Today marks the end of our individual-pose deliveries. I was so excited to get to this point and go out with a bang on my Spine Twisting Pose. There is a serious wave of relief that you feel knowing you said the 26 poses (semi-verbatim), in front of your peers. There is also the torture of knowing that its now time to piece it all together and turn on the magic. Today, I became a teacher of this series, not just an observant. Which means, that even when I'm practicing, I will be judged by myself and others around me by a higher standard. Now, things will start getting interesting...now it's up to us to independently stay self-motivated.
If each week at Training has it's own personality, then this week's persona is independent. For starters, those of us with cars and who don't want a break from practicing, have been forced to find yoga outside of the hotel. The heat is repaired but we are still anxiously awaiting our permit from the Fire Dept. I hear rumors that "tomorrow is the day we start again," but either way I'm fine. I actually love practicing at the Hermosa Beach studio, which is only a 10 minute drive from the hotel. So far, I've taken 3 classes there this week to compensate for what I'm not getting in training. Psychologically, when you are going on your own free will and don't have to sign in, somehow the Yoga feels more enjoyable; even when you sit out half the class and realize your practice isn't as strong as it used to be.
Big props to the staff at Hermosa and the Owners, who 1) don't charge any of the teacher trainees to practice and 2) accomodate the unexpected, over-crowding with a smile. I highly recommend this charming studio to anyone looking for a strong, hot class in Cali.
As for the lectures, I have also independently decided who I want to fully absorb and who I want to skim. Since John Burras' lecture last week, we have had Raj Choudhury (Bikram's wife), Brian Tracy Ph.D (Head of Health & Exercise Physiology Dept. at Colorado State University), and Dr. Mani Bhaumik, (Nobel Prize winner / Lifetime Achievement Award winner / co-inventor of the world's first excimer laser).
In my humble opinion, these lectures post-Burras have been very "textbook." Raj is engaging as a speaker but her content is too scripted. Dr. Brian Tracy spoke about how muscles allow us to do yoga poses, but his presentation was too cerebral for his audience. Just like teaching a Bikram class, you need to understand what your students are going through to teach effectively - KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!
As for Dr. Bhaumik, Bikram built him up in his intro to be the smartest man on the planet, and that very well may be the case. Unfortunately, you would never know that from the way he speaks. With his heavy Indian accent and delivery, it was hard to appreciate the importance of "The Source," which was his topic. Given the importance of this subject, I would have liked to hear it revealed from Bikram or Burras. Even Dr. P would have been more vibrant.
What I did take away from Dr. Bhaumik last night is that yoga was invented for us to connect in our minds to The Source (defined here: http://www.dynamicyouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1658:universe-evolved-from-one-source&catid=79:research&Itemid=89)
Our brain cannot perceive The Source because it moves so fast, but it is everywhere and in everyone. The Source makes its own energy and gives us our consciousness. I am channeling The Source right now to write this blog. How will you tap into your own Source today?
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