60 classes in 60 days certainly requires 60 yoga outfits. I have decided to commit to the Bikram Yoga 60 day challenge. The 60 day challenge requires you to do 60 Bikram yoga classes in 60 days. 60 consecutive days. I have mentioned before that I have enough challenges in my life and that now is perhaps not the time to undertake the daunting task of 60 days of Bikram Yoga in a row. 60 days. That is 90 hours. 5,400 minutes. That is a lot of time on the mat. But I've never really been one to back down from a challenge.
Believe it or not this wasn’t an impulsive decision like my first marathon, or my first marriage for that matter. This wasn’t one of my infamous if-it-is-meant-to-be-I-will-get-a-good-score- without-studying decision, like the LSAT, and arguably law school as a whole. I actually really thought the 60 day challenge through and really carefully considered what challenges I would face in accomplishing this goal.
The obvious challenge is the time commitment. A Bikram yoga class is 90 minutes long. That is from first breathing exercise to final savasana. That time does not take into account travel time to and from the studio, the time it takes to acclimate to the heat before class, and the time it takes to recover enough to stand up without passing out or throwing up at the end of class. All in all it is more like a 2 and half hour experience (depending on where you live). I absolutely have the kind of job that can derail these sorts of challenges. But, I looked at my schedule and low and behold I have no travel commitments for the next 60 days. I have no trials for the next 60 days. And with the first class at 6 am and the final class at 8:30 pm most days, even if I have a work day that gets completely out of control, there is no reason I can’t make one of these classes. I may have to give up an evening of the Bachelor but would that really be a bad thing? And I can always sneak my blackberry into class with me and respond to work email during savasana when the instructor isn't looking if I get in a bind. So the time commitment is not a viable excuse.
Other than the time issue, I could not come up with a single excuse, or even reason, why I should not commit to this challenge and just see what happens. Apparently there is something magical about 60 days. I have heard that Bikram says “give me 60 days and I will give you a new life”. It has something to do with exponential benefits of consecutive days of practice. I’m sure there is some science behind it but I don't know what it is. It doesn't really matter to me. A new life sounds promising. I have heard that a 60 day challenge can be life changing. Stefan promised “a new body, new mind and new life.” If I end up with just one of those things I will be happy. The promise of all 3 is something that should be pursued.
Now, we all know I have a problem with unrealistic expectations so I have made a short list of things I hope to accomplish through this challenge. They are as follows:
1. A smaller body. I have taken my measurements and will take them every 10 days to see if I have tangible physical results. This isn’t really the most important thing me. More of an added benefit. I have sworn off the scale because I tend to get obsessed with those numbers. Scales make me a little psycho. A little OCD. Perhaps even evil at times. Instead, I am going to focus on the inches and not the scale and see what happens.
2. A yoga glow. My skin is dry and haggard and old. The yoga people, have a glow. They are like cute little fireflies. Like Tinkerbelles. It's probably because of all the water. For me, water is the new Chardonnay. I really, really want to glow.
3. “A place for my head”. One of my son’s favorite Linkin Park songs is called “a place for my head”. I am hoping for some mental benefits. I need some mental benefits. I need to give my mind a break. I find myself mid bow pulling pose thinking about a client that I forgot to call back. I find myself in cobra pose wondering if I remembered to pay the power bill. I wonder during the rabbit pose if Taylor remembered to turn in his book report. I have a very hard time quieting down the thoughts in my head. I'm going to just think about breathing and following the instructions for 90 minutes a day. I want this to be a good place for my head. I'm really going to work on this.
4. A straighter stronger spine. I have scoliosis. I have a desk job. I love high heels. Someone once told me that they had a friend whose philosophy was basically this; the day she gives up her high heels is the day she has given up on life entirely. True, true, true. However, the combination of these three things is starting to take their toll. I don't want to be hunched over later in life, I don't want surgery and I especially don't want to give up.
One exciting aspect of the challenge is that yoga items have now fall into the "essentials” category. I have purchased one super cute yoga top. One pair of new yoga shorts. I should point out that I wasn’t going to purchase yoga shorts but I found a pair at Lululemon. The color is called “unicorn tears”. This is such a great name for a color that the "unicorn tear" shorts somehow found their way into my life. "Unicorn Tears". It makes me feel both sad and happy at the same time. I also invested in one new pair of capri yoga pants. I generally wear the short shorts and just don’t care about the size of my thighs because of the heat. At Bikram yoga, we never judge our bodies. However, there are occasionally days when I find my thighs so revolting that I opt for capri pants instead of short shorts. Capri pants are the hot yoga equivalent of "boyfriend jeans". I am certain the people who are unfortunate enough to stand behind me are relieved on the days when I opt for capri pants. I am a little concerned because I chose green capri pants. As it turns out, Bikram hates green. Why does Bikram hate green? What does he do on St. Patrick's day? I hope it isn’t a bad omen that I chose green pants. I have also stocked the refrigerator with watermelon juice and coconut water…yoga’s version of Gatorade. I think I'm ready.
So with that I am off to day 6 of the 60 day yoga challenge.
Does anyone even read this? Is anyone out there?
Believe it or not this wasn’t an impulsive decision like my first marathon, or my first marriage for that matter. This wasn’t one of my infamous if-it-is-meant-to-be-I-will-get-a-good-score- without-studying decision, like the LSAT, and arguably law school as a whole. I actually really thought the 60 day challenge through and really carefully considered what challenges I would face in accomplishing this goal.
The obvious challenge is the time commitment. A Bikram yoga class is 90 minutes long. That is from first breathing exercise to final savasana. That time does not take into account travel time to and from the studio, the time it takes to acclimate to the heat before class, and the time it takes to recover enough to stand up without passing out or throwing up at the end of class. All in all it is more like a 2 and half hour experience (depending on where you live). I absolutely have the kind of job that can derail these sorts of challenges. But, I looked at my schedule and low and behold I have no travel commitments for the next 60 days. I have no trials for the next 60 days. And with the first class at 6 am and the final class at 8:30 pm most days, even if I have a work day that gets completely out of control, there is no reason I can’t make one of these classes. I may have to give up an evening of the Bachelor but would that really be a bad thing? And I can always sneak my blackberry into class with me and respond to work email during savasana when the instructor isn't looking if I get in a bind. So the time commitment is not a viable excuse.
Other than the time issue, I could not come up with a single excuse, or even reason, why I should not commit to this challenge and just see what happens. Apparently there is something magical about 60 days. I have heard that Bikram says “give me 60 days and I will give you a new life”. It has something to do with exponential benefits of consecutive days of practice. I’m sure there is some science behind it but I don't know what it is. It doesn't really matter to me. A new life sounds promising. I have heard that a 60 day challenge can be life changing. Stefan promised “a new body, new mind and new life.” If I end up with just one of those things I will be happy. The promise of all 3 is something that should be pursued.
Now, we all know I have a problem with unrealistic expectations so I have made a short list of things I hope to accomplish through this challenge. They are as follows:
1. A smaller body. I have taken my measurements and will take them every 10 days to see if I have tangible physical results. This isn’t really the most important thing me. More of an added benefit. I have sworn off the scale because I tend to get obsessed with those numbers. Scales make me a little psycho. A little OCD. Perhaps even evil at times. Instead, I am going to focus on the inches and not the scale and see what happens.
2. A yoga glow. My skin is dry and haggard and old. The yoga people, have a glow. They are like cute little fireflies. Like Tinkerbelles. It's probably because of all the water. For me, water is the new Chardonnay. I really, really want to glow.
3. “A place for my head”. One of my son’s favorite Linkin Park songs is called “a place for my head”. I am hoping for some mental benefits. I need some mental benefits. I need to give my mind a break. I find myself mid bow pulling pose thinking about a client that I forgot to call back. I find myself in cobra pose wondering if I remembered to pay the power bill. I wonder during the rabbit pose if Taylor remembered to turn in his book report. I have a very hard time quieting down the thoughts in my head. I'm going to just think about breathing and following the instructions for 90 minutes a day. I want this to be a good place for my head. I'm really going to work on this.
4. A straighter stronger spine. I have scoliosis. I have a desk job. I love high heels. Someone once told me that they had a friend whose philosophy was basically this; the day she gives up her high heels is the day she has given up on life entirely. True, true, true. However, the combination of these three things is starting to take their toll. I don't want to be hunched over later in life, I don't want surgery and I especially don't want to give up.
One exciting aspect of the challenge is that yoga items have now fall into the "essentials” category. I have purchased one super cute yoga top. One pair of new yoga shorts. I should point out that I wasn’t going to purchase yoga shorts but I found a pair at Lululemon. The color is called “unicorn tears”. This is such a great name for a color that the "unicorn tear" shorts somehow found their way into my life. "Unicorn Tears". It makes me feel both sad and happy at the same time. I also invested in one new pair of capri yoga pants. I generally wear the short shorts and just don’t care about the size of my thighs because of the heat. At Bikram yoga, we never judge our bodies. However, there are occasionally days when I find my thighs so revolting that I opt for capri pants instead of short shorts. Capri pants are the hot yoga equivalent of "boyfriend jeans". I am certain the people who are unfortunate enough to stand behind me are relieved on the days when I opt for capri pants. I am a little concerned because I chose green capri pants. As it turns out, Bikram hates green. Why does Bikram hate green? What does he do on St. Patrick's day? I hope it isn’t a bad omen that I chose green pants. I have also stocked the refrigerator with watermelon juice and coconut water…yoga’s version of Gatorade. I think I'm ready.
So with that I am off to day 6 of the 60 day yoga challenge.
Does anyone even read this? Is anyone out there?
Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller? ;)
ReplyDeleteread and enjoyed.
-me