10 Things I like about Bikram Yoga:

1. Heat - the room is heated to about 105 degrees. Crazy? Yeah, I thought so at first, but actually, heat is the key.

2. Sweating - I drink plenty of water and a glass of Kumazasa before going to the class, and during the class, I usually finish a big bottle of water. Before doing Bikram yoga, I never knew how good it feels to just sweat your ass off! It's excellent for your skin too! It gives you that inner-glow you always wanted.

3. Hard Work - The class makes you work harder than you ever thought you could. As a beginner, I suffered. Well, I still suffer. Sometimes the heat drives me nuts. But as long as you work hard and do your best, you feel like a million dollar baby after you get out of the 90-minute torture chaimber (I didn't name that, that's from Bikram himself!). Believe it or not, the class makes me feel better than an hour massage session does.

4. Effort Counts - The most important thing is doing your best. It's not Yoga Perfect, it's called Yoga Practice.

5. Extreme Stretching - I wasn't always flexible. In fact, I couldn't even touch my toes with my legs extended. But through practicing Bikram yoga, I got soooo flexible and it feels so good to stretch!

I love Ashtanga yoga too, but it doesn't make me stretch like the Bikram series can. So when I'm feeling stiff, I definitely go to a Bikram class. In my pre-Bikram days, I was often bothered by lower back and shoudler/neck pain, but it's gone. GONE!

6. Energy - Bikram yoga class works like a gas station. You go to the class empty and leave the class with full of energy. Seriously, after the class, my body feels 10 pounds lighter and I always feel like jumping around because I have so much energy!

7. Detox - You sweat all the toxins out. At first, you can literally smell your body detoxify. But I think with a regular, continuous practice, your body gets cleaner inside. I don't stink like I used to during the class.

8. Weight Control - Regular practice definitely keeps you in a great shape. You actually gain a lot of muscle doing yoga. My legs and arms are buff!

9. Inner Peace - Through practicing this yoga, you learn how not to stress yourself out in a stressful situation. I think now I'm able to handle myself better.

10. Ageless - They say yogis are ageless. It's true! I've met so many yogis who look way younger than their age. Hopefully I age well too!

This list is not in any sort of order, it's just a random list I came up with.

Next post is going to be the Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga. Stay tuned.

Ashtanga Yoga

Thanks to my yoga buddy Kyoko, I have been introduced to a whole new experience - Ashtanga Yoga. Kyoko came to visit in February when she competed in the International Yoga Asana Championship. After the event, her teacher and other students went back to Japan, but she stuck around for another week. So we decided to go to an Ashtanga class together. Kyoko had been doing Ashtanga in Tokyo for over a year and she wanted me to try it. We went to Yoga Works in Santa Monica. It was so different from what I was used to (Bikram yoga classes). There was no mirror, no carpet on the floor, and the room wasn't 100 degrees! But there was something about it. By the end of the class, I was feeling incredibly good and got completely hooked. I will talk more about why I like Ashtanga Yoga in my next post.

I also fell in love with Chuck's teaching style and energy. For yogis, energy is a weird, complex thing. Your energy and the teacher's energy have to sync up for you to have a good practice. Well, it's been about 2 months since, and I'm still loving it! I've even bought a book on Ashtanga Yoga, so I can study the sequence. But most of all, I'm just amazed that I'm actually getting up at 6:30am to go to an Ashtanga class 2-3 times a week.

Sweet Deal-

Last Thursday, Bill and I went to a Lakers game at the Staples Center. Overture, one of my agency's vendors, has a suite there and they were treating their clients. My boss was supposed to go, but her baby got sick, so she gave me the tickets. Those suites are awesome! We went in/out from the VIP entrance (no waiting in line) and the suite was complete with food and drinks. I'm not really a basketball fan, but I had a lot of fun.

Now another vendor is working on my Red Sox - Angels tickets. If he can get me good seats for those games, I'll be soooooo happy!

So, the occasional free lunches and invitations to events are the only highlight of my job. I hate everything else, but I'm sticking around at least till I get those Red Sox tickets!

Happy Birthday, Bill!!

Wow, this is the 5th year that we celebrate his birthday together... Let's see, what did we do every year??

1st year - Got drunk at Rajat's house in Troy Hall and then went to 29.
2nd year - Lots of Sushi/drinks at Miyagi's and more drinks at Yamashiro.
3rd year - ...?
4th year - Had great Yakiniku at Gyu-kaku.

My god, I just can't remember what we did 2 years ago! You don't understand how hard I'm trying to remember right now... Is my brain that damaged?? I hope not.. Maybe Bill can fill in on this later tonight. I even remember what I got him for the 1st, 2nd and 4th year, but the 3rd year is just like a blind spot for me. April of 2003... What was I doing? It was just a month before my graduation.. I may have gotten him a Shiatsu gift certificate and a book that year. I definitely need to figure this out - it's bugging me like crazy!!