Some changes...

We're about a quarter of the way there now! It's feeling pretty good to me.

Yesterday, I attended a class taught by a teacher who is sometimes feared in these parts. She is known for being really tough on students, demanding that they try harder. We had only about 15 people in class, so the potential to be "picked on" seemed high. I was apprehensive, but it was an amazing class. Teacher was pushing us, but it felt completely positive.

I wonder if she has changed, or if I have changed how I perceive her. She gave me very specific individual instructions to improve camel pose, and while it was a struggle, a challenge for me, it really helped. I remember a long ago class where this same teacher criticized me in fixed-firm pose, and it made me so discouraged that I sat out the next couple of postures. My teacher may have softened the edges of her instruction a bit, but I think that more yoga, a stronger practice, has cleared my mind a little. Some of the self-doubt, pessimism, and self-consciousness is being swept away. It's such a gradual process, what yoga does to the mind, that you don't even realize it's happening...then suddenly, you are able to accept things differently, for the better.

This evening, I attended a hot, humid, packed in like sardines class with several first-timers. I'd had a slightly crappy day and didn't really feel like going to yoga. Class really lifted my spirits. Once I got there, I realized that I felt very well, physically. I was properly hydrated, rested, and had taken my supplements. Some days, when I walk into the studio, it feels oppressively hot. Some days, it feels good, like, "Ah, back where I belong!" It felt like "Ah!" today. I think this was one of those group energy days...it was just a good strong class.

Prior to this 101 Challenge, Bikram Yoga classes often felt like the longest 90 minutes ever. I worried that they might seem even more so if I went to class every day. Instead, I find that classes mostly seem to fly by faster each day!