Working at my Maximum

Hi! Hope you all had an awesome weekend. It actually felt pretty mild out there today, warmer than it has been in a long time. No sun, but I wanted to look like a cool chic so I still sported the shades anyway. :) Weekends are just so recharging aren't they? It's like we get to Sunday evening and I'm ok with the fact that it's Monday tomorrow. Well...Almost ok. Of course it would always be nice to enjoy a 3-day weekend EVERY weekend.


Let's talk Bikram shall we?

Saturday's 3:30 class with Hannane. Oh Hannane...How are you doing it? Hannane is 30 weeks pregnant and still teaching like a rock star. She cracked me up yesterday though. I enter the studio, she looks up from the desk, smiles and says...I was going to ask you to move your car so I could park there. See, I had secured a nice prime spot directly in front of the studio and she had to park all the way up Hancock and waddle....um, I mean walk...down. I wish she had tapped on my window. I absolutely would have moved for her! Next time, Hannane.

Class? It was good. Nothing really stands out as notable. Maybe just the fact that the pace was very quick. Her classes are like that. She holds you in postures for a little extra time and then moves quickly on to the next. No rests in between. As I type this I can't really remember class. It's so odd. Usually I can remember the entire class from breathing to final Savasana. Or at least pieces of the 90 minutes. I honestly can't even remember who was practicing around me. Very strange. Oh well. I just know I felt good after.

Sunday's 10am class with Sherie. It was awesome. My stomach felt a little off this morning so I didn't have a snack before class. Made sure to hydrate well before though. Set up in my favorite corner with Yong and her husband Mark. These two are an amazing pair. Such great people to practice beside. I love their attitudes, how they can laugh at themselves and at the same time I love the determination in their eyes to just keep on going. They make class fun. I guess I hope that's what people say about me too!

Anyway, it's about 9:50am and there are still PLENTY of open spots on the floor. It has started folks. I was wondering how long it would take. The New Years Resolutions people are starting to drop off. Slowly, but it's definitely happening. By the time class begins in very full, but not packed like the past couple of weeks. Still good room to move a bit. Actually it was a pretty perfect size if you ask me.

Class begins and as in every morning class my shoulders feel tight during the opening breathing series. But my body and mind feel strong. Half-moon...Sherie has a way of getting me to my maximum. And she knows it. So if I am hanging out and not going deep enough she definitely lets me know. It feels so good when I drop all the way down. Mental note here: Go to your maximum right away Traci. Every time!

Class cruises by nicely. I worked hard and with purpose. Sherie did and awesome demo for Standing Head to Knee using 5 yogis. All are at different points in the posture. Great visual. How impressed are you guy’s that I accept the stop and start now? Second set Sherie tells me to just go, don't think. So I do and forehead is on my knee. There ya have it. Just get into the posture!

Notable on the floor: Cobra pose. Sherie kept giving me great direction the entire pose. And I tell ya, this posture never felt so good. I could feel 100% of my back muscles doing 100% of the work. Left me open and happy. For the first time in a while when we hit Camel I was tired. This was a good tired. I knew I had worked my body hard. And Camel felt lovely as it always does.

Class ends and I take my time in final Savasana. I let my body sink into the floor and totally relax. It felt amazing. I look in the mirror as I stand to exit the Hot Room. I’m drenched. There's not a dry inch on me and my face is red as can be. What a great thing! I smile ever so slightly knowing I had put in a good practice today. Thanks for getting me to work to my maximum Sherie! What a difference!

So that's it. It was a good couple of days of Bikram. Some fun with friends. And now here we are at Sunday evening, preparing for the busy week ahead. I'm hoping to get to the studio Sunday (Sherie DONE), Monday (Mimi), Tuesday (Maria), Wednesday (Sherie), Saturday (Hannane). That would put me at 5 practices for the week. I'll get in 4 for sure, 5 if work isn't so crazy. Day at a time. No stress. No pressure.

Have a lovely Sunday evening all, take a deep breath and let's get ready for the week ahead of us! Oh...and smile...never forget to smile! Challengers: That goes extra for you! SMILE, BREATHE, HAVE FUN.

Cheers! Traci