couple of newbies practicing at the back of the room, and two very pregnant (7 mo and 8mo along) women were set up next to the door. It was a fairly crowded class, but the room was cool, at least by our studio's standards. Our studio is known for being very hot. Our teacher opened the window a little for a bit, and also kept the exhaust fans on, so it was quite comfortable!

I wish it were not so, but I tend to do better at cooler classes. Too often, too hot and humid = depleted and cranky Sisya. Tonight I had one of my best classes ever. I felt very strong, and I saw progress in some of my postures. I felt very focused. I had to work at my focus, remind myself to ignore distractions, stay with the moment, listen to our teacher. It was a very satisfying class. If it hadn't been the last class of the day, I might have stayed for a double.

Last night I had a so-so, okay class. After class, I cleaned the studio. I do a couple of hours work each week as a trade for my studio membership and unlimited yoga classes there. I took a little break between cleaning the mirrors and getting the showers scrubbed, and I sat down and read a few random bits of Bikram's 'new' book, the one with the yellow/gold cover. I've read this book cover to cover several times, and I leaf through it every now and then. I always learn something new each time I read or reread any part of it. On the rereads, I often find myself thinking, "Wow, I thought I understood that when I read it before, but now I really understand it." Not even the parts about postures, but what Bikram says about how our minds work.

And it's just like that with the practice of yoga. I think I've understood a posture, or thought I did it 'correctly,' and then upon closer examination or review, I realize something entirely new about it, and I think, "Now I really understand it!"

Just about every kind of spiritual practice or teaching that I've ever encountered is very much like our yoga in this way: You can always revisit or review it and find more depth. The deeper you get into it, the more meaning you discover. The more you practice, the more the meanings--or the comprehension or the feelings or the benefits--grow exponentially. It's amazing stuff, this yoga.