First Class!

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to post! I've been so busy and tired. I started back at the bar on Tuesday night and have been working there everyday on top of teaching and taking class and doing insane amounts of laundry and unpacking. It's still not done.

I have 2 classes under my belt already and it feels amazing! I taught Monday @ 12noon in Hamilton/Dundas and Wednesday @ 6am in Kitchener. I was supposed to teach in Hamilton last night @ 8 but there are so many new people there right now that it was decided that I should just take class as it may be overwhelming to be instructing so many new people. Alex was right. I still went down just to take class since I had never taken Alex's class before and I was so glad I wasn't teaching. 50% of the class was new. I can appreciate being able to simply watch how Alex handled the newbies. Something they always advised at teacher training was "don't hump the newbies, don't poke the crazies". I've never had Alex's class before and she's super dialogue driven and strong. I'm hoping it will inspire me for my following class and that I'll be able to remember some of the things she said in her class and paste them into my own dialogue.

Me in the Hamilton/Dundas studio chillin' with my BYKW peeps before i teach my first class. Lookin' pretty anxious and nervous.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Katrina. I am your yoga teacher"

FIRST CLASS!

So much support from my peers. I'm so blessed and grateful<3

I don't teach at all next week. Everyone's schedules are already filled for November, but December is promising. I'm looking for about 4 classes a week which I think is attainable. I still can't believe that I'm a teacher. It feels so unnatural to walk into the room and continue walking onto the podium instead of onto a mat. Its strange that I'm now teaching the people that taught me and I watched in class to mimic the movements and postures. Every class feels a little better and has more flow. My goal is to get my class down to 90 minutes. Both classes were 100min and 95minutes long. oops!

Here is a hilarious article Tess sent me. I love it because it is so true! It's called 10 Reasons to Date a Bikram Yogi. I sent it so Scott immediately haha. The countdown begins soon for Scott to go to teacher training. TT Spring 2011!!!!!!

XoXo Kat

Day 58: A shortie but a goodie

Yay, TamRock is here @ Teacher Training for the first time since she graduated 1 year and a half ago. This is us at the sign-in desk right before 8:30am class this morning. Nice bags under my eyes eh? Thanks Week 9!

I'm super busy with Demo team and just getting all my group hang-times in before I leave. Can you beleive I'll be home in 4 days!? So much to do. So little time.

Sorry all for ignoring you this week. There's just too much going on. I'll be back in touch when I get back on Sunday. This will likly be my last post until then.

XoXo

Day 56: If you can, you must

I'm still so excited about booking my first class. I can't wait! Alex is so kind to let me teach my first class for her. She's already messaged me about classes in December as well. Awesome eh!

This week is completely different from last week. I know I always say that.. but it is haha. Last week was all focus and energy and crazy concentration.. this week is all sore muscles and ant bites and anxiousness about coming home. Did I mention how excited I am about coming home? 7 MORE DAYS!!! It's so hard to stay present this past week as I am starting to integrate myself back into reality and contact employers and car insurance companies, and cell phone service providers to get everything in order for when I come back home... IN 7 DAYS!!!

This whole week has been all hard classes, then finally we had a class from Raj (Bikram's wife) last night which turned my whole week around. Everyone was working together and strong and focused. Hardly anyone left the room which is always helpful in focusing the energy and minimizing distractions.

Before I forget: HAPPY BELATED 21ST BIRTHDAY TESS!!!!

I made the Demonstration Team this week as well. (not by choice). I heard about tryouts for it but decided I wasn't interested because Niki had told me that demonstrators don't have any free time, its a lot of extra work, and little time to spend with people other then other demonstrators. Well, that didn't sound very appealing to me so I decided to decline...until 2 days later when Niki cornered me about being on the team. And, after a very heated and emotional discussion (more of an order then a discussion), I went back into the room after one of the hardest classes of training, to demonstrate in front of Bikram. He didn't cut me, obviously (I wouldn't be so lucky) and now a practice an extra 2hrs a day in the hot room on top of two 1.5hr beginner classes. I'm trying to find the positive in this situation. Niki wouldn't have challenged me with this unless she saw that I would benefit from it. She always has my best interest in mind. After 3 days of practice I've decided that this experience is an opportunity to practice for competition, lead and set an example for my class, and help me stay present in my last week. Win-Win, right?

After Demo Team practice I met up with my solids, ie. Dan, Alex & Hanna for our last beach weekend. A bunch of other people came out too to meet us and get away from the compound. Although it was windy and chilly we were still able to enjoy and appreciate the company.

The Quad.

I finally got my unoriginal backbend @ sunset picture

Eoin from NYC and I doing a tandem backbend

Pacific Beach, CA

The Quad (Alex, Dan, Hanna & I) + Joe

The night ended with dinner at a Moroccan restaurant in Hill Crest called Kous Kous. It was the best food we've had since we've been here. So flavourful and delicious. The braised lamb shank was unreal. I still can't believe this was our very last Saturday dinner. Look at how much love is in this picture haha.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to the farmers market in the morning for some more persimmons and curry hummus. Then the hotel is hosting the Southern California Asana Competition in the afternoon which I'm so excited for. I LOVE COMPETITION! My friend Niki, who I lived with last year in a basement during Backbending Clinic in Vancouver, is competing. It's been a good weekend so far...but I still can't stop thinking about getting home :)

7 DAYS!!!

XoXo Kat

ps. My first BYKW class is Wednesday November 24 @ 4pm. AAHHHhhhhh!!!!

Day 54: I've never been a pessimist. I never saw much use for it.

FIRST BIKRAM YOGA CLASS BOOKED!!!!!

Where: Bikram Yoga Hamilton/ Dundas
When: Monday November 22 @ 12noon

Details: All my friends and family can take my first class for free!!!

In other news- I made the demo team.

I'll explain later... right now I need to run to class. I just needed to let everyone know right away because I'M SO EXCITED!!!

Day 49: The only thing holding you back is your own imagination

WEEK 7: best week ever!

What a turn around from Week 6. Everything was sunshine and rainbows this week. I cruised through all of my dialogue like a champ and I actually starting to have some fun up there. Crazy right? Who would have thought that teaching yoga would be fun?! We've had amazing weather all week and Orsi was around so we got to hang out a few times by the pool and at night during the week which was really nice. She flew out yesterday afternoon, and on up to Santa Cruz for a week to teach @ a Bikram Studio there.

DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA: Bikram was saying some pretty controversial words in Friday mornings class. I was trying to ignore him and not allow him to steal my peace or my focus but of the few things that stood out to me were "man cannot replace the woman, this is why we have AIDS. It is unnatural. Woman's job is to be a babysitter, mans job is to be in the garage protecting the family" Intense right! Well a lot of people got up and left quietly... but not everyone was as accepting of the separate views. Case-in-point: Pandora from New York. After class as Bikram was walking to the nurses tent to get changed and go back to his room, Pandora approached him and said to his face "You're a fucking ass hole!" with which Bikram replied "Get the fuck out of here. You are the cancer of this training. Go home". She was asked to go to her room and not leave or talk to anyone until the staff had some time to convince Bikram to let her stay. Bikram hasn't forgiven her and still wants her to leave, but Pandora refuses to go... I'll keep you posted on how this suspenseful drama ends.

I really can't believe that there are only two weeks life. 22 more classes. 14 days. 2 more posture clinics. WHOAH. Where has the time gone? This is crunch time now to do all of the things that I've been meaning to do the whole time I've been here but haven't because I figured there was so much time left. Isn't that always how it is? ugh, I hate that.

To Do:

- San Diego Zoo

- Pacific Beach one more time to go surfing and stand up (min. 1 time) on a surf board

- La Jolla beach

- Down Town San Diego to see the St.Diego statue where all North, South, East, West roads meet at in the center of the city

- Original Christmas gifts for the fam

- Take an epic and unoriginal backbend picture on the beach @ sunset for my FB display pic

Last night I went to this amazing concert with Dan, Somona, and Ritz in Del Mar called Dr.Dog. It sounds like a rapper but he's not. The band is out of Philly and I would call the genre Rock. IT WAS SO FUN. This was the first concert i've been to that wasn't mass produced. The venue was awesome and intimate. I'd guess that there was probably 200 people there. We were 10 feet away from the band. Standing room only. My legs were so swollen this morning and my neck hurt a little from the head banging but it was so worth it. I'm so excited to go home and download all of their music!

I woke up this morning with the intention of getting my tan-on by the pool and studying the last 2 postures of the dialogue but then, while waiting for Rena to get off the phone, ran into Dan and decided to go to the farmers market in Hill Crest. WOW is all I can say. This market is so amazing. Everything is organic and all of the farmers are so proud and happy with their products. Everything is local. It's nothing like the St.Jacobs market. Way smaller, but with so much more to offer. Tons of cool scarf and hat stalls, and everything made by hand. None of this overseas cheap 'dumping' of consumer goods like in St.Jacobs.

I discovered persimmons! They are so delicious and only in season for about a month. They grow on trees and when the tree begins to bare fruit, all of the leaves fall off the branches and all that's left is the fruit. Cool eh!

Rena showing Dan and I how to pick a good Persimmon

Dan trying a sample and Rena with her bounty

(Note: if you don't shower for 2 days and take a Bikram class and go to a concert within that time, you can braid your hair without having to use a hair tie) Awesome!

This is a picture for my lovely Scott. I've never seen so many giant artichokes in one place. 3 for $3!!!

You're jealous. Admit it.

MMMMmmmmmm! I got hard ones and soft ones. Both very different tastes. The soft ones are a lot sweeter, but both equally delicious

Dan and Rena eating our purchases on the steps of a church beside the market.

After buying a few things.. raw vegan pesto hummus, curry hummus, roasted tomato hummus + 3 chibatta buns for $13!!! we planted ourselves on some church steps and devoured all of our deliciousness while soaking up some rays. I'm so full, I don't think I'll be eating until tomorrow. I think we sampled from every single vendor. I can't wait to go back again next weekend!

I'll be home in exactly 14 DAYS!!!

Xoxo

Day 42: Surf's up

 First things first. THANK YOU DR.AUSTIN!!!!! I got your camera from Orsi yesterday and went to the beach today and made good use of it. I so greatly appreciate your generosity. The camera is perfect.

This is a picture taken last weekend. I swiped it off of my friend Kyah's facebook. Not the greatest picture of me but nice to beable to see with peeps i've been hangin' with lately.  

Out for Saturday dinner last weekend (Right to left) Alex (NYC), me, Dan (Philly), Ant (Auz), Hanna (Sweden), Michelle (Montreal), Kyah (Auz), Tommy (NYC)

I was able to redeam myself on Friday after that horrible randition of Salabasana- Locust Pose... if you could

 even call it that. I totally let go of myself and ran infront of my demonstrators like an airplane (I was presenting dialogue for Full Locust) and increased my intensity during the climax of the posture and kept on going when I missed a word. I was  brilliant. My best one yet forsure. My homework for the next one is to present the dialouge as a character of my choice. I'm still undecided... I'll let you know how it goes.

This weekend was big! Orsi got here safe and sound and we took morning class together on Saturday and met for lunch and grocery shopping afterwards. I showed her around Hill Crest and the resort. I then spent my afternoon waxing Niki's legs and armpits hahaha. My night ended with Satruday night dinner, as always, with some trainees. We went to a new Thai place. Soooooo good. Amazing Pad Thai.

Today I went SURFING!!! Yes, surfing. It was so scary. I met up with my study-buddies, Dan and Alex, in the morning and we went to Pacific Beach. Dan did some investigating and found that we could rent 3 wet suits and 2 boards from 10am-4:30pm for $50. Dan's the man.

We grabed some delish breakfast on a rooftop on the board walk and studied some dialogue.

Alex and Dan practicing some dialoge and patiently awaiting our breakfast

Dan taught me how to surf. We practiced a few times on my towel and then dove in. We stayed where I could touch and I tried to practice popping up on my board on the white crumble from the waves. I only got up on my knees. I could never get my whole body up. It takes so much upper body strength. I was exhausted before I even tried to ride waves.

At some point through all of this, I don't know how, a rip tide came between Dan and I and I got swept out to sea a little bit. Dan had to back off so that he wouldn't get sucked in too but because I didn't know what a rip tide was I just thought he was getting out because I was doing so well on my own and didn't need him anymore. Littly did I know he was notifying the Lifeguard and yelling at Alex to come help him rescue me from the undertoe.

When I realized that I couldn't touch the sand anymore, that I was farther out then the experienced surfers, and that my hotel our towels and bags we set in front of was about 2 football fields away from me, "your so f*cked" ran through my head. I was trying to ride the waves back in but they were so strong that each one would knock me off my board, suck me under for a few seconds, and then pull me back to where I had just paddled from. My next thought was "where the F* is Dan! I'm going to kill him". After what felt like an eternity of paddling I finally got back in and Dan and Alex were running towards me to help with my board. Dan was very appologetic and explained to me what happened. He felt so bad... but rightfully so, I mean, it would have been really helpful to know that we need to swim sideways to get out of a rip tide!

Dan and I re-enacting the rip tide (near death) situation. Dan giving me the thumbs up so that I don't panic and me reaching out and screaming 'I'm going to get you for this'.

The weather was perfect and I was fine in the end. We're going to go back next Sunday again. I'm really hoping to get on my feet next time.

I feel so bad. I haven't had any time to call to message anyone. I've been so busy and its only going to get worse from now until the end unfortunatly. Dialogue is twice a day now, plus teachers are here to get recertified, and the advanced seminar is going on. There are so many people to see and reconnect with. I feel like everytime I have a second to finally sit down another person is at my door to visit or say hi. Its so amazing, but exhausting. Scott, Mom, please don't be mad. I'l call as soon as I can. I'm just so busy! I'm not avoiding you. I really REALLY want to talk to you. I swear!

I love you all so much! Just 3 more weeks to go :)

WEEK 7 STARTS TOMORROW.

XoXo