Week 9! I made it!

Week 9 (more like half a week)

I developed some odd knee tenderness so I had to take it easy on some poses. I think it was just some inflammation. I did my first double on Sunday and actually my knee felt better. I was so worried, sometimes the anticipation of a class is worse than the actual class.

My last class was on Wednesday night and I got a warm round of applause. It’s still surreal that I actually did it!!!!! I actually did this for 60 days straight.

So what have I learned from this entire process:

- That I am tougher than I think I am
- To be more compassionate with myself and others. The electrolyte imbalance problems really made me feel utterly sick. When you start having dreams about limbs falling off and Jesus carrying the cross, then something is up. That kinda low will really make you appreciate the good times as well as empathy for what others are going through
-I will no longer simply listen to a book for advice. I will listen to my own body. I will not longer take supplements that work for someone else and not me. Nor will I try a bunch of things at one time.
- I have fierce respect for my teachers and other yogis on this path
- I have learned to spend my time/resources more effectively

If I had to do it again, I would . . .

-Drink lots more SmartWater or electrolyte enhanced products
-Go easy on dehydrating foods like chocolate and soy lattes
-Not try anything new, stick with tried and true for the duration
-Drink more Kombucha tea (but not right before class)
-Eat a liver supportive diet-alkaline forming foods
-Buy more workout clothes so I wouldn’t be pressed to do laundry mid-week
-Be mindful and watch medications, supplements. The body is changing through this process and healing. Giving medicine to a healthy person makes for a sick person—sounds like something Bikram would say
-I just discovered baking soda with water and some apple cider vinegar is great for acid reflux as well as for alkalizing the body

Once my electrolytes are completely up and running I will party like a mofo. Well sort of. Wine and a good dinner. Maybe a cupcake (with electrolyte enhanced frosting).

Week 8

One of my yoga colleagues finished her own challenge on Tuesday. We’ve been supporting each other with smiles and “You can do it!” in the hallways passing. I’m still recouping from the dizzy feeling from the herbs. It’s passing little by little. I think my liquid multi was making me feel funny too. Come to think of it I have a history of returning vitamins/supplements. My body is just really unique. I'm an AB- blood type for christ sakes. My chiropractor and I muscle test my supplements and while it seems crazy, it always works. The digestive aid seemed to be the culprit (too heating), while the Liver/spleen seemed to agree with me. I'm taking a little break while I wrap up this challenge. Even taking too much triphala makes me a little dizzy (which makes me think it might be detox). I also think I have been suffering from electrolyte imbalance. I drink a lot of water but I haven’t been drinking the electrolyte-enhanced water. Also, I ran out of my usual sea veg supplement which has a lot of minerals—so this could be part of the problem. I feel really silly. I’m such a health-minded person how could I not realize the importance of electrolytes. A lot of people at my studio swear by Body Balance (aloe-sea veg-electrolite liquid supplement) but its’ like $89.00 a month. I have tried several samples and have yet to reap any miracle. I might just stick with my old standby Wachter's no. 22.

Once the challenge is over I will still go to yoga 3-4 times a week. I think Bikram is great healing agent but it really doesn’t burn as many calories as some Web sites claim. For someone small with a slow metabolism it’s probably only 300-500 calories and not 500-900—but don’t I wish. I still think cross training is where it is at. I'm also looking forward to having my life back and treating myself with more compassion.

Week 7

This week has been harder for me. I used to not have any digestive fire now I have too much. I’ve backed off on all my herbs for a while as they were making my blood to hot and thin. I woke up in the middle of the night with stabbing back pain and a warm sensation in my chest. I saw my doctor the next day and after doing an EKG and my examination we determined it was acid reflux. Thankfully nothing is wrong with my heart or lungs. I’ve also been on the horn with my Ayurvedic guru, who is sending me a milder form of the Liver/spleen formula since it was thinning by blood too much, even though I’m not on blood thinners. He thinks the Digestion Aid was firing me up too much. He said that people with any Pitta (not just a predominance) should not use that formula. The rasayanas are really great quality so I don’t think it’s a quality issue. I certainly wasn't taking big doses either. I have always been one of those one in a million sensitive types. I'm an AB- blood type as well. I really still believe in the yoga and ayurveda, I think I just got my blood way too hot and thin. I think I'm starting to believe that my digestion is more like my Dad's which is very pitta. He has terrible acid reflux and I know he has mentioned problems with blood thinners. So it's no wonder I would have problems with the natural forms of these. My guru mentioned that no one has ever had really terrible life-altering symptoms from his herbs, just nausea occassionally from the triphala so that is reassuring. I also didn't take into account how fast the Bikram would work to fire up my digestion.

Needless-to-say, Bikram has been really hard this week. Last night was the first night I had to sit out ever. Even during my first class I was up and doing the poses. I just felt too faint. This particular teacher chooses not to open the door. It's hard to do something this physically challenging when you don't even feel that good just plain walking. If it wasn't for the challenge I wouldn't of gone.

My ayurvedic guru thinks the hot yoga certainly had some part in heating up my blood too. I have only 14 days left so I’m showing up and doing my best. My ego really hated the fact that I had to sit down last night but it is a lesson in compassion. My advice to anyone doing a 60-day challenge is to not change your meds/herbs or try any funky diets. Be gentle and as healthy as possible. The challenge truly is challenging when you don't feel well. Thankfully my teachers now know me well enough that they can see I'm not being lazy but that something is sincerely wrong.

Now to mention some good points, I feel like this whole process has been an awakening for me. I live much more effectively now. I spent a lot of time in the past few years feeling sad and medicating myself with food, wine and TV. This yoga makes you stronger. I still watch some TV and drink (although the idea of red wine now is just way too heating) but I make good choices. Once the challenge is over I look forward to taking this awakening into my life and artwork.

Week 6

After reading my own damn blog about this whole experience I can see that Week 2 was my hit-the-wall week. I’m still noting improvements with digestion as well as thyroid. I think once you begin to get better at the poses, the health benefits appear even more. I’m getting better at locking the knee and the final stretching pose and I feel like that is making a magical difference for me.

Yoga makes you stronger in a different way than weight training (but I still believe in cross training). My grip strength is stronger and all the places that are hard to exercise with traditional workouts like your feet, ankles, and hips are sleeker. Even though it’s a tough practice it still doesn’t give you license to eat whatever you want.

Sometimes I get frustrated when one teacher instructs one way and another does it completely different. One will really harp on not moving ahead of instruction and another is like, “Come on you are four seconds behind me”. Every teacher has their own style. The best ones are those who are tough but also interject some ray of hope or a pearl of wisdom. I’m a sensitive person who always wants to be “good”. I always want the teacher to like me. I was a Girl Scout what can I say. Hopefully, the toughness of this yoga will make me tougher in my life outside of yoga, but at the same time I don’t want to be insensitive.

I’ve gave up my security blanket this week. I no longer have my little Kleenex or hand towel with me to sop up the sweat. It’s still hard keeping the sweat out of your eyes, especially when you wear contact lenses but I am doing it.

I’m having a very discipline-forward week. I’ve been eating less chocolate and watching less TV. I’m eating a lot more green foods. This practice definitely lets you know what works and doesn’t work pretty fast. Now that most of my fave trashy TV shows are ending, I’m not collecting anymore. I’m making it a rule to keep the TV turned off at night. I’ve also been disciplining myself to go to get by 10:00 pm and this works miracles—as they say in Ayurveda. I do have one disclaimer, my improvements are not just from the yoga but also from the Rasayannas and herbs I take. I’m so energized now I don’t need to drink coffee or green tea, nor am I really on copious amounts of raw chocolate powder in the morning to get me started. Although, I do think they are thinning my blood a bit, as is the practice of Bikram yoga so I will have to watch that. I think if I continue on this path I’ll be in good shape.