Bikram vs Crossfit....Hot Room vs The Box

I'll get to the meaning behind the title post in a minute...

First about last night.  I get in my car to start my commute home not knowing if I wanted to go to Bikram or not.  I'm tired. It was a long day. I approach the highway and say "OK, Traci...here's the deal...If there's light traffic and you're back in Quincy by 5pm (1hr drive time) you're going to class.
I start making my way onto the highway and it's nearly wide open!  Hit the jam as always approaching Route 9 and the lane drop but then it was pretty seamless.  Made it by 4:45. Well...looks like I have to drag my tired body into the studio!

Quick stop by Good Health for a few things, eat a snack (watermelon, blackberries and a Balance Bar), grab my green mat with the blue underside (I have red, black and gray ones as well but the green is my favorite) and bag and head down the street to the studio.  It's a slow walk.  My energy is low. I pop open the door and make my way up the stairs.  I'm surprised to see such a full house on the hot Monday evening! 

25 people will be sweating tonight...a good old fashioned, hot, sweaty Bikram class!

I say old fashioned because when I first started practicing (2 studio owners ago) the classes were always very full and very hot.  25 to 30 people plus a class was normal.  People use to get there 30 minutes early just to stake out a spot. Mat to mat, having to stagger with the person beside you so as not to hit each other.  I actually have seen that happen.  Another person hitting another person. Usually in a posture like Poorna Salabhasana. Pretty funny. Anyway, fast forward a few years and I can get there 5 minutes before class and be just fine.  I actually have come to really enjoy the smaller classes now.

Last night was hot. And humid. There were a few new people in the room who looked less than happy. One left he room at least 3 times. By Rabbit I'm thinking "air..where did the air go??" "I'll just walk out for a minute to get some air."  Of course I didn't. In all my years of practicing I have never left the hot room during class..not about to start now!

Class ends.  I'm tired. But a good tired, ya know? 

Now about the Box vs Hot Room...
Walking back up the street to my car with a fellow yogi we encounter the Crossfitters!  You see, a Box opened up about a month ago right beside our studio.  As we make our way up the street they decide it's good timing to do sprint drills on the sidewalk!  Seriously 30 people running at us, behind us. We look at each other..both tired and sweaty and say "they can go around us" :)

They we start talking and realize that Crossfit and Bikram, while very different, have some similarities. We both agreed it takes a very goal oriented, focused person (who also might be just a little nuts :) to to either. She likened both to having cult followings! ha! In any event I respect their practice as I hope they do ours!

Home!  Home by 7:30 asleep by 10!  I totally crashed.  Right before I made my way to bed I stepped out into the back and was drawn to the moon. It just looked beautiful last night!

I'm taking the night off from Bikram tonight..I think. Unless my car has a mind of it's own and heads there.  I have my bag packed...just in case :)

Enjoy the day and SMILE!
Traci

Tune it out -

Monday! Looks like we have another hot, humid week in store for us in Boston.  Looks like 95 or so straight through to Friday. Yay!  I actually love it. When someone starts to complain about it I say "Stop!  Do you NOT remember this past February? Remember that ONE snow storm that buried us in 30 inches of snow? Remember the nearly 100 inches total that we got?" That usually makes them appreciate the heat (for a minute anyway).

Mondays. Weekends go by way too fast don't they? Once I'm out of bed, showered and in my car I actually don't mind Monday's too much.  It's like a fresh start. A fresh set of days to get things accomplished!  I actually don't sleep well on Sunday nights because I start to think about the week ahead. Then the alarm rings at 5:30am and I'm like "already?!?!" 

Lot's of lovely Bikram yoga this weekend:

Friday evening Bikram with Tracey was so-so. Not my favorite class but felt good to be there anyway.  Tracey keeps the room way too cool and then (I think out of habit) puts the fans on.  She's known for keeping the room too cool.  My water was still cold after class. And swear I got goose bumps when she turned the fans on.  I got there 15 minutes early and was the first one to arrive.  Finally with 10 minutes to spare 4 more people came!  I was considering leaving if I was the only one. Solo class would just be weird!

Saturday 3pm with Lucas:  Small class of 7.  Great class.  I love weekend classes. And I really have come to truly like Lucas very much as a teacher.  His dialog is slow and strong where he needs to be.  He's good about giving corrections (the littlest thing can make a HUGE difference). He keeps the room heated to where it should be. He's good about assessing the room and turning on the fans for a minute to re energize and refocus the group.  He's still a newer teacher but already great and very motivating.

In Saturday's class there's this guy.  He's very good and gives 100% effort with every posture. However...He's a grunter.  And not just here and there.  With every posture!  It gets a little distracting for sure. And then there was the fidgeter beside me. I kept telling myself...stop concentrating on them!  Think about your own practice.  Yeah. Didn't work.  Kinda focused on that the entire class.  Felt strong though.

Sunday 3pm with Lucas:  It was 90 plus degrees and humid out so I was unsure how big class would be. We had 10 people.  Good class for a Sunday!  Some faces that weren't familiar to me either. But the grunter was there again and he set up camp right near me. Each and every posture..grunt. And beside him was a girl that sits out every other posture and is constantly playing with her multiple water bottles. That's fine. But it's probably a better idea not to be front and center. Behind me was a woman who kept huffing and puffing and sighing loudly.  Just one of those classes :)  But it was nice and hot and it was a wonderful class.  As I lay on my towel, feeling the heat come through the mat, I thought...I love this practice so much. My legs were actually a little shaky.  Good class!

After class in the locker room the huffer and puffer says to me "lots of noises in the room today huh?" I laugh.."yes"  She says "I guess that's part of the challenge of the practice. To try to forget about all the noise?" Me "Yes!"  It's always something I struggle with.  Trying to not be bothered by peoples noises etc. Constant battle for me!  Have to keep working on tuning it out!

I love Sunday late afternoon classes.  Great way to end the weekend and get a jump on the week ahead!

Bill and Judy (mom and dad!)

After class I went to hang out with my two favorite people..my parents!  We sat by their pool and just chatted and laughed (my dad thinks I'm hysterical/my mom lovingly says I'm wacky!).  Married for 51 years and still best of friends.  It amazes me that they spend nearly every waking moment together and still have so much fun.  And at 77 and 71 they still run at least 5 days a week.  Inspirational.




Lovely Sunday. 

  Whether you are struggling on a run, struggling with full locust or camel or whatever remember this...."I'm overwhelmed by the strength of my body and the power of my mind. For one moment, just one second, I feel immortal. " Diana Nyad

Happy running and happy yoga!
Traci

Foggy

Middle of the week already!  This time last week we were all getting ready for a nice long, hot, sunny weekend.  Oh what a difference a week makes!

Today as I look out my window it is once again very gloomy and foggy and hovering around 69 degrees.  Summer!  Some back!!! Please? Summer is so short around here as it is that when we get a week of this it just doesn't seem fair :)

I left work yesterday and had yet another pretty easy commute home! Lots of people on vacation equals less traffic equals one happy girl.
I could have easily made the 5:45 Bikram class last night.  But by 3:00 yesterday..I was sitting in my office with a very sore and again swollen foot.  I feel like I am going through the whole recovery process again.  **note to self:  When a doc says don't run yet...don't run!  Even if it "feels" better!**

Last night included lots of ice.   We'll see how it feels this afternoon.  I'll make the call later about whether or not I have a Bikram class in me tonight! Would love love love to go sweat tonight but have to be smart about the foot at the same time right? Or this thing will never heal!

My thought for today...Well my mind is constantly working so I have many thoughts flying around in there at the moment...but here's one:

I wonder if friendships with the opposite sex change into something else at a point in the relationship. I don't know.
I have this friend...we'll call him Mike.  We've been friends for over 10 years. Probably talked liked once a month. But over the past couple of years we started talking more and more. We use to share dating stories (people live for my dating stories!  I've had some interesting ones!!! I could write a book..just saying.  You would laugh for certain. Trust me!) but don't anymore. And all of the sudden here we are now and talk every single day, multiple times a day. I can't remember the last day that we didn't text. I pretty much tell him everything. Complain about injuries, good stuff that happened during the day, my running, what I'm wearing...anything that's going on. He asks for my advice about career, talks about his little brother, talks about his running, selling his house etc...really anything that's going on.  He's always telling me I'm adorable, sexy, cute, girly, sweet (there's more..but I'll leave it there)...Asks to buy me dinner. I was shopping and he gave me his credit card number to buy something!  No..I did not use it!

So now I feel confused.  I can't tell if this is just our friendship getting deeper or something more. He's a truly very nice person and very thoughtful, so is he just being his nice self?  He's my friend no doubt. I love our friendship.  But is there more?  I have no clue.  But what I do know is I don't think I would ever want to try to find out if there was something else.  I wouldn't ever want to chance loosing his friendship.

Anyway...just thought I share one of the things running around in my little mind today!  You know what would help make things clear?  Of course you do silly!  Bikram.  When things are foggy in our heads being in the hot room for 90 minutes seems to clear things up a bit.  Might not find the answer but I bet you come close.  Sometimes in Savasana I have the best ideas!

Enjoy your Wednesday and always smile!

Namaste,
Traci

38 Minutes to Bikram!

Happy Tuesday!  Tuesday is a weird day, isn't?  Nothing special about it. Just kinda there. 

So my commute yesterday afternoon?  38 minutes and I was exiting the highway! Yippee! Trust me, it can take 1.5 plus hours on a bad day, so 38 minutes and I wanted to dance! I pulled into Quincy with time to spare before Bikram started. Quick stop by Good Health Natural Foods http://www.goodhealthnaturalfood.com/index.html (needed tomato's for a veggie burger after class).  It's right up the street from the Bikram studio and I adore it. Love the products and the team that works there is just amazing.  Been going there for probably 20 years!

Quick snack of strawberries, blackberries and Balance Bar ( I have to eat a small snack RIGHT before class or I will conk out. So I always eat just before I go into the studio)  I leave my car up by the store and walk down to the studio.  Walking along, black bag draped across my body, green yoga mat in hand, I suddenly realize the temp has dropped like 20 degrees!  It's...chilly!? Then an SUV almost takes me down as I'm in the cross walk with the walk signal. Ugh.

I arrive at the studio, pull open the door, hear the familiar "click" and make my way up the stairs (those damn stairs kill me for some reason!), sign in, head into the Hot Room to place my mat down. Hot. Very hot (smile).  As expected. It's good.

Back in the locker room I notice a girl that I hadn't seen in a few years.  It was her first class back in a while.  I love that.  I love how we can take a break from our practice and come back and pick right back up where we left off.  How everyone just welcomes you back and is genuinely happy to see you!  I forget her name but she is just lovely and has a beautiful practice. 

I start chatting with an unfamiliar face. A first timer no doubt. She's nervous.  I tell her she'll be fine. Then I ask "what else do you do? Run? Bike?" She says "umm...I don't do anything." I want to exercise more and figured I'd start with this."  In my head I'm thinking "oh boy...possibly not a good idea."  But I smile and say "just listen to your body and have a good class!  Just breathe and let your body get use to and absorb the heat. Every one of us has had a first class." She then nervously follows me into the room. 

Class starts. Good size. Maybe 25 people? And hot.  Not sure on the temp but it was steamy!  Love it. Just a couple postures in I turned to check on First Timer.  She didn't look good.  She was already sitting on her mat with a very unhappy look on her face.  But I'm proud that she stayed in the room the entire class! She never left once. I hope she comes back and tries again (I told her she did great at the end of class :)

I felt very strong and determined the entire class until Rabbit.  It felt like there was literally NO air left in the room at that point. It was that kind of hot class where you're lying there and can feel the heat coming through your towel. Hot. Where you lie in Savasana and it feels like you are lying in the blazing sun (I actually thought that last night!) Hot. But this is what we like! This it what we come to crave. It's part of our experience.
Lucas opened the windows for final breathing and it was like a blast of air condition! Seriously. I actually shivered! ha! I lied in final Savasana thinking "that was amazing. what an awesome way to end the day."

After quickly changing clothes I sat on the benches in my white running skirt and red and white checkered button down shirt and talked with Lucas for a few minutes before making the short trek back to my car.  Out the door, cross the street... I have to walk by a bar that always has smokers (ick) out front. Tonight was no different.  2 guys who clearly had been drinking a while start taunting me. Slurring "a yoga girl!" loudly. getting really close to me saying "how's the yoga?" and laughing.  I stop and say "amazing" More laughing.  I smile and say nicely "you're an idiot. Go have another cigarette." and continue my walk.  Laughing stopped. HA!  I think it shocked them.  Yes, I'm like 5ft3 and 102 pounds.  No, I'm not afraid to speak up.

Hoping for another easy commute this afternoon so I can make the 5:45 class. Wish me luck! I come in early and leave by 4pm.  Even then though traffic can be a beast! One little fender bender can jam the roads. Next time you are on the highway see how many people are texting and driving. It's insane.

Oh...this guy?  Who the heck is that, you ask?  Well...that, of course, is my Pink Panther Yogi!  A friend actually got him for me when I did a 30 Day Challenge back in 2009 and he stuck by side since.  I've been with 2 companies since then and he has made the journey with me.  He sits on the wall in my office...reminding me of my Bikram practice! I know...I'm quirky :)

Have a happy afternoon.
Namaste,
Traci

Every morning...

I love that every morning I wake up to a new bud that has bloomed!  So pretty. What a nice way to start the day.

Anyway...the long 4th of July weekend has just passed and it was wonderful to have a nice little break!  Our company was closed Friday so it was a nice 4 day weekend for us.  Waking up this morning and getting out the door by 6:15am?  Not so nice! I'm a pretty organized person though so everything is ready to go the night before.  I just basically shower, grab my bags and go.  30 minutes max and I'm out the door.

The weather was HOT and sunny the entire weekend. I think today the heat wave is finally suppose to break. I actually don't mind the heat (thank you Bikram!) but I know a lot of people are bothered by it.  Since we deal with so much cold and snow in the winter I will almost NEVER complain about the heat. It's summer. I want to feel like it's summer!

Running update: Not good news here.  Well...looks like I was a bit over zealous. My foot has reacted badly to my easing back to running.  I was doing OK until my July 4th run.  I was nearing the end of the run and I felt that familiar pain in my heel.  I knew it was over.  I stopped and walked last 1/4 mile back. 
I got back to where I had parked my car and was greeted to a parade!  For me??? How nice! Um, no, silly.  Being July 4th there's an annual neighborhood parade by where I live. Neighbors make some pretty elaborate floats.  It's quite the event! This year I would say most (if not all) of the floats were the Boston Strong theme. Very cool.

So I'm limping along and sweating (because it's like 95 degrees and HUMID) and the Mayor says "good run?"  Me..."not really!" he laughs.

I find a quiet spot and sit on the curb and start taking the tape off my foot. And there it is.  I can see the heel starting to swell up again.  Ugh.  Damn it!  I must have looked upset because a guy walks up and says "Are you OK? Do you need water?" I smile and say "Thanks, no." Then he pauses and says "you want a beer?"  I laugh and say I think I'll stick to Gatorade. 

Heel got worse by the evening and kind of put a damper on my 4th. I enjoyed being around family though ( I have the best family!).  At least I know now running is not in my near future. I'm taking the rest of the summer off and we'll see how it is come September.  Hoping for the best but for now I've come to terms with the fact that running will not be part of my life this summer. So sad!

Bikram...
This of course has made me once again realize how very lucky I am to have Bikram in my life.  Good for body mind and spirit! 

I went to class Saturday with a sore foot and a shattered spirit. It was a very small class with just 6 people.  We were all a bit low energy pre-class.  Once class started you could just feel the energy in the room building.  We were all getting stronger and stronger together with each posture.  I love that.  And for 90 minutes I forgot about everything.  And by the end I was clearer. So you can't run for now. So what? Do something else! I walked out of the studio with a smile on my face and a much happier girl than when I walked in. Always, always a good idea to go practice. Just puts you in a better place.

Sunday's class was equally as good.  Again just 6 of us.  3 girls, 3 guys.  I've really come to love these tiny little classes! You almost feel connected to the others in the room. Class flew by and before we knew it we were in final Savasana.  Just a "nice" class.  Temp wasn't very hot. I like it on the hotter side, but I just enjoyed the practice and loved being in the room. Thankful.

So here we are at Monday.  A fresh new week to make things happen.  Lot's going on at work right now and lots of roles to fill!

Hoping I can make it to Bikram tonight.  As always, it depends on traffic. If traffic cooperates I can make it back for the 5:45. Never know what the highways will have in store for you on any given day. Fingers crossed!

Have lovely summer day!
Namaste
Traci

Ice Cream Truck Day!

I love holiday week commutes!  I leave my house pretty early most days to miss the heavy traffic. Even with leaving at 6:15am it generally takes me at least an hour and 15 min. Bad days? 1.5 hours.  Today? 40 minutes!  Yipee!  The commute home is usually worse. A really, really bad day..a rainy day perhaps..or throw an accident in...can take close to 2 hours. Insane. Boston area traffic can be brutal to say the least.  So this week I'm just going to enjoy the quiet highways!

People ask me all the time why I choose to work for a company located in a spot where the commute is horrible.  My answer?  I adore my company.  I love the team I work with, our product and space (Healthcare Analytics/Informatics) and my role here!  I'm very fortunate to work with such a talented and bright team every day. I've been a Corporate Recruiter/Talent Acquisitions for about 10 years and I truly LOVE what I do.  Such a great feeling being able to connect someone to the right opportunity and at the same time grow our company. I love when I need a break and I can shut the door to my office and look at this for a few minutes...Although we are in a city our office building is away from the traffic etc.  Feels like the country!



Ok, you ask...so then why, Traci, don't you move closer to your work?  Good question! Answer:  Because I love where I live too!  I'm comfortable and enjoy living right on the water. Sitting outside watching the boats go by on a warm summer evening or watching a snow storm roll in across the water...love it.



So I get through the traffic woes. Some days wear on me more than others. Some days I sit in my car looking at a sea of red brake lights and think..I'm going to lose my mind if we don't start moving! (insert curses where you think they might go!) My poor mom has been on the receiving end of more than one traffic meltdown call. Thanks, Mom! I'm almost certain when she sees a "traci" call coming in during commute time she thinks twice about answering. :)

Most days I just listen to the radio (mostly talk on the evening drive), eat a snack (I'm always prepared with a mini healthy picnic! ha). I know I'll get home eventually. What I've come to realize is somehow, some way it seems when you love what you do the commute is more manageable. It's just part of your day.  You accept it.

So aside from the traffic "stuff"..in other news...I did a walk/run (well slow jog I guess) yesterday to test the foot. Did OK!  I just did 30 minutes on the treadmill.  Started off with a power walk and worked up to a 12 min mile.  I know, I know..SLOW!  But I was just happy to be at least doing that.  I was scared about how it would feel today. So how does it feel?  Pretty good! Making progress. I just need to remember to be patient and not add too much too soon.

Today's workout:  Treadmill/yoga at home 

AND I was just reminded today is Ice Cream Truck Day here at Verisk! 2 Friday's ago we had Friday Happy Hour. :)

Enjoy your Tuesday and smile!

Happy running!
Traci

Two shoes!

Happy July 1st! Lovely weekend here in the Boston area. Though right now it's completely overcast and not so nice. I'm hopeful the sun will make an appearance today!

Summer really is my favorite time of the year.  What's not to love....
It's when we trade in our boots, jeans, winter coats and gloves for flip flops, mini skirts, cute little tank tops and sunglasses!  We go from running tights and layers to run skirts and tanks. We go from dashing from the car to the house wincing in the bitter cold air as snow is blasting our face to wanting to be outside as much as possible soaking in the sunshine and warm breeze.  From shoveling snow and scraping the inch of ice that has encased our cars to enjoying the fact that we live on the water and head to the beach or out on the boat.  Ah..summer...it's short so all the more reason to enjoy every single second of it. 
I swear, people are just more pleasant this time of year. They seem to smile more, to say thank you more. Understandable, I guess, right?!?

Anyway...Bikram Saturday. It was...well..interesting.  I truly try not to let things bother me, but this got to me. We all know being late for class is not only not acceptable, it's not allowed.  Doors are suppose to be locked.  You're late, sorry. See you tomorrow. Right? Right. I started noticing this happening a couple of weeks ago (people coming in late) but this past Saturday it was annoying!

We had already done breathing and half moon 1st set.  During the second set the door opens and in walks this guy, mat and towels and water in hand.  It was a complete distraction.  He walks right up to the front, tosses his mat DIRECTLY in front of me, rolls out his towels, situates his water bottle and stands there.  Then the instructor walks out of class to push the button to lock the door.  Not cool.

Now, it was NOT a crowded class by any definition. He did not need to place the mat right in front of me. I glared at him, shook my head and shifted my mat.  Yoga etiquette, dude! Don't come in late and don't put yourself right in front of me so I have to look at your back the whole class rather than myself working through the postures. I seriously spent the rest of the standing series annoyed and distracted.  Also, he is clearly injured and not doing the postures.  He spent most of the class either just standing or lying in Savasana. Apparently he has a streak of coming he doesn't want to break. Silly. 

Ok, so that brings up this...the door are suppose to be locked when class starts.  Nobody is suppose to be able to enter the building.  This is clearly stated.  So why is our instructor leaving the door unlocked for people who call and say they will be late?  Aside from the distraction factor it's also a safety issue. When class starts there is no one in the outer lobby.  Everyone there is in the hot room.  So anyone can walk in off the street and go through our bags in the locker rooms.  Again, just not cool.

Ok!  Moving on now that I have that off my chest! Sometimes we just need to vent :)

Sunday's class was, thankfully, much better. Very hot, no fans, no doors opened, no latecomers. A nice, hot, energized class.  Great way to start the week!

Exciting news!  (well..for me anyway :) ...this is my first full day sans the air cast!  Look...I have two shoes on (tho flip flops are probably not the best choice)!  Still not able to run but making progress for sure.  I just want to be able to enjoy at least some of the glorious summer running weather. Running...my long lost friend..I miss you! I seriously miss everything about it.  Bikram is of course a love as well and leaves you feeling wonderful. I'm thankful for the practice. But for me nothing replaces that feeling of running with just your thoughts and your music and enjoying the ride. I adore the fact that as long as I have my running shoes with me (I keep a pair in my car, my office and at home..have to be ready!) I can run.  There's no schedule. No rush to get through traffic so I don't miss class. Just go when I can. When I want. Soon!

Namaste and Happy Running!

luv traci