Unexpected 30 Day Challenge – Part 1
Today I find myself unexpectedly 1/3 of the way through a 30
Day Bikram Challenge.
The rules are simple; 30 hot yoga classes in 30 days. Double
classes are allowed if you need to skip a day.
The 30 day challenge is the shortest in a series of Bikram
challenges which include 60, 90 101 and 365 day versions. The theory is that
the benefits of yoga are cumulative. So by committing to practise continuously
for X days then you will experience much deeper physical and mental benefits than
if you practice only a few times a week when the space between practices allows
your body to regress. It’s also a really great way to connect more strongly
with the community at your local studio. It’s great having the encouragement and
big smiles of the staff and fellow students every time you walk into class. It’s
even better if you have great people taking the challenge along with you –
which I am very lucky to have J
Sounds great and also fairly big commitment so why did I the
word unexpected in the title of this post? Well, I have been coming to Bikram
classes for nearly 5 months and I am very much a 4-5 times a week yogini. I
love practicing and the benefits I have got from it but I already exercise
every day and have chronically low attention span. I really enjoy the variety
of going for a run/ bike ride/walk when the mood takes me. I have had it in
mind that I would do a 30 day challenge eventually just not quite yet…
However the combination of a bad back, some rather wet
weather and a bank holiday last weekend meant that instead running on Saturday and
having a rest day on Monday I practised on those days too. I then continued
with my usual classes on Tues, Wed, Thurs and Fri. Having realised if I went to
class on Saturday as well then that would be 9 consecutive days of yoga and
nearly 1/3rd of the way through a 30 day challenge I decided I might
as well go for it. Pretty curious to see what actually happens.
What follows is a progress report so far. Apologies it gets
kinda detailed with some of the poses. For those not wanting to wade though all
of that here it is in a nutshell:
Classes 1-4
Hamstrings and hips opening up quite a bit.
Classes 5-8 Hips
opening even more, bad back starting to get better and legs getting stronger.
Break through with standing head to knee. However, struggling a bit with
dehydration, generally feeling rather grumpy and being REALLY REALLY hungry.
Classes 9-10 Managing
hydration better and seem to have got though the uber hungry phase. Solid classes
and seem to be managing the heat a little better. Feeling less drained and more
energised post class
The nitty gritty…
Class 3 - Sun 5th
May) Finally touching my head to the floor in Standing Separate Leg
Stretching and just about locked my knees in Hands to Feet.
Class 6 Wed 8th
May) Advanced class – hips much more open than usual especially noticeable
in short man pose and the lotus series. My bad back much improved from the week
before. Got my feet about 5” from my head in full cobra (couldn’t even bend my
knees up the last week) and could straighten my arms in wheel again. Very well
(for me anyway) balanced in advanced toe stand. For some reason I find it
easier to find my balance coming in to it the advanced way (coming down without
using the hands for support) possibly because my center or gravity is more
directly over my to start with.
Class 7 - Thur 9th May) Felt
pretty weak in this early morning class – don’t think I had rehydrated properly
from the day before. However have noticed all three stages of Awkward pose are
getting much better especially 2nd part and can now stay right up on
my toes all the way through
Class 8 - Fri 10th May Breakthrough in Standing head to knee!! Had
been noticing my grip was much better when holding my left foot rather than my
right and was trying to work out why. Finally realised it might be to do with
which finger I put on top when I interlaced my hands. The ‘natural’ way for me
is to have my right finger on top so in the 2nd set I made a conscious
effort to put my left finger on top when holding my right foot. Made a big
difference :)
Class 9 - Sat 11th May The instructor told me to bend my knees over
for the 1st time in Locust pose – got them pretty close to the top
of my head which I was very pleased about. Also noticing I can lower my legs to
come out of the pose in a much more controlled fashion. On a less positive note
toe stand had turned back into toe topple and my right hamstring was aching
more than normal. Funny how some poses seem to go back a bit as others improve
Class 10 - Sun 12th May A really solid class. My standing bow is coming
back to where it was before I hurt my back and I felt generally ‘in the zone’.
The most surprising aspect of today’s class was how I felt afterwards. My body
was humming with energy and I felt strangely elated. Hoping this might be a
more regular occurrence! Normally I feel good but completely wiped out.
That’s all for now folks – well done if you got to the end
of this rather long post and thanks for reading! Next (shorter!) update in a
few days!
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