30 Day Challenge! Weekend Recap

Day 10- February 5th

Friday night practices, though arguably the most challenging for me, are my favorite nonetheless. Both my mind and body are fatigued from the events of the week, but Bikram is my favorite way to sweat it all away and start the weekend renewed and refreshed. Typically, you'll only find the die-hards holed up in a sweaty room at 6pm on a Friday night so it confused me when there were three rough and tumble looking folk in the back row right behind me. I'm certainly not judging the fact that they were there-- more power to them for hopping on the bandwagon. But I was about to discover that they would prove to be worthy adversaries against my powers of concentration.

Shortly after pranayama deep breathing began, the gentleman who was directly behind me started laughing. I know I shouldn't have been, but I was a little bit offended. As the warm-up progressed, I began giggling internally to myself because this guy was seriously like a fish out of water. But then I thought back to my first practice many years ago and some of the thoughts rolling around my head: Am I in a cult? How long does this breathing go on? I look like a spastic eagle...In any case, I tried to block him out to the best of my ability and pressed on.

Day ten. One third of the way there and everything is going swell. I felt strong and limber. The only thing bothering me was my big toe, which I stubbed terribly before practice began as I was unrolling my mat and searching the room for someone I knew. That aside, I performed well. I can feel some of my postures change and my body is getting stronger. I would say that could potentially be a placebo effect of me thinking I'm stronger simply because I'm going to practice more often- but I am. My heart isn't beating as rapidly during the crescendo of the standing series and I haven't been laying down at all.

I can't help but find it daunting that two thirds of this challenge remain-- even though I know that's not the right perspective. Moreso than what remains, it's what I've done. And of course, most importantly: it's not what I've done but where I am right now. Right now, I'm pretty good.

Day 11- February 6th

I wasn't sure how class would go today because I drank considerably more on Friday night than I had in...well...I'm not even sure. Don't get me wrong, I still wasn't as indulgent as in the days of yore; but two glasses of wine, a PBR and a tall boy of Kokanee was more than I had planned on.

My friend Jessica, Brett and I went out for a late night dinner at Ballard's dive bar Fat Albert's before heading over to my once beloved trendy saloon King's Hardware. Historically, I relished the excess and shenanigans of drunken college students thronging to King's of Leon whilst pounding back tall boys of Rainier Beer. I would even be among those vying for a turn at the derelict skee-ball machines (refer to my faceboook pictures for proof.) Somewhere along the line, something changed. I felt like an interloper and everyone around me knew it. This probably had something to do with the fact that I was painfully more sober than anyone surrounding me. After choking down my Kokanee, it was time for bed. Brett and I left Jessica with one of her buddies we had met at King's and made our way home in the wee hours of Friday night.

Sure enough, as a result of Friday night's unfavorable combination of fried chicken, cheap beer, and wine-- I was out of sorts on Saturday. Despite having slept a whopping thirteen hours, I was still terribly discombobulated. "Oh well," I thought to myself, "too bad for me." I put the crap in my body, now it was time to pay the piper and sweat it out, so to speak.

As the warm-up began, my arms felt leaden. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to raise and lower them 20 times when I was convinced they were replaced with the arms of an arthritic 80 year old. On top of that, I felt nauseous. I briefly wondered to myself if I should lay down at that moment, leave or press on. Naturally, I pressed on. Despite the initial discomfort, the remainder of my class was great. The weakness fell away the moment I stopped focusing on it.

My instructors often say "drop it off" after a posture has been completed. Always focus on the task at hand and forget about the one prior. So long, class eleven. I dropped it off, checked the box, and picked up Brett to wander toward Crown Hill in search of some Greek food.