Week 9: DONE!

Hallelujah! It is done and over with! Apologies that it took so long for me to get around to doing this update... Things have been crazy. But here you go!

Hello. (Pause) My Name Is Heather. (Pause) I Am Your Yoga Teacher.

We are done!!!!!

Well, we still have graduation tomorrow afternoon... But we are officially Bikram yoga teachers now!

I never thought this day would come. And it seems like that first Saturday that I got here and was running around town in a taxi to get my room stocked with food and the essentials was so long ago.

Ahh!

I am very excited and not at all sad to be leaving training. I'm not the sentimental-sappy type though. I was ready to go home and was hanging on by mere threads by the end of week seven. Overall, training is an amazing experience. And I 100% recommend someone go if they love the yoga and want to broaden their knowledge of it. Even if they never intend to teach the yoga... There is tremendous value in going to training just for the hell of it.

Here's the breakdown of all that I have accomplished while here:

• Strong dialogue delivery for all 26 postures
• 97 yoga classes
• NO MAKE UP CLASSES
• Never yelled at by Bikram
• Never once left the tent
• Never cried out of frustration
• Swore a whole lot... Even invented some new swear word combinations
• Basic CPR certified
• Passed anatomy
• Still like 98% of the people here
• Only dislike 2%

I will be doing my final video blog update when I get home on Sunday night. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!

HUMP DAY!!!

Oh thank you Sweet Baby Jesus on Christmas morning! This show is almost over!!!

We just have...

• 4 more yoga classes
• 3 more evening lectures
• 2 afternoon lectures
• 1 graduation ceremony

And tomorrow my husband will be arriving! SQUEE! It's been NINE WEEKS since I saw him last. I can't believe how long it's been!

I have loved this experience. But I am ready to get back to the cold city of Toronto.

Week 8: THANK GOD!

Week eight is done! Bring on Week 9!

Tessism: Spring 2011 TT Trainee.

In case you were curious, and I hadn't made it clear, the purpose of this blog is share my teacher training life with others... In the hopes that it may inspire them in some way.

Inspire them to try Bikram yoga... Inspire them to try a 30-day challenge (or a 101-day challenge!)... Or to come to teacher training themselves.

The blog is meant to give a general overview of everything that happens, but not get too specific about everything that happens in the "yoga bubble." When I am happy, you will know it. And you may even know why. When I am having a tough week, you will know that too. And I will share the general reasons why.

This is because I want people to understand that teacher training will bring out a wide variety of experiences and emotions in you.

You will get exhausted.

You will be giddy beyond words for no reason.

You will surprise yourself by what you can actually do.

You will get angry at times.

Etc...

That said, I am beyond flattered with one reader (who started off reading my other blog) who found some of my tips for newbies to Bikram yoga helpful. She's followed me since then... And went on to do a number of challenges. (AMAZING!) And now, she plans on being a part of the Spring 2011 Teacher Training class.

AWESOME!

You can read Tessism's blog here.

Weak 7: Seventy-Six Classes Down!

We are 76 classes into training! Only 21 classes left!

I can NOT wait to get back to a regular practice schedule. I am so over the constant hydration and food intake you have to do here at training. I feel so bloated.

Anyway, here is this week's update.

P.S. Why do I look high in the still from this week's video? I guess I am a little "yoga stoned."

P.P.S. When I refer to the "assholes at training," I am referring to other trainees. There is one in particular I want to make do Standing-Head-to-Knee 100 times in a row, and force him to hold it for three minutes at a time.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day.

It's Bonfire Night. Let's build us a big bonfire and throw some unreasonable view points on the sexes, gays, AIDS and artists in it.

It's a new moon today. How about we burn some sage (as I like to do at the start of a new cycle) and start over with some perspective on what our key audience is?

Weak 6: All Posture Clinic. All The Time.

This week's update!

Tower Of Shame!

Want to see how we roll on a Saturday morning at Bikram Yoga Teacher Training???

Here you go...

Photo Credit

Yep. That's me doing Salabhasana (Locust). And, of course, I am rocking the Tower of Shame water bottle.

Week Five: Still Alive!

I am so out of it!

Look how tired I am in the video??? We had a lot of late nights. And I completely forgot to mention in the video that Juliana (The Dancing J) came and visited us this week! (Thanks for everything J!!!)

Enjoy!

Best Quotes Overheard In Class.

• "I called you an 'idiot.' But that's a compliment. You know why? Because I used to call you 'dumb fuck.'"
• "Push your hips, stomach, balls boobs, dick... EVERYTHING forward toward the mirror!"

I tell you... This is an amazing education I am getting here during these 9 weeks.

Week Four: Break Downs & Postures.

Here is my update for Week Four of Bikram Yoga Teacher Training.

36 Down... 61 To Go.

We are 36 classes in to this teacher training. Which means we have 61 left to do.

That may sound daunting... But the yoga is the easiest thing we do here. It's all the other stuff that we have to learn that is (at times) a bit overwhelming. People are starting to breakdown physically and emotionally here. (Not me, yet.) Postures every day to learn and recite... Tests... Long lectures... A really hot room...

We're not at the halfway point yet. But once we get past week 5 (next week is week 5) things will start to feel better.

Let's just keep pushing forward, and this too will pass!

Week Three: The Week The Cold Came.

Here is you Week Three update.

P.S. Doesn't it look like I have vampire fangs in this starting screen shot? Channeling Bella Swan in "Breaking Dawn."

Week Two!

Week Two is done! Yay!!!

Here is your update...

(Please excuse the tired-looking face. We didn't get much sleep this week.)

Questions?

The week is already half over. HOLY CRAP!

Time is flying by here in San Diego. We are already done with the first part of Half Moon in posture clinic. Who knows what the rest of the week will bring... But I will be sure to review it all in the weekly video update. Which brings me to my reason for this post...

Got any questions for me?

I've had a few people send me questions over the past few weeks. And I have been answering them piecemeal. But I thought they might make for an interesting post this week.

So, if you have questions for me, please leave them in the comments section below. I'll be sure to answer them if I can on Saturday.

Thanks!

What Will I Eat?

Yes. We all had the same feeling after finding out there was no food built into the price of our tuition and room costs for teacher training...

"WHAT THE DEUCE??!!!???"

Yep. On top of that nice price tag for tuition (which was even more expensive when converted to CAD), paying for a single room, buying insurance for the U.S., and paying for my flights... I now have to cover all of my food.

This wouldn't be too big a deal if all previous trainings (in recent years) had some kind of food component built into their cost. But with ours, we get none. Zero. So I spent the better part of my weekend thinking about how exactly I am going to be cost-efficient while still getting enough healthy food. I haven't come up with any hard and fast conclusions. But so far, I am thinking my diet will consist veggies. Raw veggies and the following...

I'm in the U.S. How can I not?

Bikram Yoga Teacher Training: A Peek At What It's Like.

Came across this article about teacher training earlier this week. Below is the video embedded within it.

Gives a small peek at what to expect at training. Really looking forward to being told to "get the fuck down" and that I am a "chicken shit."

And no, I am not kidding. This is going to be a ton of fun.