Day 25

That means I'm a quarter of the way into the 100 day challenge!  I've done 25 classes in 25 days.  I'm pretty pleased that I've been able to stick through it this far, even with all the changes going on in my life.  It makes all the difference knowing that every day I will go to BYA and concentrate for 90 minutes, focusing on my breath, my movement.  It is a constant.  Every class has it's differences, but they are minute compared to the other parts of my day.  The postures are cathartic and draw my attention to different areas of my body.  They are a physical and emotional release, building up pressure and then letting it go.  It allows me to let it go.  Sometimes, I laugh or grin in class.  Other times, my tears mix with my sweat or I break down after class.  It fits with what I learned in massage school about the body's memory.  We store different memories and emotions in different areas of our body.  The spine is such a huge part of our body and of Bikram Yoga that it's no wonder all the thoughts and emotions that come up during any given class.

As for yesterday, I tried to make it to the 5:45 class but there were no busses on the bus tracker and I didn't know how long it would take me to walk it.  I decided to leave around 7 for the 8pm class.  When I got out there, a few minutes later than I'd wanted, a 147 bus was coming.  He was driving the 22 route because Lake Shore Drive was still closed.  This was great, I didn't have to trudge the half hour to the studio!  I got there super early and got right into the room.  I hardly ever get the chance to really just sit and warm up in the room, so I took full advantage of the opportunity.  I did some deep, slow breathing in Savasana until my face started to tingle from all the oxygen.  Then I started stretching a bit and slowly waking up my body.  By the time the teacher came into the room to start class, there were a total of 9 students.  This was the smallest class I've ever been in.  I felt this serious concentration in the room.  It was beyond calm.  The class flew by faster than usual and at the end the teacher told us we'd finished 10 minutes ahead of time!  I felt a little fidgety during class, but the lack of other reflections and movements out of the corners of my eyes made it easy to just focus on myself for each pose.  I can't say I like it any less or any more than the 70 person class I was in recently.  They were so completely different and good in their own ways.  When there are that many other people in the room, there is this chatter of bodies concentrating.  It can either be distracting or energizing.  I've been sleeping better in the last couple weeks.  I usually only wake up a couple times and I fall asleep faster.  I wonder what today's class will bring for me after work.