Acapulco Day 2: Monday

We got up around 8 to go to 8:30 class, due to my inability to properly set an alarm. Probably because Todd is hogging my iPhone since I (regrettably) introduced him to Jewel Quest 2, which now occupies a lot of his time. :) Imagine our delight at not having to sign in :) Anyhow, the morning class was great - realistic heat and that same'old humidity that we all grew to know and love here at TT. I got through class pretty well, with reasonable water and no major issues, feeling good afterwards. I must say though, walking into the building, smelling the smell of that space/room, it gave me a little wave of nausea which was odd since I never threw up or anything when I was in training. Still, perhaps it was just the memory of the whole thing...and its intensity.

Next we hit the buffet at Chula Vista -mmmmm! We ate with Gregg and Manali, who were both in our training and are now on staff. It was fun to see familiar faces and catch up on the nuances of this TT so far.

Then, we went to the lecture hall and got to introduce ourselves to the group. I said a few things, just the basics, totally forgot to say I was from Seattle and call out the Seattle kids - BJ, Linda and Katie - mostly because they told us about 3 minutes before that we'd be doing it. Then, Todd took to the mike and introduced himself, ending with the fact that "in case you didn't realize it, this is Jenn of Jenn's blog..." which embarrassed me and I gave him a good punch in the arm! But, in a way it was good as bunches of people have said hello and given me a chance to talk to people and engage more. One said, "It's good he did that - there are so many visiting teachers sometimes you just lose track..." The trainees then took their anatomy test and Todd and I hit the pool for a bit. At 2, I went off to do my first posture clinic as a teacher...

What fun. Really. The posture clinics are very supportive and focus on giving people homework. I started out with David from Dallas, and then he had to go see Boss and Marlin from LA came in. After a while, I was invited to give feedback and it was really cool. It was harder than I thought, and I recall how as a trainee, we all hung on each teacher's every word - so I considered how important everything I said potentially could be to each person. At the same time, it was really an honor to be able to help and be on their side, and also just seeing the folks who were clearly 'naturals' vs. those who were struggling with a variety of things - memorizing, anxiety, etc. and targeting feedback to each person's current ability/performance along with their potential.

The evening class brought an interesting experience it turns out, not even the older, seasoned teachers have had. Bikram left the room with frustration after half-tortoise. There were a lot of people leaving, and it was blazing crazy hot (even for this room, Todd and I were both struggling but had kept up to this point). I do recall thinking, "There is an actual din of crowd noise coming from the lobby..." which illustrates how many people were out there. In the room, people were dropping like flies. My training had one crazy class like this, but I think we fell apart later in the class so though he was not happy with us, we did finish class. Anyhow, after, the mood was very, very somber. Everyone was working hard to welcome Boss back after he had been away over the weekend, and instead he was livid...

But here's the cool part: He did his yoga, as one senior teacher put it later. Bikram asked questions, investigated and found out that all the senior teachers and experienced practitioners were in agreement that simply put - something was/is up with the room. In the evening lecture, he told the group, "This is not your fault" and proceeded to call the engineer who built the room from Mexico City to catch the next flight and look at things. He said in the Spring training (mine) the room was not this bad. I can't say what my opinion is, as it was my first day in the room and any struggles I had were chocked up to that...but get this - we later found out the humidity in the room, intended to be around 45% - was 97%. Good lord!

Anyhow, the whole event ended up just fine, but it was a rough day for the trainees, as it sucks when Bikram's feelings are hurt because he doesn't think he's being taken seriously. And, in the end, it turned out very cool that he realized and was able to let the class know that while in some cases, some people may need to work a bit harder/address patterns, overall, there is a bigger issue at play.

And as for that lecture, I'll admit to bowing out after an hour to get a good night's sleep, because, well, I can and was tired. Todd and I both are just taking it day by day in terms of our participation. I hope to get a little sun at some point, but I'm really learning a lot by participating!

p.s. We had to change rooms - long story - and ended up in a non-view room in the Princesa tower, rather than the killer view room we had in the main building. Still, it's just fine!


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Me after morning class; yoga room; my standard brunch; Gregg; Evening class; and Bikram lecturing...from the teacher's seats in the back. And, our former view... :(