Guest Blogger at Bikram101 Blog

Day 79

Hi everyone!
I wrote a post for the Bikram 101 blog, which you can find here. Stop by, look around.  Enjoy.

My life is insane but my daily practice has kept me grounded.  I am so grateful.  I miss you all and I promise, when things aren't crazy, I'll be back to blogging...but probably after this challenge is over.

I'm proud of all of us as we get closer to the finish line!  I'm happy we did this all together.  Namaste!

Pampering

Day TEN

Hooray, I'm in the double digits of this challenge and I echo ahappyyogi's recent sentiment about 9 more batches of 10 classes and the challenge will be complete!  I am celebrating!

I've been feeling a little down lately and so I decided to cheer myself up by getting a manicure and a pedicure.  When you get a pedicure at Pema Nails, they do a salt scrub for your legs (up to your knees), pumice (or use a blade if you prefer) your feet, massage in lotion for your legs, and finish the process with a hotel towel on your legs.  It's lovely especially since the ladies here don't rush you and my legs have been massaged for a good 10 minutes sometimes.  I guess there are benefits to being a regular customer.  Btw, did I mention a manicure and a pedicure is $17!!!!  I love living in NYC.  :)

That was at noon.  I had to really drag my a$$ to bikram today.  I just didn't have the desire and that's when the doubts came rushing in.   

You're only at day 9 and you feel totally unmotivated.  
You're never going to complete this challenge.  
You?  Do bikram every day for the next 92 days?  
These last few days have felt like forever.  There's no way you are going to do 92 straight more days.

I tried to push these doubts away and said to myself, "Just get to the hot room.  Just get to the hot room."  Several minutes before I left the house, I remembered to wash the lotion off my legs from my pedicure and arms from my manicure or else suffer a supper slippery class especially at standing bow pulling pose.  You know you do bikram when...

I took the 4:30pm with Caroline at my neighborhood studio and set my mat up to the left side of the room, next to a pillar.  Today, I just needed a little separation from most of the students and this sport was perfect.  It also happened that I was standing in front of an exit door and by the time we got to the floor series, I felt the draft on my face seeping in from underneath the door.  It was nice in the beginning but after a while, I wished it wasn't there, which must mean I am feeling closer to regaining 100% of my health (I usually like it juicy!!!).  Didn't cough as much and didn't need to blow my nose during class -- all good signs that I am on the mend.

I am feeling a soreness in my right quad and there is a pinch that I feel in my lower back, on the right side that I just noticed today.  The pinch became more acute during backbends.  I have also noticed that every time I take a class with Caroline and we are in cobra pose, she always calls me out to lift my chest and go higher.  And every time I try, I feel an incredible stretching in the front of my neck to the point that it is uncomfortable.  And the pinch in my lower back today did not help my cobra.  I wonder.  Have I just been hanging out in cobra?!?!???!!!!  I didn't think so but maybe I was wrong.

I am making great improvements in awkward, toe stand right side, and fixed firm thanks to the healing I feel in my right knee.  My sit ups are stronger and I am working on trying to keep my chin to my chest, my arms by my ears, and get my elbows to the floor when we exhale twice.  And slowly but surely, I feel my upper back opening up in rabbit.  I struggle with all the compression postures, never being able to get my forehead exactly to my knee thanks to my long torso.  I am really working on keeping my chin to my chest and sucking sucking sucking in the belly.  Oh, the joys of a super flat upper back!

Today, as we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, I always take a moment to remember those who work for social justice especially for the vast majority of people who don't make it to the news but are recognized by the people who benefit from their tireless commitment.  I especially remember the people of Haiti and the relief workers who are trying to help all those who are suffering in the country.  I remember our practice and how we learn compassion for ourselves and in turn, we learn compassion for others.  We take the energy we get in that hot room and we spread it to those around us, making our lives and the lives of others just a little better.

A fresh start, a new beginning

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

- T.S. Eliot

Day 1

Happy New Year everyone!

I rolled out of bed 9:15am this morning, awoken by an alarm clock so that I could attend the only class offered by my nearby studio at 10am.  I slept at 2:30 this morning after a large meal of lots of noodles (pancit canton represented the Filipino variety and spaghetti for the Italian variety) for long life and round things (meatballs, brussel sprouts, mandarines, grapefruits, grapes, and pancakes -- yes they are flat but circular so I guess they count) for prosperity.  This is a Filipino tradition to ring in the new year that my family has done as early as I can remember and if The Husband and I are in town, we do it at our home and have my mother over.

With an unsettled stomach and sleep dust still in my eyes, I walked to the studio along a desolate street.  Remnants from the night's festivities remained -- firecracker paper, broken plastic new year's hats, trash.  "Please don't let me be the only one in class," I thought to myself as I looked around and saw no one.  Thankfully, I walked into the studio lobby and there was life.  Eight students were guided today by Caroline, a sweet teacher whose instructions were so clear that I all I could was completely entrust myself into her hands. 

My old knee injury decided to make its appearance at awkward pose, first set.  Halfway through the second part of awkward, I felt a sharp twinge and came out early and by the time we got to the third part, the most uncomfortable feeling in my knee (as if a huge air bubble was in there waiting to burst) admittedly scared me to go down no more than 3 inches.  I bit my lip, tried to let it go and tried to breath normally.  All I could do was stand there with my arms up and tight.  I wonder if it's my mind or my body telling me to back off when I get that uncomfortable "air bubble" feeling.  It's not sharp, acute pain but there is such immense pressure that my breath goes out of wack and that's my cue to back off.  Any thoughts out there fellow yogis?

During our long savasana as we transitioned between the standing and floor series, Caroline said, "while the rest of Astoria sleeps through their hangovers, you are here doing yoga."  I smiled.  I never did any kind of exercise on New Year's Day and it felt great to start the day, to start the new year with an activity that focuses on me.  There are many traditions I do for the near year like the midnight dinner or wearing polka dots (remember circles represent prosperity!).  Perhaps doing yoga could be a new tradition I add to the list.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all of you!

May the joy of the season be present in your hearts and lives today and always!

Christmas with my sweet hubby & one of my presents: a plush sea otter!!

In the background is a parol, which represents the star of Bethlehem.

Parols are a staple decoration during the Christmas season in the Philippines.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here are the happy mothers on Mother's Day!! It also happens to be the birthday of Jellybean's Mother (shown here in red). Happy Birthday!!!

There were eight of us that schlepped from Forest Hills after church to Woodside. Two subway lines, four elevator rides, and several blocks later, we arrived at Sripraphai starving. Our hunger was satiated with their awesome papaya salad with mussels, squid, and shrimp and equally delicious duck salad (my preference is the papaya salad though). On the right, you see me scrapping up the last remaining bits of the papaya salad. To die for!!! I love their tilapia fillet dish with curry and eggplant and this time I ordered it mild. Last time, I thought I could handle the spice so I ordered "medium"...I thought my mouth was going to implode from all the heat. I was with J the first time, and our eyes were full of water. Poor thing, he had indigestion for two days!!!

Once the food arrived, the eight of us fell silent. The food was praised by all (thank goodness, since I picked the restaurant). After the meal, you see on the left that my mom and I are conniving behind the birthday girl. Several minute later, out came a banana cake with a candle on it. I think Jellybean's Mother was surprised.

Two hours later, the group emerged from Sripraphai and headed back to the 7 train, 61st Street Station. The station is located directly underneath the airline landing pattern for LaGuardia Airport, so here I am with mom, as we enjoy watching the planes fly low above us. Thankfully, we look nothing like Mr. Roarke and Tattoo as we exclaimed, "Da plane! Da plane!"

New Year's Eve 2005

The table full of food in preparation for the stroke of midnight, 2006!
There are many superstitions that Filipinos believe in and many get played out on New Year's Eve where what you do at the stroke of midnight in the new year, you do for the rest of the year. That's why the table is set full of food and on it are plenty of noodles (on my table there's pancit and spaghetti) for long life and round thing (grapes, clementines, meatballs, pancakes even though they are flat) for money and posterity. There's also an red elephant on the table (can you find it?) with it's tusk up for good luck that holds lots of loose change.

But before devouring the food and shaking the pockets full of change, more pictures!


Here are the chefs of all that food, and the usual celebrants of New Year's Eve. Who made them wear those funny things on their heads??? We look a little tired because we've been slaving away in the kitchen for 2 full days! We made enough food to feed an army!


I invited MoJo to our usual close-knit celebration and enticed him with all this Filipino food like lumpia and pancit! I didn't need to twist his arm. He was happy to join us and we were happy to have him. Who made him wear his funny thing on his head???

I think he's really excited to start eating, what do you think?

Let's wash down some of that food with some liquid, shall we??? What, a wine glass? Nah, I'll just drink straight out of the bottle. Notice, it's gotten mighty warm in here...

Oh no! I think someone's had a little too much food and libation. Is it time to go to bed yet??? What a CUTIE!!

Happy New Year 2006!!!
May this year bring you and yours good health, prosperity,
and much laughter so you may embrace
life's inevitable mountains and valleys!!!

Christmas 2005

No pictures from Christmas since I forgot the memory card to my digital camera. Boo hoo! I am waiting for members of my family to email their pics to me. Boo hoo!

...Days later...

Wait, a member of la familia sent pics. Here's another one of our (in)famous group pics. They are always the same at the holidays: same family members with just different clothes on. Of course, our family grows and we are delighted to welcome new ones to the group.

Thank goodness Ate G is all the way in the back. Hopefully, she's not causing trouble by tickling people while the shot is getting taken...

Thanksgiving in SI