All is well after week 3 at Bikram Teacher Training. Bikram has been away the past week so we’ve managed to finish our posture clinics and lectures before midnight. He returns this week so I’m sure the late nights watching Bollywood films and ancient episodes from the Mahabharata will start again!

The body and mind are slowly but surely remembering where I left off at the end of my endlessbender - a daily practice is truly a wonderful thing!

I’ll update on some highlights soon, till then a little anatomy study before crashing for the quiz tomorrow!

Who knows what awaits, I’m stalling inside the airport taking advantage of free wifi before I step into the infamous world of BYTT - daily double classes for the next 8 weeks, lectures, posture clinics, and apparently many absurdly late nights watching Bollywood films - designed to break you down, exhaust the body, create insane cravings for coconut juice, fill you with Indian wisdom, who knows what else.. and hopefully make a teacher out of you!

Stranded under the seething eye of Eyjafjallajokull, the Icelandic volcano, whose eruption and subsequent ash cloud stopped planes across Europe for the past week, I and I’m guessing many other yogis, are only just arriving; wondering why we were so lucky or unlucky to miss a week. The only thing I’m certain of, is that Bikram will be firing up the hot room and torching our asses until we’re as bent, broken and wired as the rest!

Hehe, I love a good challenge.. gulp, OK here goes!

During Pranayama last night I was shocked at how out of practice, my practice was: I could barely inhale for a count of 2 let alone a slow count of 6.. why? All we do is inhale then exhale, over and over again, 2 sets of 10; coupled with movements of our elbows up & down, and head back & forth. Simple right, but what’s really happening inside? I’ve heard the line, “warming up the body before class” so many times, I’ve even spoken it myself, haha, why do we all repeat the same cliched yoga speak?!

This morning I opened Bikram’s (2nd) book and read about, “breathing and our respiratory partners: the heart and lungs”. He has a great explanation about how the system works or doesn’t:

“True health requires that the lungs and heart work together, as in a happy marriage or a successful business relationship. The heart is like a trucking company under contract to distribute food (blood) to the rest of the body. The lungs run a supplier company, which provides the heart with fuel (oxygen). When business is good, the respiratory system and the circulatory system are a team, working together to deliver fresh, oxygenated blood to every system, internal organ, gland and tissue in the body.

Too Often, though, their relationship is dysfunctional and their joint business venture goes bad. Lungs Unlimited wants to know why Heart Co.’s shipments of blood are just sitting around at their deposit instead of going out to their shared customers. Heart Co. fires back that it’s not receiving the oxygen promised by Lungs Unlimited. The companies send sternly worded e-mails back and forth, then they threaten to sue. And all the while, guess who’s really at fault?

You are! Heart Co. and Lungs Unlimited are both wholly owned subsidiaries of You, Inc. You’re the owner - they’re in your body, after all - and if you’re not exercising properly, if you’re not practicing Hatha Yoga, you disrupt the supply chain and cripple the whole enterprise. You’re responsible for the lungs’ inability to ship oxygen to the heart and all the other customers in the body.”
Extract from “Bikram Yoga” by Bikram Choudhury.

I’m wondering that during my time off, if I had woken and just practiced a set of Pranayama every morning, I wouldn’t be feeling as crippled as I am now. I’m reminded of when I climbed “The Chief” with Sophia Ha, outside Vancouver during month 9. The valley was far behind me yet another huge mountain loomed ahead.

After 1 month, 11 days off, the thunderstorms were less regular and then.. nothing: wake up call! My first class back was hell, warmed up a notch; punctuated by nauseous spells, witchcraft and sorcery and I barely made it out alive. OK a little dramatic perhaps, but it did tickle.. and I wasn’t laughing!!

3 classes down, a few days apart and I’m nervous before every class. It’s so funny - like I’m starting my challenge all over again! Today though, I’m hoping, no, going to, jump straight into a 6 class/week routine - limber up, get strong in mind, and start listening to my body again.

Here’s good article to help you get back inside:

“Murry turns up the heat” BBC Sport

Here are a few links to help you catch up and stay tuned to the action:

For the facebook fans:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Yoga-Asana-Championship/139822291494?v=wall

Live feed + Results:
http://yogacup.com/live/

Results + pics:
http://ohmybikram.wordpress.com/

Much respect and congratulations to all participants who made it to the stage!