Day 27 -- Milestones

After a very rough night's sleep and not feeling great this morning, I was not optimistic about how class would go today. On the drive to the studio, I told myself it was okay if I just sat cross-legged on my mat the whole time.

But then, I surprised myself. In Standing Bow, I saw my foot over my shoulder for the first time. I made it through both sets of Triangle. In Fixed Firm, I got all the way into the posture for the first time. (No pain!) And I made it through Camel without feeling like I was going to pass out. It was a banner day!

I've noticed other milestones, too. Today, my fresh-from-the-dryer jeans went on more easily. My yoga pants are all getting a bit baggy. And I have muscle definition in my upper arms and thighs that I've never had. It's exciting to notice the incremental progress.

Of course, tomorrow's challenge will be not having expectations. But I maybe will have a little more confidence than I did this morning.

Day 15 -- 25 Percent

One thing I'm enjoying about the Sixty-Day Challenge is the variety of teachers. I've had six of them so far, with a new one just today: Christian. Each teachers follows the Bikram script, but each has subtle, personal variations that enhance my depth of learning.

I enjoy the detailed, precise directions some teachers give, but I also enjoy the greater degree of silence that others seem to prefer. I've learned a lot from everyone's style.

For example, today, Christian helped me understand the Fixed Firm posture better. He had me move my knees and adjust my hand position, and it was instantly both easier and more profound. After class, he asked me how it had felt on my knees.

I explained that my knees weren't the problem in that posture; it was my ankles that didn't love it.

"Ah," he said. "But your ankles are already in position. Nothing changes for them if you lean back farther. It still sucks for your ankles no matter what, so don't be afraid to take the posture deeper and enjoy the benefits for the rest of your body."

I laughed, but as he demonstrated, I could see that he was right. Suddenly, it all clicked for me, and I look forward to putting my new understanding into my practice going forward.

It was a subtle thing, but it felt symbolic of the progress I've made now that I'm a quarter way through the challenge. What new things will I learn in the weeks to come? I'm excited to find out.