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.