Not just aha but...A......HA!

We have arrived at Friday my friends! Welcome and happy freaking day! This has been a very long and busy week at work. Not complaining. Busy is good! Especially when so many companies are struggling. Busy is good! But whew, it’ll be good to catch my breath for a couple of days. Don’t you agree?


Last night I was here at the office until just about 7pm. Bikram wasn’t on my schedule last night so at least I don’t feel like I was missing out on it. Isn’t that the worst? When you have your bag with you and you miss class? Hate that. My plan was to head out for a scheduled run once I got home. But I did what I usually try not to do. I gave in to being tired. Sorry, but sometimes you just have to. Schedules and plans are great starting points to get us organized but it’s ok to make adjustments as needed. I decided if I did get into my running gear and head out for a run it wouldn’t be pretty. Still in my work clothes I flopped down...seriously flopped, as in totally collapsed...on my cozy, fluffy bed and returned some calls.

Every day this week I have interviewed between 6 and 8 candidates (as you can see we are still hiring like crazy here!). That’s a lot of talking! I never tire of talking about our company and learning about candidates. People are so interesting. And I have even met a few candidates who practice Bikram! Imagine that.

Last night my vocals cords were shot. Even today my voice is a bit scratchy...hmmm maybe I kind of have that sexy voice now? Ok, maybe not. I returned calls, but my calls were brief. I felt somewhat rejuvenated after about half an hour. Made myself some gnocchi topped with vegetables, some butternut squash sauce and tons of fresh ground pepper (I’m a pepper freak, took a nice long bath, watched a little TV (though I can’t even recall what the heck I watched), and called it a night. It felt so good to crawl into bed. The minute my head hit the pillow I was out like a light. Good. Night!

Woke up this morning ready to go! Bring it on world. Show me what ya got! Today is a total catch up and reorganizing day for me. I’m close to filling a few key roles here. Couple of offers to present, one offer was just accepted, candidate searches, paperwork catch up, special project, new hire paperwork for Monday...that’s kind of my agenda for today. Little bit of everything.

I just went out to grab lunch as was thinking as a drove along. Every once in a while in our practice we have a BIG “AHA” moment. I had one this week. I think it was actually lots of little ones that added up and came to me as one big one. Something just totally clicked and it felt like a light went off in my head. You hear the words the teachers say so often, but many times never really listen to them. We’re on auto pilot. But this week I listened. I heard. And I got it. What I finally get is what this practice is all about. Sure, we put ourselves in that room and work so hard to make our butts cute, to create tight abs, to get that yoga glow and to sweat. And initially that’s probably the only reason we start this practice. Oh but wait! It’s so much more. It’s about the mind. It’s about learning to deal with situations as they are thrown at you, accepting things and knowing you have the power to change things, learning how to be calm and peaceful, learning how not to let little things bother you. I don’t know what triggered it, but it clicked with me. I almost feel like I’m at a different place in my practice now. A good place. Oh yes...I still love the positive effects it has at toning up the body. But I also love how I can be in that room and let less and less things bother me. How I can be an encouraging source for another person. There’s just so much to this Bikram we practice. So much. This is powerful stuff for certain. I am truly thankful to have it as part of my life.

So here we are. Friday. Good plans for the weekend? I sense there will be a little recharging, re-energizing in store for everyone.

No work out yesterday and today will be another day sans workout for me. Looking forward to a great Birkam class tomorrow afternoon though! Meeting friends out after work for some food and drinks. Perfect way to end the week. I see a nice margarita in my future this evening. On the rocks, salted rim please. And I’m craving pizza too! I truly think pizza is the perfect food. So good. Has to be a nice thin crust, light on the cheese topped with black olives and sliced tomato though. Perfection.

Enjoy your Friday everyone! Do something fun and surround yourself with people who make you laugh. And smile. Just the act of smiling has a way of making us feel instantly better.

Cheers! Traci

Staying Present, Having Fun

Hi! What a beautiful sunny day out there today. The sun is beaming in my office and feels so good! Sunshine just has a way of making you happy doesn’t it? And of course something else makes me happy...ok a few things actually make me happy...One of those things just happens to be a great Bikram class.


Last Night: 6:30pm Bikram with Sherie: Fun Class!
As I mentioned last night my 5:00 meeting was rescheduled so I was able to skip on over to the 6:30 class with Sherie. Made it to the studio with plenty of time to spare. I had the feeling it was going to be another crowded class. And it was. Set myself up in a nice hot spot way away from any doors. One girl comes in with like 5 minutes to spare. Looks around and tip toes up to the front. People were avoiding the hot corner for some reason last night so the last really open spot was right up front with me. She said she hates the front. I tell her we’d have fun. We could work off each others energy. It’ll be great! She gingerly unrolled her matt looking unconvinced, fixed her hair in braids and sat looking nervous. People were still coming in so class gets started late. After 1st set of breathing class stops to shift mats around to make room for some last minute arrivals. Usually this would really bother me, to start and stop, but I have really been trying to let things go a little more. So I just stood and smiled. Oh and breathed too.

Class was full so of course there was awesome energy. I don’t think there were any 1st timers but there were certainly PLENTY of people on their 10 day intro. The two guys behind me who are about a week or so in really have taken to this yoga. They look almost like pros. I think they’ll be sticking around. They still get the scrunched up face from time to time but they’ll be ok. Since there were so many newer people Sherie stopped class (I think that’s why) after 1st set of Triangle to do some demos on how it should really look. Again, you know this would normally annoy me, but for some reason last night I just tried to roll with it. I tried to take class in stride. I think I did a pretty good job of keeping my mind present. Not getting ahead in postures. Staying present and just having fun. Yoga is fun guys, we need to remember that. Sometimes I forget.

And the heat? It was GOOD! The heat was pumping so much so that the fans didn’t bother a particular yogi who hates the fans...ahem...that would be me. Standing series is good, except for the fact that my hip was killing on certain postures so I had to pull back a bit. Really only hurts in Standing Head to Knee, left leg kickout; Toe Stand and wind removing on the floor. Odd. Oh well.

Sherie announced that one of the girls practicing last night is a cancer survivor. She took no treatment but kept practicing yoga. Today she is doing great and cancer free! Right in the middle of class all 40 plus of us broke into applause. There I am thinking...And I’m complaining about a little hip pain? PLEASE Traci!

Rest of the class rolls along nicely. I get a few corrections from Sheri. Of course I love and always listen to corrections. This is how we grow and get better! And  the girl beside me who hates the front did great.  I could see she was pushing herself to her edge. She looked tried in the end, but I sense she will be pleased with herself today.

Class ends and I am happy and I’m drenched. I note again how I always bring water in with me but never drink it. I just have it there by my side “in case”. Kind of like my security blanket. I also noticed how I use to wipe the sweat away more; no I just let it roll. It’s just sweat right? Sweat is good!

In final Savasana Sherie was telling us how yes this yoga is great for our bodies, but just as great for our minds. I loved when she said “maybe next time you go to say something really mean to someone, you’ll say something really kind instead.” That’s what Bikram helps us do. It helps us be calmer, happier, gentler human beings. It just does. Or at least I think it makes us more conscious of decisions we make and how we act. How we handle situations that are stressful. And don’t forget the muscles, have to love them too!

Tonight is a scheduled run. I have another 5:00pm meeting today that I sense will go well over an hour. Hoping to get home by 6:30 or so I can head out for a light run. If it gets too late I might just hop on the treadmill. Just have to see how I feel. I’m already looking forward to my next scheduled visit to the Hot Room!

Ok people that’s all I have for today. I truly hope you all have a fab rest of your day. If Bikram is on your calendar please have a great practice. Just remember, it might not always be perfect, but it’s always good! Always. Like they say, just show up to the studio, get in that hot room and the rest is optional.

101’ers Stay Strong and Smile! You are all doing amazing!

Cheers...Traci

Nobody is Perfect

Hi all! Mid week already. Can you believe it? Week is zipping right by.


Here in Massachusetts an amazing thing happend last night. Republican Scott Brown was elected to the Senate! Brown will be Massachusetts first Republican Senator since 1972! Wow! I couldn't be more pleased. His speech last night was amazing. Full of energy and talking to the crowd like he was on their level. I think he's going to rock Washington! Congratulations Scott Brown.

As suspected I never made it out of the office until late last night, after 6:30pm. So Bikram was out. Sadly. I probably could have used it for my pounding headache too. By the time I got home alls I wanted to do was lay down and close my eyes. The headache started to come on early in the day and got worse and worse. i seemed to be pulled in a million different directions yesterday. Oh I hate headaches! Rather than giving in I decided to just do a very easy treadmill run. Very easy. I hopped on for 30 minutes at a nice easy pace. Really I just wanted to see if it would kick the headache out. Nope. Pretty much lasted all night. Oh well a little headaches not going to kill me. I could not even decide what to eat for dinner. Nothing sounded good. I ended up with Amy Vegetarian Vegetable soup and a green salad. Easy and quick.

I was keeping an eye on the poll results all evening and it was clear Brown was about to win the election. Scott Brown came on TV with his speech at around 11pm and it was fantastic. My friend and I were texting back and forth. He thought it was just as amazing as I did. Let's hope he can do some great things for us!

So at Bikram the other day in the locker room I'm waiting for the bathroom right before class is set to start. I notice this woman kind of staring at me. She's new to the studio. So I kind of smile at her. Then she says...If I was skinny like you I'd have the guts to wear those tiny little shorts and tight tank too! There she was standing there in her "Bikram Snowsuit" aka, long pants and long t-shirt. Not looking comfortable.

OH! I say...The key is to be comfortable in there. I told her to look around. There are people of all shapes, sizes and ages. No one is judging. Really, they're not. I told her how I use to feel self conscious of being too skinny, how I use to hate exposing my thin arms (now with nice little muscles thank you very much Bikram) but you get over it. I would rather be comfortable. The more comfortable you are in your clothes, the less tugging and pulling you'll do. The more you will be able to concentrate on your practice and stay still and just breathe. She kind of smirked and said ok...hoping I got through to her.

It makes me sad when people compare themselves to others. None of us is perfect. NONE of us. We're all different and unique. Different is good. Imagine if we all looked the same! How boring would that be? So please, shed the Bikram Snowsuit, walk into that room with your head held high and be proud of yourself. Be proud that you are there in the hot room doing something very good for yourself.

 

Update on my hip:  Still hurts, but I think it's slowwwly getting better.  Someone commented I was limping a little bit less today so that's a start!  Been rubbing Badger Balm on it (sore muscle rub) which feels pretty good.  In class on Monday I couldn't go down in Toe Stand left side. Just hurt too much, so I stayed in Tree pose. I think that's the first time I didn't go down to Toe Stand.  Felt kind of wimpy but I always preach to people to listen to their bodies and I guess that's what I was doing for myself.


So my friends, I hope you all have a fabulous Wednesday.  Hoping like hell to get to Bikram at 6:30 with Sherie tonight.  Have another 5pm meeting so I'll just have to see how it goes.  If I can't make it to Bikram I'll be heading outside for a run. Honestly Bikram sounds much more appealing to me right now.

"Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.”Winston Churchill:  In Bikram the only tools we need is our bodies. We've got them so let's go use them!

BIG UPDATE: Just talked to my 5:00 meeting and he needs to reschedule until next week. So you know what that means?  BIKRAM tonight! So happy. That just made my day :)

                                             
Cheers! Traci

Bikram tonight? Hope so!

Hello! I'll give you one guess what it's doing outside. Good guess!  That's right, snow is falling from the sky here yet again. Someone just stopped by my office and said...I didn't know it was suppose to snow today. My response: Just bank on it snowing everyday and if it doesn't, then great, a bonus! It's not really sticking even though it's been snowing since I arrived at work at 7:15 this morning.

I hadn't looked at my Outlook calendar since I left work on Friday so I was surpised to see my very packed schedule for today.  I forgot I had scheduled 8 meetings for today. Flying from one to the next today with my last one starting at 5:00pm. Oh No! That puts my Birkam class in jeopardy tonight. I have my bag right beside me here ready to go. So if the meeting is brief I can still make it.  I adore Maria's class and would hate to miss it tonight. Even if I run into the studio 5 minutes before class, it'll be worth it.  Wish me luck!

The co-workers who are suppose to come with me. Yeah, they're not.  Rachel has a bad cold, Mike came to me and said he's not mentally ready and Dave is avoiding me. I don't want to push them. When they're ready to go, that's when they'll come.  Until then I'll just keep planting the seed. I remember I was the same way before my first class.

I just received another requisition to fill. Usually the Hiring Managers will give me plenty of time to fill the roles but this time they need me to hire 12 people for a Monday 1/25/10 start.  Whew. I generally like a bit more notice. I'm working with outside agencies to help me get it done.  It'll get done, just going to be another one of those weeks. Deep breathing, lots and lots of deep breathing!

My Workout Plan for the Week:
Sunday: Bikram: Done (10am Sherie)
Monday: Bikram: Done (4:30pm Chris)
Tuesday: Bikram (or run pending schedule) (6:30pm)
Wednesday: Bikram (6:30pm)
Thursday: Run
Friday: Run
Saturday: Bikram (3:30pm)

Oh and before I forget. I had picked up a lasagne in the prepared foods section at Whole Foods. One word. Yum! If you like lasagne be sure to check it out. Pair it with garlic bread, greens salad and a glass of wine. so good.

Ok I better get going since my next meeting is right around the corner.  Hoping I can make it to class this evening.  Have an awesome day all!

Cheers...Traci

Hot Room I Love You!

Hi Everyone!  Did you all enjoy your Monday?  We had a day off for the Martin Luther King Holiday today. Even though it was cold, sleeting and flurrying I didn't care.  A day off is a day off. Am I right? Kind of weird because most people were actually working today, but  good anyways.

I toyed with either the 9:30am Bikram this morning or the 4:30pm.  I felt like being lazy this morning and easing into my day so I opted for the 4:30.  I have no idea where the first half of the day went. Honestly, before I knew it, it was 1:00pm and I was still puttering around the house. Yikes. I better get moving or the whole day will be a bust.  When I actually have a free day I hate to waste it doing nothing. Does that sound weird? Anyway, so I grab my yoga stuff and head out. And I have no plan on where I'm going.  If you know me well you know this is not like me at all. I always have a plan. A list. An agenda. I found myself at Sports Authority where they were having a great sale.  I was in there for a pretty long time and I was happy to see it was time to make my way to the studio. I came to the conclusion I'm no good without an agenda or a plan of action. I just feel lost. Good God I'm such a structured person! Too structured perhaps? I don't know. It works for me so I guess it's ok.

Anyway, the 4:30 class with Chris. Get there at 4:00 and set my mat up in the front corner.  Unfortunately the smelly guy (I hate to be mean, but them are the facts folks) sets up beside me and is lying there with his legs wide open making some strange noises. I guess warming up? Hmph. Not good.  I decide I can't deal with it so I move my mat over a few spots. Ahhh much better. Out in the lobby I'm talking with Phyllis whose saying how she had a migraine but forced herself to come.  We both agree it was a good decision to come. We always feel better after class. As we are chatting people are piling into the studio. Chris tells me there were 51 people in the 9:30 class!  Now THAT'S a full class. We ended up with I would say maybe 42 in our class. Still lots of newbies. One new guy beind me totally rocked his first class. He looked like he knew exactly what he was doing and flowed through the postures.  I think his name was Anthony...Bravo!

My practice today:  Was good! I'm in love with the fact that I adore the HOT room again.  For a few weeks I was a bit cold to it but I'm back. I'm back to really just enjoying the hell out of every single second of those 90 minutes. Oh! And Full Locust! Something totally clicked second set and up my legs went. Chris was in he back of the room and said, there it is Traci, go higher, higher.  That's it! Go right there everytime. It felt so good. And as I turned my head in Savasana, I smiled at myself.  I kept hearing BYC's helpful hints.  Guess what, it worked! Thanks Michelle :).  Class was great. It ends and I'm in final Savasana wishing I'd brought another set of clothes. I would have done a double (never done a double!) if I had dry clothes. Maybe next time.

What an absolute perfect way to end my day off.  Chris, your class was fab today. Thanks!

To the 101 Day Challengers:  Stay strong, smile and take it one day, one practice, one posture at a time. You all are amazing me! Truly.

Have a fantastic rest of your Monday everyone and tomorrow is already Tuesday.  Which reminds me.  3 co-workers are suppose join me for class tomorrow.  Hmmm, I think I've heard that before.  Rachel, Mike and Dave...you reading this?  This is me holding you guys accountable.  I know you guys will love Bikram. I just know it!  Look forward to practicing with the 3 of you tomorrow at 6:30! Ok?

As usual my stomach is talking to me.  it's telling me it's time for dinner and who am I to deny it! Good night guys!

Cheers...Traci

Bikram Kicks Cold to the Curb

Hi everyone! Hope your Sunday is going well so far. Little rainy out there right now and I guess it's supposed to switch over to snow later. Whatever. I've surrendered to winter knowing that it won't last forever.


Anyway, so if you read my blog yesterday you know I was not feeling well. I was having an internal fight with myself about whether I should go to Bikram or not. Well, as the day went on I felt worse and worse. My head felt like it might explode at any minute. Not a particularly good feeling. So I decided against yoga.

This morning? Well that's a whole other story my friends! I woke up still not feeling great but decided at this point the very best thing I could do for myself was head to class. So off I went to the 10am with Sherie. I arrived at 9:30am and could already tell this was going to be yet another packed house. Still lots of new people hanging on. Mat to mat with I would say around the 48 mark again. Got a nice spot up front in the corner. Class was very good. It was hot. Very hot and there was amazing energy in the room. And these new people? They are good! They try so hard and I didn't see many of them sitting out postures. Good for them!!!

Due to my little cold I was feeling a little weak at times but pushed on. i've never sat out a posture and a little cold was not about to make me do that now! Sherie gave me some awesome corrections. I love corrections and will always listen and try my hardest to get it right. By Tree/Toe Stand you could just hear the sweat dripping off people onto their mats. We were raining. Sherie commented it sounded like the Rain Forest. And it did! It's a good sound. Fans came on and you know what? It didn't bother me at all! Felt good not to be fighting with them. I was happy to hit the floor for Savasana. I totally let my body sink into the floor and recharge.

Floor series was good if a little weak for me. Just make it Camel...I kept saying...and all will be good. And it was. We arrive at final breathing and I'm thinking my body is very happy to have sweated out some of this cold. I swear I always come out of that room feeling better. When I got home I was a touch more tired than usual, but many of the cold symptoms have all but disappeared. My shower felt so, so....soooo good. Yes it did. Oh Bikram...I love you so. Have I said that lately? Because I really do. And good, solid, strong teachers, you got give them credit too! They are the ones who lead us through our practice, who motivate us, who joke with us, who make us smile when we want to frown. Class after class they are the ones who say such inspirational and thought provoking things. Quincy Bikram Yoga teachers...Thank you!

Mimi, Maria, Chris, Audrey, Hannane, Sherie...You all rock and deserve a big thank you from all of us! You truly touch lives and help so many. You probably are getting through to more people than you know.

Alright people I do believe that's a wrap. Our company has a Holiday for Martin Luther King tomorrow. Yay! A Monday off!  Right now the biggest decision I have to make for tomorrow is whether to head to the 9:30am Bikram or the 4:30pm. I'm aiming for the 9:30 but we'll see what the morning brings.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening!

Cheers and hugs from Boston...Traci

To Sweat or not to Sweat?

Happy Saturday! Looks like we have a beuatiful day out there in the Boston area today.  Right now it's 38 degrees and sunny, but I hear it might be pushing 50 later this afternoon.  Yay!

My head is a bit foggy this morning and I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I think. Either that or I'm just tired from a stressful week at work. I feel like I have been fighting a cold for a week now.  It's never really come out fully but I know its there. I really think Bikram and EmergenC have been keeping it at bay. As I type this post I'm trying to decide if I want to head to yoga this afternoon. Part of me is saying go! That's the part of me who immediately put on some of my yoga clothes after my shower in preparation.  The other part of me is saying...oh please don't go. This body of yours is tired and doesn't want to move and sweat. Your mind doesn't want to be aggravated when the room is too cool and the fans come on. I honestly don't know what I'll do.

So if you've been reading this week you know I had a big project deadline yesterday.  I'm so happy to report that I completed the project on time and didn't have to get an extension.  My goal was to finish it up and not carry it with me over the weekend and into next week. There will be a follow up part of the project but the hard part of it is done...Thankfully! I hit the send button and off my report went at 4:30pm. What a great feeling.  Naturally I decided to stick around the office a bit late to clean some things up I have been neglecting all week. Hate coming in to a pile of unfinished work on Monday (or Tuesday this coming week!).  I almost always try to leave on time on Fridays. Didn't exactly work out that way again this Friday . Managed to head out around 6:30 last night. Later than I would like but no too bad.

After a trip to the market I got home and had a pounding headache. The kind that makes you feel sick to your stomach. I figured it was a stress thing so worked the pressure points to release it. If I can take care of a headache this way I rather do it than popping an Aleve or such.  I'm not against them, just don't like to take them that much. I did manage to release the headache and felt a little better. Decided at this point hanging in would be the best idea.

So here I am still unsure...Will I go to 3:30 Bikram, will I sweat or will I listen to the part of my head that's saying your body is tired? Don't know. I need to head out and run some errands and will bring my yoga bag with me. If my car heads in that direction and stops infront of the studio around 3:00, then I'll go in. If not, that's ok too.  No pressure.

I know many of you out there are nursing colds so I hope you guys are feeling better.  Take care everyone and enjoy your Saturday!

Cheers...Traci