Past & Present: Bikram Yoga

I've been meaning to write a post for a few days but keep getting distracted by other things.

The good news? I'm progressing pretty well towards the minimalism goal.
I've been working hard on letting go of those things (thanks Ebay and OZtion) that I've carried around even though it is no longer needed, no longer utilised, no longer me.

Which reminds me to something else which is no longer me.
Recently, I let go of my old blog, a chatterbox's pensieve.
One day, suddenly, when I was previewing my post, the blog just didn't reflect who I am today.
I wasn't sure how to adjust the blog to suit me.

So I decided to move on.
It was much simpler to close that chapter and open a new one.
It feels much better too - to start with a clean slate.
It reminds me very much of the fresh feel a newly formatted computer - no clutter, clear, simple, minimalist.

Now - on to something else that is part of my weekly routine - Bikram Yoga.
I've been doing the beginner's class (26 postures - 90min session) for nearly 2 years now - as my main (... and only) exercise routine.
There are ups and downs like every other thing in life.
There are days where it is so easy to get myself strolling towards the studio in Prahran (where I usually practice) - and there are days where I keep postponing the session till something (or someone) forced me to go.
One thing that I can't deny though - it has changed me, and my perspective of things/life.
It has also calmed me down a lot - though I still need more work on patience and determination.

Last Thursday, the Yoga instructor for that session, Lisa, suggested that I (with a few others) enter the Bikram Yoga competition in November.
I was reluctant cause I don't like performing (or so I think) and my competitive gene isn't made for physical activities.
But then - Lisa mentioned that in order to do that, I should attend the Saturday morning advanced class in Fitzroy studio. Intriguing!
The advanced class has always been a mystery to me (generally only attended by the instructors or instructors-to-be).
My curiosity got the better of me and I agreed to attend the session - which left me all jittery and nervous on Friday night and Saturday morning!!

The advanced class was in some ways different to what I expected; yet still fit my expectation.

Difference?
It was fast paced (which was a bit of a shock considering the beginner class is slow and soothing) and very challenging.
The experience was quite overwhelming.
I was lucky to get a class with a mixture of flexible, strong, determined, and starting out people.
One of the girl was absolutely mesmerizing with her graceful poses.

Fit to my expectation?
I did expect the VERY challenging part (well - even the beginner class is still often challenging for me).
The poses - I can see why it would be in the advanced class.

Overall - I had fun and I'll do my best to go back next Saturday - armed with another banana to eat right after the advanced class.
(The beginner's class is 90 minutes, we get 15 mins break in between, and then the advanced class was a bit over 120 minutes. I can't eat in between them because I really don't need food sitting heavily in my belly when I'm doing Bikram Yoga as an additional challenge. There was none left of the breakfast that I had at 7:50AM by the end of the advanced class!!)

Anyway - what have you been up to?