Day 30: A Sad Day for Bikram

This morning started out like a usual Monday. Yoga at 8:30, where I had a really nice class actually! As I briefly mentioned yesterday, I did the Sunday 11 a.m. class just for fun this week. I just – oddly – felt like doing some yoga (she says, slapping her arm to find a good vein…). Anyhow, it was so great – no pressure, guilt, pushing – just a nice, normal temp/humidity class. And though many there were forced there to do make-ups (if you sign in late, or miss a class/lecture, you ‘get’ an extra yoga class for free!), and a little bit of crankiness was in the room, it was purely delightful. (I did hate that I had to miss the buffet, what is a day without a buffet I ask??). Long story, not so short, to say that it paid off – I wasn’t nearly as sore and tight this morning! Yay!

However, just before final breathing, Craig too the microphone to announce that Bikram’s Guru's son had passed away. In observance, he wanted the rest of the day to be cancelled. So, we effectively had the day off but for a sad reason. Here is what was posted on the main Bikramyoga.com website:

Due to the Passing of Biswanath Ghosh (Bisu), son of the late Bishnu Charan Ghosh, Bikram's beloved guru, Bikram humbly requests, if possible, that all schools close worldwide on Monday May 5th, or Tuesday May 6th, if you receive the notice at night.

Still, you know there were people who wanted to whoop it up despite the somber savasana. For me though, and I know this is going to sound nuts, turns out it kinda threw me off. It was like I showed up to run a 10K and got 1K into and they said, “Opps, we’re going to move the race to tomorrow.” I was all geared up! Momentum was in order! And feeling good and prepared for the week…

Not to complain, really, just an observation that even though I was mumbling earlier that I “sure could stand another day of the weekend” getting it sprung on me wasn’t really what I meant. Be careful (or at a minimum, specific, in what you wish for...). I used the day in a mixed way – studied dialogue after lunch from 12 – 4, with intermittent conversations with folks by the pool. Started a book Todd had that I’m really enjoying (Paths to God – Living the Bahagavad Gita by Ram Dass) and read it for a couple hours. Dinner with the usual suspects at 100% Natural, our favorite place nearby… and then a little more dialogue. I’m pretty good up through Wind-Removing, and Cobra is ‘in there’…though, the warehouse is full, I feel like I need to move some inventory to make room for more postures before I can learn more. Cobra is longer than you’d think, and wordy, everyone said it tripped them up and those who are further along report that it speeds up starting with Locust. Good thing.

No one knows now what the week will bring. We were to have a guest lecture on Thursday, and that Bikram was supposed to lecture each night this week. We’re all just waiting to see what the week brings and how it all unfolds now that he has had a big event. I’m trying to just be here now, and not get too stressed. I am keeping up ok, so I’m just going to try to stay with it!

Thanks for all the nice comments lately, by the way, even though I just can’t reply individually, I really appreciate knowing how my words impact you!
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Pix: Above, Joshua's back art; Class #44!; fellow-blogger Morgan in the pool after we'd had a chat; Alysse & I; Things you see in Mexico: An electric hippo, venus and a blow-up coffee cup all in one place!