Acapulco Day 3: Tuesday

Today started with a killer morning class taught by David from Dallas. He started though, by taking time to acknowledge yesterday's difficult afternoon practice. As someone whose been through this, I really appreciate the leadership here and them really calling out the elephant in the room rather than leaving it dangling out there. He spoke about the fact that there was a deal to be made: They will fix the room, and in return, the trainees will work to stay in it (and work hard and dedicate to the whole thing, really). Also, he talked about how Bikram really took the time to investigate and as I mentioned in my last post, that he really "did his yoga" to understand the problem and fix it, rather than just react to the symptoms of it. David went on to teach a kickass class with some great tidbits and material that I grabbed onto in terms of using in my own classes :) The class ended with the group seemingly refreshed and ready for the day. It was a great turnaround, and handled really well.

This afternoon I did a long posture clinic with staffer Louis, who was super fun to be with. We had two groups, and finished off about 10 Eagle posture deliveries and got through all but 5 Standing Head to Knee deliveries, taking turns giving feedback. He has a system whereby he would observe and give the feedback, while I followed the dialogue for accuracy and then captured his suggestions to the trainee in the record book, and then we'd reverse. It was fun getting to participate so much and get to 'fly solo' on a lot of them. After, I asked him for feedback on how I did and overall, he said that I come from a very genuine place, and my feedback was solid. I was actually a bit (er, or a lot) nervous, again, wanting to do a good job for the folks going through the dialogue process, because I know how stressful and hard it was for me, especially at this point - when the dialogue I learned at home ran out :( It's very humbling to be on the other side, and I must say I now appreciate the proctors we had more, and also understand more about some of their decisions and discipline in a different way. I think times we thought they were being mean to us, they really were just protecting the delivery environment for the trainees...

Classes are going pretty well - no lie - they are HOT and hard. Todd and I are next to each other, or have been so far, which is fun. I'm diluting Pedialyte into my water, and drinking a reasonable amount (just like in my training, I always seem to have enough water left to share as needed with others on the lawn after class :) There are moments, and I've had to catch my breath here and there....plus, in the back rows, you aren't surrounded by people (energy) in the same way - the lines are nearly empty, so it's easier to lose focus. For me anyhow, it is. That said, tonight's class was fantastic - Gregg on one side, Todd on the other - both giving me occasional shit and making class feel light and fun. This morning was an ass-kicker and really challenging for me - that's how the yoga is though, you don't always enjoy the classes that yield your biggest return. It's amazing how it's been relatively easy to just jump back in, partially I'm sure because it's one week, not nine! :)

Minimal pix today:

Morning class, and Todd's with his toy. Us above, as I joined Todd in his outdoor post-class savasana on the lawn.
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