First Day

It's Monday morning.  Yesterday was our check-in, orientation, reception party, etc.  There are about 400 trainees - the largest Bikram Teacher Training ever. 

This venue (Town and Country) seems perfect for us.  It is a sprawling resort with 3 pools, several restaurants.  Most of us are in an 8 story building with a pool in front.  Bikram set up a heated tent very close to our building for us to take our classes in.  Also another tent next to it for us to hold meetings for all 400 of us. 

One of the pools at Town and Country.

Bikram's wife Rajashree led the orientation.  She spoke eloquently and was very inspiring. 

There are people here from all over the world and everyone is so into this yoga.  We are all on the same mission - to survive this 9 weeks! :).  Some of the people I met yesterday, who are all so interesting - Josh, Ritz and others from Melbourne, Donna from Honolulu, Daniel from London (very funny, but then again, with the British accent how can he not be), Chuck and Alex from Vancouver, Fergus (sp?) from Ireland, Jeanne and Raf who practice in Manhattan. 

Before checking in at Town and Country I took a class yesterday morning at Bikram San Diego.  Wow - what a great studio - and very hot.  Any yogi who visits San Diego should check it out.  It is owned by Jim and Emma Kallett.  They opened the studio in 1998 after attending one of the early teacher trainings.  They don't call the room where you do the yoga a "studio", it is a "classroom".  And the fees paid to take classes are always called tuition.  All that emphasizes that this yoga is not about "getting a work-out".  It is so much more.  It is really all about learning - a study on a path toward self-realization.

More updates after we make it through our first class later today with Bikram.      

How Many Attendees at Teacher Training

Rumor is there will be about 350 trainies/recruits/crazies (take your pick) attending the Teacher Training.  A few dedicated souls set up a facebook page for all of us to share our thoughts, ideas, plans as we get ready for training.  Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134425289913742.

My first time leading a class through a posture

One of the hardest things about Teacher Training is learning the dialogue.  Bikram Yoga classes are 90 minutes long and the instructor speaks to the class throughout the 90 minutes, delivering a 90 minutes dialogue.  Every Bikram Yoga class consists of the same 26 postures done in the same order each class.  Some people might think that it would get boring to so the "same" class over and over again.  Not so.  In fact, doing the same 26 postures every class is a thing of beauty.  It allows the yogi to meditate.  It allows one to feel a sense of accomplishment each and every class because you can feel yourself make improvements each class.  And, it gives the student a feeling of calm going into each class knowing that the instructor has been trained by Bikram himself and that the instructor will be delivering the "Bikram dialogue" they learned in order to be able to lead a class. 

This morning I was a student in the 9:30 am class at my home studio in Yorktown Heights.  The owner and instructors have been so supportive leading up to my going off to Teacher Training - it has been wonderful.  They are giving me confidence.  In the class this morning I switched places with the instructor, Delores, for one of the postures (Half Moon Pose with Hands to Feet Pose) and I led the posture for the class.  It is so different to be up on the pedestal leading the class.  I was inspired by how attentive all the yogis were and by how hard working they were.  Even though I was nervous and it was all I could do just to speak the dialogue correctly, afterwards I felt a sense of gratitude towards all the other yogis in the class for us to have that time together. 

Four more days and then I am off to San Diego Friday.  I'll take classes between now and then; pack up; tighten up loose ends here in Yorktown Heights, and then it's off to Teacher Training.