Going to Training? Part 3: Dialogue and Study Suggestions

Learn the dialogue before you go.
Learn the dialogue before you go.
Learn the dialogue before you go.
Learn the dialogue before you go.
Learn the dialogue before you go.
Learn the dialogue before you go.
Learn the dialogue before you go.
Learn the dialogue before you go.

Did I mention....Learn the dialogue before you go?

And know that if you don't, you'll be ok. In fact, there was something (for me, the extrovert) about being a part of the minutia of the experience, staying up late, studying with people you hardly knew but there you were, rocking out postures at 1 a.m. and doing great in posture clinic the next day. There is something to be said for the 'group suffering' part of it; however, that's coming from someone who only had (roughly) up to Eagle when I got there. I'm sure those who had it done will tell you of blissful nights of sleep, regular opportunities to practice empathy, and the opportunity to help others. :)

Todd suggested I blog this topic as it was a huge part of training - as big as, and often worse than, doing the yoga itself. This was so different for different people too! The experience around the dialogue was intense all around, but it came easy for some, seemed impossible for others, and for the bulk of us, once we got a study system that worked, and frankly, just got the hang of doing it, it happened with a medium/reasonable amount of struggle.

The thing to think about is this: You need to learn the dialogue and actually remember it, and be able to recall it once you get home. So rather than cramming to get it in your head long enough to spit it out in a posture clinic, consider finding a way to study that will allow you to retain it, making life after training much easier (and life during training, for that matter). I had so much more dialogue when I got home than I thought, but the postures I crammed in irresponsibly are still the ones I struggle with the most, even now.

For me, (1) it went back to how I successfully studied in college and (2) finding a way to learn and function within the setting I was in. Plus, at no time in my life have I had to memorize 90+ minutes of words, verbatim. Unless you're an actor, it's unlikely you have either. So consider this is a different thing than studying to pass a test on geography where you can wing it to some degree. Verbatim, people, verbatim.

And, I'll say this - it was a bit like what I understand childbirth/labor to be - what works in the first few hours is shit at 9 cm. Well, true here too - it seemed everyone went through iterations of studying that worked for a while and then didn't work anymore. Once you get into a flow, it does indeed come easier. Most of us (though not everyone) came up with some semblance of this formula:

- Learn the lines on your own by reading them, and saying them aloud to yourself.
- Then, practice out loud with 1-3 other people saying each line until each paragraph was solid, continuing through the posture until each paragraph was solid, then finalizing it by saying the whole thing.

• This is good for you in terms of getting the words to roll off your tongue out loud and you're doing "practical application learning" (good for most adult learners - the concept of actually 'doing' the task at hand rather than theoretical learning)
• For those who are big "reading comprehension" people, like me, I'd read the words as others spoke them, so I'd re-read it 2-3 times in between speaking it without looking at the words
  
• For "auditory learners" (which I'm not), you also get to hear it out loud, which for some is very helpful. It's not my primary learning tool, but it didn't hurt.
  
• When you were ready, you had other people handy to start practicing with bodies in front of you, which is a whole other layer of learning - seeing someone do it and concentrating on that often required a sort of 're-learning' of the dialogue. I know I got thrown off by it in many postures! They stress it like mad, and many found the bodies "distracting" but, hello, when you teach, (hoepefully) there are bodies in front of you! :)
  

Honestly, this covers most adult learning styles at once, which I think is why so many people (or the ones I was around) took this approach. I say this with a giant disclaimer that many, many people did it a variety of ways - some holed up and truly only studied alone the whole time. Others studied until they had it down, and then would only meet up with others to practice with bodies and/or say the posture in its entirety. Some had just one partner, and they exclusively studied together. People who had it memorized before coming would often just support and help others, as a way to solidify their own learning (but always with the option to hit the hay, lucky devils). Others crammed like mad just before having to deliver it and hoped for the best, many doing just fine with that approach. You'll find your way, this was (somewhat) my method and the general method I saw used by most (not all) people.

I believe I blogged my exact method earlier, which was this (not that it's full-proof, good grief...but just happened to work for me for most of the postures):

• I would learn each line, repeating and saying them out loud, alone
• I would make a list of 1st words of each posture, and use those to jog my memory of the lines that I had learned (this saved volumes of time just trying to get the next line, and also stopped me from having to look at the dialogue to find out - hence sort of cheating, because you couldn't help but see the next couple lines, so then your practice of those became a little bogus)
• I would practice with other people, repeating as stated above (this worked too, when I didn't have time to learn the lines ahead of time in a few cases where we really got pushed)
• I would use bodies once I had it mostly down, ideally at least 5 times before delivering it in posture clinic
• Sadly, I did not spend much time going back to older postures until we were done, in the last two weeks

This may all sound like gibberish at the moment, and it kinda is. The rule of thumb is to just know Half Moon, the 1st part, before you go. This is the one you do in front of Bikram. Have it down so you can relax about that, but man, we all wished we'd gotten more serious about dialogue before we started posture clinics in Week 3. You're so busy acclimating Week 1 & 2, you feel so full, overwhelmed, etc. but if I could go back, I'd have found some serious study-buddies and got crackin' sooner. Everyone told me to just know Half Moon, and for that, I cursed them, wishing I'd buckled down at home more too...though they certainly meant well, and I did survive, so they were right on some level!

Those of you who were there, feel free to add a (robust) comment on your thoughts! It will further drive home my point that this really was different for everyone!

---------
BONUS! Todd was kind enough to write up his own perspective on this so I could include it here rather than having him just add comments (which not everyone sees...). So, here's a whole other perspective on this topic!

The study method I used, and one that others picked up in Mexico was to write the first letter of each line and then repeat the line with that prompt. If the line had a period or comma I would add the first letter right after that also. So first paragraph of Half Moon would go:

E

F, H

A, P

I, R, T

K, D

H, U, T

Then I would study the first paragraph until I could repeat it in full using the first letter and then go on to the second paragraph. Once I was able to repeat the second I would then combine the first and second before moving on to the third. Once I got the third down I would then combine the first, second and third and repeat, and so on till the end of the posture. After a couple of postures my ability to learn a posture sped up and I could use this method to get a posture down in my head in an hour and then another hour I would lose the cheat sheet and know it.

Also, this is just me, I found that when we got out at night from lecture I couldn't practice dialog in my room alone or I would fall asleep. I suggest that you head down to the lobby where the breeze and noises (nothing loud) from the hotel will keep you focused. The staff will encourage you to work on your postures with others and this does work as it adds another dynamic to doing the posture that is much different then just saying it to yourself. My suggestion is not to do this too early in the posture. If you don't know the posture working with another person may just be a distraction that you don't need.

Before I learned the method above in Mexico I was using a digital recorder. I would look at the paragraph and go line by line. Say the line a bunch of times using the book and then when I got it to memory move on to the next and then when I had a couple of lines I would record and listen to myself. This technique worked for me as I said earlier, but once I got to Mexico I found the structure of our time didn't allow me enough time to make this technique work. You will find that after the first three postures the crunch will come and you will have to deliver two or three postures in a day. This is why learning as much as you can before Mexico will be a big benefit. Now you never know when this day will come as staff won't tell you. They don't give you updated agendas, so it is a real guessing game as to what will happen each day from the start to the end of the day. When you add in the short periods of time you get to study, which is really your free time between midnight (provided Bikram doesn't keep you later) and 8:30 AM when the first yoga practice takes place you don't have a ton of time to study and sleep. This is why I say the recorder method, for me, didn't work. I found that by using the method above I could actually learn a posture by myself in the posture clinic while others were delivering theirs if I had to. On a couple of occasions I actually had to do two or three postures when I had walked into the posture clinic expecting to deliver one.

The posture clinics are broken up by groups. They will make equal number of groups going by the last names. We had a total of 16 groups with 15 or so people in each. Everyday your group was in the clinic with another group and this would change each day. You are in the same group from start to finish of the TT program. They also use these groups to determine what line you will practice on each day in the studio. Now some groups were just better at dialog for whatever reason then others or the teacher (visiting teachers or staff) that were grading you moved slow or fast with their feedback of the postures thereby causing some groups to be faster / slower than others. This is why you never know how many postures you might have to deliver, and saying I only know one won't cut it. You will still have to get up and deliver what you do know. This grade will still go into the book and depending on how well you do overall with the other postures you do know it could impact on your graduation.

There are many techniques to studying dialog and once you get into posture clinic and people start to struggle with dialog you will learn from staff the numerous methods. For the most part you are on your own for learning this. Posture Clinic is a very interesting place and seeing the different people reacting to this was something I found very unique. Some people lost their voices and would totally blank and others would start to cry. Then there were others (not that many) who came in knowing their dialog verbatim from start to finish.

Ok Dear. Let Me Clarify.

Hi all. Just to clarify....I got an email or two from people who kinda misunderstood my last post. Worried for me that teaching is not working out for me...not at all! It's working out great. I had a couple goals with my post:

• First, just to call out some of the logistical challenges of coming home and teaching, particularly when you're not walking right into a super-supportive affiliated studio owner handing you 14 classes a week.
• Second, to share that I realized, for me, that 5-6 classes/week is a good goal for me. At training, there is so much push to teach like a maniac when you get home, and I've done my best to do that given the parameters I've posted about here. But now that a couple weeks are past, I took some time to re-evaluate and balance all the aspects of my life that are important to me.

So, with that, I'll be carrying on! I got up at 6 a.m. to try a new studio, talk to the owner and see if it was going to be a good fit for me. Then, at 1 p.m. I taught a teacher-class in order to get some feedback from them on my teaching. I'm not teaching tomorrow, but am the three days following. So it's all good everyone! Not to worry. :) It will happen as it should!

Negotiating Teaching: Part 2

Ok, neither my chiropractor nor my 8-pound old-lady cat can loosen what is now a tangle of muscles locked up around my spine...though both made an attempt yesterday, for what it was worth. :)

I didn't necessarily think I'd make the topic of negotiating teaching into a series of posts, but it kinda makes sense. We all were told over and over at training that "the journey really starts when you leave here and start teaching." It's true. Lots of things to balance, logistically and otherwise, and decisions to make about where you want to teach (or, in some cases, are willing to teach).

First there is the big issue of 'affiliated' vs. 'non-affiliated' studios. This is rough. You are specifically directed not to teach at non-affiliated studios - however, the reality is for many of us that these are the only option for getting classes. There are many opinions about this - unaffiliated studios typically aren't affiliated for a few reasons: Space is too small or not a rectangle (squares rooms are not ok); no showers; or they teach another style of yoga at the same studio (usually heated Power or Vinyasa Flow). Of the ones that fall into this category here, they all do teach their Bikram classes by the book with only certified teachers. So, this has been conundrum number one for me, as there are only two affiliated studios in Seattle, one of which is my home studio - they don't take new teachers - it's an old studio with seasoned students, and frankly, I think I'd get eaten alive. The second is totally packed with teachers at this time, though there is promise there with some effort and patience. So...it's a personal decision for each teacher to make, and there is a lot of judgment around it (esp. by folks who live in a city with 12 affiliated studios :) Ultimately, I would love to only teach at affiliated studios, without a doubt. Right now though...

Second, there's the whole thing about "showing your face" - that is, practicing at the studios where you want to teach. This makes all kinds of sense; you know the room better this way, students see you and your practice, and so does the owner/manager. The issue, of course, is running all over tarnation to go to class, and then doing the same thing to teach. And in my case, I still have a strong affection for the place I call home (where I can't teach), just down the street in my neighborhood, and want to practice there, too. This is another thing to juggle plus some studios are a drive and require some sitting in traffic, which with the price of gas isn't exactly a total non-issue. No biggie here, you just do what you need to of course, but it is a consideration as the ball gets rolling...

Third, Work. For me, teaching yoga alone will not pay the bills. New teachers make on the order of $40 - $45 here, or at least that's what I'm seeing. This is totally fair as you are new! Experienced teachers make on the order of (up to) $75 here. Each class is a 3-hour job, 30 min before and after, 90 minute class, and 30 minutes for wiggle room - at $15/hour, I'm not going to be paying my mortgage teaching yoga. I knew that going in of course - I have my own business as a professional organizer/personal assistant, and also take contract jobs. Right now, I've got a few organizer gigs, a couple regular personal assistant sessions starting soon, and a 1/2 time contract job starting up - in addition to teaching the yoga. (And oh yeah, practicing the yoga too, very important to teaching, so I consider that part of my 'work week' in a sense, as in, not optional but required...)

So with all that, I made a decision. I'm feel comfortable saying that I want to be a part-time Bikram yoga teacher. In the opinion of one of my favorite yoga teachers, 5-6 classes a week is plenty to both build and maintain skills - more will get it done faster, sure, but when he said that, I thought, "that sounds perfect to me!" It's also realistic, in that I have to work otherwise, and get at least 5-6 practices in a week, and balance my personal life. Part of this is practicing patience - of course I wish I could have 100 classes under my belt in short order, but it's just not going to happen that way for me. Plus, I met a girl (teacher) the other day who was in one of my classes who said she taught so much when she got back, she burned out after a few months and now just has gone back to practicing and filling in for emergencies. I felt for her - and thought, "I don't what that to happen to me..."

Teaching is exciting and fun, I'm loving it - and, at the same time, I'm back to "real life" now, and I just am putting it all together, realizing that my responsibilities (time, money) are to things I actually really want and care about - my girlfriend, my family/friends, my house, and my business. I came back from training with a validated, solid feeling that I'm set up right now in a way that maps to what I want for myself, I really feel good and at peace with my life. And, as it goes, that life happens to cost more than a yoga teacher makes...and I am ok to work within those parameters.

So, I'm continuing to take whatever chances to teach I can get - ultimately, I hope to eventually have 5-6 permanent classes a week, hopefully sandwiched into 3-4 days, leaving me 3ish days to do organizing work and contract work, with one day off each week (Fridays). Right now, I have 1 solid class/week on Saturday at 4:30; 1 class weekly (roughly) that floats around; and 1 'practice' class that is donation only that Christian and I are alternating on Sundays. So, most weeks that 2-3 for sure; and in time, I'm sure the other 2-3 will come. Plus, I have access to two studios that will let me set up practice classes of my own, should I have a light week.

Bottom line: Again, my training mentality of "Pacing, Pacing, Pacing" resurfaces. I'm dedicated, but chilling out about my initial approach of racing around and trying to force it to happen while also trying to maintain the other responsibilities of my life - instead, I'm going to keep networking and making contacts; take the opportunities to teach that come to me whenever I can; teach with gusto when I do; keep studying my dialogue like a mad woman; and trust that in the end, I will get exactly what I need at the right time. It's been true so far, so based on that, I feel solid in this approach. For now, anyhow. :)

Going to Training? Part 2: Budgeting for Training

Ah, the ever-asked question, "How much money should I plan on spending for training?" Well, the answer can really, really vary based on YOU. So, here are the knowns:

From Bikram's website, the baseline costs:

US$6,600.00 -- Teacher Training Fee
US$3,900.00 -- Hotel Accommodation for each student on two students per room. (Single room US$8,000.00)

So, your baseline cost $10,500

Consider these costs which can vary:

• Airplane Ticket
• Airport transfers (taxi to hotel is $25, shuttle is $15...plus you may need them at home)
• Housesitting/pet care
• Home expenses that you pay/normal bills
• *Loss of income (consider, you won't be working, and factor that gap in)
• Re-acclimation time when you get home (I budgeted for a couple weeks to settle back into life)

While at training, you can spend as much or as little as you like. Now, I feel cautious posting this as what I value may not line up with what each of you value. So please, take this list/suggestion with a grain of salt, and modify to your needs. There are a few comments after this list explaining...

Bottom line: $100/week or so for average expenses - here's my breakdown

$30 - Groceries (in my case...limes, cheese, crackers, nuts - note: I was not buying water/gatorade, etc. or meat)
$10 - Laundry (again, you can handwash, go to the uber-cheap laundromat for way less...but again, time was more important to me than a couple bucks)
$20ish - Room service - usually at least one night, and this was really only for a bowl of soup, though for the same, you can do the steak sandwich, ceasar salad, etc.)
$40 - Dinner out on the weekends/Poolside Snacks/Taxis - for me, being able to go out to a decent meal was really nice and getting out of the hotel was good for me. Poolside snacks were a happy indulgence, etc. There is a shuttle to the Mega/Wal-mart area, but if you prefer a cab or end up needing one, it's $5 each way.

Not included in this were my spa fees, which you can get a $150 punchcard and use the hot tub, steam room and sauna for a full day 10x ($15/visit). I would go and study dialogue, sleep in the sauna, and generally just chill there. Massages were $100ish, haircuts $30ish, and pedicures (very important to me!) $30ish. So this, or any other special 'care and feeding' of yourself (shopping, traveling, touristy stuff, etc.) would be additional. Keep in mind you are under duress, and you will find doing something nice for yourself can make a difference. I budgeted with this in mind, got a few massages and also canceled a few when I felt ok and didn't really need to spend the money.

The doctor's office charges about $150 for a visit, but if you need it, it's there for you and in the realm of medical costs, not that expensive. Just be aware of it and prepared - no one knows how their body will react. I had plenty of friends need IVs, some as late as the last Friday night who had no big issues until then! You just don't know, so don't be surprised, plan for it and likely you won't need it.

Phone calls/contact with home - there are so many options! Skype is great if you are in the princessa tower with internet connection via a cord (or, like Todd's comment you can set up a little wi-fi network for you and your floormates). In the main pyramid though, the internet wi-fi rolls on and off constantly and Skyping from there is a frustrating experience. Either way though, it's internet, and it works most/some of the time. Be sure to go now and sign up for the Fairmont President's Club to access free internet the whole stay! www.fairmont.com - if you forget, you can't do it once you're checked in (though, I know some who begged and it worked out). You or your person at home can get phone cards too, and in the end, I just ended up using my cell phone after making sure I had a the Mexico plan turned on. It was way more convenient, doesn't disturb your roommate, and let's you be mobile so you can go sit someplace pretty to chat. Reception was great, no issues there.

In terms of eating, Todd estimated room service to be around $20 - 30 a pop; you can get a giant pizza for that and save 1/2, etc. If more people go in on it, you can split up the service charge/tip which adds 20% on the top. On the cheaper approach, I knew folks who went and got loaves of bread, lunch meat, sliced cheese and mayo and made sandwiches for dinner (or, PB&Js, etc). The Los Angeles Cafe offers mediocre sandwiches and long lines, but at a much lower price point than room service, maybe $10 for dinner. Your big meal is after morning practice, and I found we all treated dinner, in most cases, more like 'lunch' in normal life.

Because I brought a lot of what I needed, I didn't find myself spending wads of cash on daily items or anything like that. When I got sick, I did load up on Pedialyte, at a couple bucks each, stuff like that.

With all this said, I'd say $100/week overall is safe for most people, plus any extras (I'd plan $500 overall just to 'play with' - haircuts, medicine, touristy stuff, phone calls, etc.). Many did it for less, and I'm sure many spent more. It just depends on your values, your needs and your means. So, in addition to the costs to sign up, airfare, taxis, I'd suggest $1400-$1500 for comfort and ease assuming you have fairly average tastes. You'll likely go home with money in your pocket. In contrast to that, the least I heard of was one person with $400 total - he ran out of money three days before it was time to go home. Throughout, he generally just let people know his budget was wicked-tight, so a lot of us would take him our extras, foods we tried and didn't like, or just things we somehow got too much of - this worked out great for him and he was gracious for anything anyone passed on to him. With many friends by the end, everyone jumped in and took care of him the last few days. So, with that, you can obviously do it for way, way less. I'm speaking from a former-software-company-employee-37-year-old perspective; in contrast to a lot of 21-year-old actors and baristas, who had very different expectations and needs/values.

Have I qualified my thoughts enough?? :) Don't not go just because of spending money; my thought was this: I paid $10,500 off the top, a little bit more to actually help me enjoy the experience was going to be money well spent, and it was!

Those who were there along with me, chime in with your thoughts, or anything I completely forgot!

Why No Green?

Bikram hates the color green and won't have it at his training. His staff supports this, so no color green anyplace in training. You can wear it on the weekend, but honestly, if it's green, just leave it home. This doesn't apply so much to patterns, as I wore my predominately yellow hoodie that has some green in the pattern upon it. Also, my little backpack had limes, lemons and oranges on it - so again, a little bit of green. If you wear green to a yoga class, you will be kicked out of that class, period.

Here's the story, as I remember it - keeping in mind I think it was late and I was tired:

Bikram's guru had a son around 12 years old; this was before Bikram started working with his guru when he was 5 years old. The guru's son was set to do a yoga demo at a festival, in the main tent. He was wearing a green shirt, which in Indian lore signifies bad luck. His mother advised him to change, he, being a near-teen, opted to wear it anyway. So, he and a friend went off to the festival for the demonstration. While in the midst of the event, a fire broke out - the guru's son got out in time, but realized his friend was not with him. He went back for the friend, and sadly, perished in the fire. Out of respect for his guru, who believed the green shirt had a hand in this inauspicious event, Bikram eschewed green at his direction from Day 1.

That's the story as I remember it. If someone interpreted it differently, please chime in. The staff will always defer to Bikram on this, so if you ask Craig or anyone, they usually will wait and let Bikram tell you as it's a very personal story for him; however, he typically tells it at each training to ~300 people, so it doesn't appear to be a secret, hence I'm sharing it here so you understand why he asks this of you if you go to training.

Going to Training? Part 1 of 3: My Final "What to Bring" List

Note: Read the comments after reading this post. Christian added his thoughts, and others have asked questions I've answered there. So, be sure to check'em out.

Disclaimer: I tend to be (overly) uber-prepared girl and often opt for that approach over being super-simple. So take this for what it's worth and decide for you what is best!

---

Here it is! The Final "What to Bring" post. Be sure you consider your own interests and hobbies; and of course, ditch those items that lend to my interests and not yours. If you want to know "Why that?" just comment and I'll answer back *in the comment section* so check back there for a response. If I forgot anything, let me know! Also, consider I got made fun of a lot for all I brought, but many of those people ended up seriously praising me when I had the exact thing they needed after they humbly came and asked :)

You can see my original posting of what to bring here. Now then, yeah, I over-packed a little but there were a lot of things I was so happy to have along. Before you go to the list, here are a few thoughts:

MVP: The Britta Pitcher
In my opinion, the single best thing I brought was the Britta Pitcher. The water in the hotel is fine, really, but the taste is odd. The Britta made it taste great and gave another round of filtering. We used it and avoided slugging suitcases full of bottles every weekend. You are so tired, and using a chunk of your weekend to haul water just seems like a lot. Christian and I each kept a couple big water bottles in our fridge and refilled regularly so we were always ready for class.

MVP Runners-Up:
A small hot water kettle like this one (not technically allowed...but...tea, instant soup, etc.) - also was handy to fill the Britta, which was too tall for the bathroom sink; the power strips; good, sturdy flip-flops or sandals that can get wet.

Also, EAR PLUGs - Bikram plays movies at a deafening level, and typically until all hours of the morning. That said, the ear plugs just take the edge off and make the whole experience much more comfortable.

Wished I'd Had It:

• A small pillow for sitting on during posture clinics, or a camp chair thingy (the pillow would be less invasive though, and handy for movie nights)
• A pair of noise-canceling in-ear "earbuds" - sometimes I'd chill out before lecture listening to music, but my lame iPod headphones let a lot of noise in. Try Shure earbuds or something like that.
• A quiet, insulated water bottle.
• Oh, and a massager - the pain...oy
• More cute clothes (I assumed we'd be doing posture clinic on the sweaty yoga room floor as in the past, and left most cool clothes home...and felt dumpy on the weekends especially); jewelry (I left almost all home, but it was only banned in the yoga room, not the rest of the time as I'd thought).

Another notion on food - I paid a lot ($150) to bring a second suitcase, mostly full of food which I cheerfully shared until I realized I was going to run out of things I was needing and relying on. Then it was hard to say no, when I'd said "be my guest" to that point. That said, I wished I'd had a Luna Bar for every afternoon, but I ran out because I kept giving them away to people at lecture and in my group...and then was bummed when I had to eat peanut butter toast instead; I shared my coveted organic Tamari almonds and a few others got addicted to them too...so then I had to switch to ghetto nuts from Wal-Mart. When you calculate the cost of that extra bag, them were some pricey bars and nuts! So, my advice is to bring what you need for yourself, plus a little to share, and be firm that you need the rest for yourself. I'm not at all sorry I shared! I love to share. I just ended up not getting my own needs met in deference to others, and that didn't feel very good, especially on days that were rougher than others. To be clear, it's just something I'd do differently, not a regret. So, take care of you first, and if you plan to take care of others too, just pack extra so you can share! (er, perhaps Jenn needed to practice a little bit of non-attachment in this area, huh? :)

That said, there is plenty of food at the Wal-mart and Mega...but good luck finding any sort of "bar" - they had lame 80's style granola bars and these weird ones that tasted like graham crackers...there are no Power Bars or anything remotely like that. Bring'em. Seriously.

Some Other Advice...

Laundry, was by my account, cheap - $1oish/week - and that is way cheaper than loads of LuLulemon and Shakti outfits - so the old adage of having 11 outfits really wasn't necessary - I'd say having at least 6 would make life easier, and if you're down with handwashing, go for it - I was more interested in minimizing effort/saving time so I just let them do it for me 2x/week. Now, some folks on a super-tight budget would go to the laundromat by Wal-Mart and spend several hours to save $7. It basically comes down to what's more important to you personally: Your time, or your money? I cheerfully spent that money each week!

Consider Electrolyte Capsules that you take like pills over fizzy drink thingys or big plastic bottles of stuff - it seemed having to lug Gatorade and/or Pedialytes was a pain for most people unless they were uber sick/struggling (where it made perfect, important sense). Even Emergen-C's require water, mixing, etc. I opted to take capsules. They have the same ingredients as most of them (though, without sugar/calories), and found them portable and easy. I brought 9 bottles for the 9 weeks, took 12/day (3 before, 3 after each class). It was easy and seemed way less of a hassle, assuming you're generally healthy and feeling ok...I did use Pedialyte + extra Vitamin C when I got a little sick, in addition to the electrolytes. But otherwise, they worked great. (There's a pic of the brand that I used).

Totally Did Not Need
yoga mat wipes, 2 small hand towels; electric egg cooker (hard/soft boils & poaches); dried onions; My pillow (they had nice pillows, tons of 'em); slippers (too hot); most socks; multiple PJ's - one was enough; heating pad wasn't used, the ice bag only once, but it was good to have. A lot of long-sleeve shirts that were heavier. I didn't really use the voice recorder but was glad I had it.


THE FINAL LIST
This is a packing list for Bikram Teacher Training in Acapulco, Mexico!

Note: Do not take green! No green clothes inside or outside the lecture room. Also no green mats or water bottles, notebooks, or bags/backpacks.

Yoga Stuff

• 1 Mat (I gotta new, cool one)
• My Dialogue (printed and my CD of it in mp3)
• 6-11 Yoga Outfits (6-11 bras, 6-11 shorts, 6-11 headbands, hair elastics for pig-tails)
• 1 Regular water bottle, and consider an insulated water bottle for ice water that is quiet (unlike the Orange Towers of Shame, which were like maracas) :) Believe me, so many people there eschewed ice at home, but it got them, er...me, through the rough parts in decent order. I'm not an advocate for ice in 'real life' but there, though many shamed us, the ice really made a difference in the beginning especially.
  

Kitchen Stuff

• Britta Water Pitcher & 3 extra filters
• Mini electric kettle, 3-cup (plastic)
• Mini-French press
• Can opener
• Knife to cut limes + baby cutting board
• Small spatula
• Small plastic containers (gladware) with lids for lugging snacks around (small) and storing any food leftovers/or things I make (tuna salad, egg salad...) or for stealing from the buffet (sandwich size) :)
• Sponge for dishes (one with the handle you fill with dishsoap is great) & dishsoap

Food

• Your favorite dry goods and canned goods (if you're picky)
  
• Protein Powder
• Peanut Butter
• Nuts
• Trail mix (one salty/one sweet)
• Jar of mayo
• Canned tuna
• Dried cranberries
• Crackers
• 2 cases of Luna Bars or your favorite health bar (60; more if you want to share with others)
  
• Teabags
• Ground coffee
• Other "just add hot water!" items - soup packets, oatmeal..
• Salt
• Sugar
• Favorite chocolate bars :)

Regular Clothes

• 2-4 pair of shorts/crop pants
• 3-4 t-shirts - not too heavy, ideally cotton blends (1/2 performance, 1/2 casual)
• 5-8 tank tops/sleeveless shirts (1/2 performance, 1/2 casual) - lived in these!
• 2 pair of jeans (one nicer, one casual)
• 2 skirts (or more, I'd wished I had more)
• 2 long-sleeve shirts (1/2 performance, 1/2 casual)
• 1 light jacket
• 2 hoodies (1 lightweight, 1 heavier)
• 1 cute utilitarian sweater/cardigan
  
• 2+ bathing suits...or more :)
• 1 bathing suit cover up (you can buy a sarong on the beach, or a coverup at Walmart easily)
• 3 regular bras
• 10+ undies (extras were good..it was hot there, so often I'd switch after yoga, etc.)
• 2 pair little white socks
• Pajamas (1 lighter material, it's hot there! you do have AC)
• 1 pair of black socks
• 1 pair fluffy socks for movie nights. That room can be cold.
  
• 1 pair sturdy flip-flops or sandals that can get wet
• 1 pair pumas/sneakers
• 1 pair nicer/non-workout type sandals
• 2 pairs shoes for looking nice (dinner/graduation)
• 2 dresses (graduation/dinner on saturdays?)
• A couple cool shirts for with jeans and skirts
  
• Non-workout hairbands/accessories

The Rest...

• Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, soap (bar), shower gel, face wash; lush shower bar); Exfoliating gloves, foot scrubber
• Razor and replacement blades
• Make-up (mascara/eyeliner, eyeliner sharpener; lip gloss, eyeshadow, baby perfume)
• Face lotion with sunscreen
• Powder (chafing happens)
• Optional: body lotion, foot lotion, hand lotion (it was too hot and I would be too slick in class if I used these...so it was for weekends only)
• Lip balm (with sunscreen)
• Feminine hygiene supplies (bring your favorites, they have different brands there...and I had 3 full-on periods in 9 weeks...be prepared for anything)
• Tweezers, nail clippers, nail file (emery board)
• Deodorant (lots! again, they have different brands there, but one big one got me through)
• Toothbrush, toothpaste (2 tubes if you're brand-picky like me), floss
• Contacts, contact case, contact cleaner, re-wetting drops; back-up eyeglasses
• Jewelry (for off-times; NO jewelry at all is allowed during class)
• Hair bands/barrettes
• Hat for inside if you like hats/hat for sun
• Sunblock lotion; hand sanitizer/ antibacterial wipes (these were used only when I was sick, or people around me were coughing or snotting on everything)
• Sunglasses
• Blow dryer (the one in my room was lame); curling iron; hair brush
• Tape measure
• Laundry bag
• Ice bag
• Two 3-prong power strips + one 3-prong small extension cord
• Computer/Macbook, anextra battery + charger
• Ipod Nano & charger
• Cell Phone/Iphone & charger
• Camera/charger and USB cord
• Voice recorder (to record classes), instructions, AAA batteries
• JBC iPod player for room (this was awesome, to be able to listen to music in the room)
  
• A few non-yoga books/magazines
• Office supplies (bring a couple notebooks you like if you're picky, otherwise Wal-mart has them & pens for notetaking in classes, post-it's, index cards, highlighters, small scissors, paper clips, tape, blank CDs (for sharing files and photos with folks!))
• Bikram's 2 books (he'll sign them, and good for reference)
  
• Acapulco guide book
• Mexican Spanish phrase book
• Pics of my honey/family/kittens (it was nice to have touches of home)
• ID/Passport/Credit Card/Cash
• Eye shade and ear plugs (roommate)
• Woolite; tide-to-go/oxy-clean stick
• Beach bag, shoulder bag/back pack; purse or bag for going out
• Massage ball or mini massager or something like this of some sort (or all of them) People will beg to borrow it! and at times, I just needed something to loosen a tight spot up, and I had a small massage ball, but a mini massager or acupressure gizmo would've been a life-saver.
  

Medication

• General Stuff (advil (bring A LOT), tylenol (bring a GOOD AMOUNT), ammodium, nightquil gelcaps, cold/sinus pills, benedryl, tums, pepto bismal; nasal spray; cough drops; throat spray)
• All of your RX's; pill box (really, the days blur together, this will ensure you don't miss any doses)
• General "first aid kit" (bandaids, neosporin for little cuts/scrapes/blisters, hydrocortisone cream for the heat rash, ben-gay for sore muscles)
• Thermometer
• Bug spray
• Portable kleenex (1 or 2)

Vitamins/supplements
Jenn's magic formula little pill packs that I took at lunch and dinner:

• Electrolytes (duh.)
  
• Calcium (joint health)
  
• Multi-vitamin (general health)
  
• Vitamin B (nerve health)
  
• Tumeric (joint health)
• Potassium (electrolyte)
  
• Glucosine (joint health)
• Vitamin C (add'l taken only when I was sick)

I used mini-pill baggies and made them up each weekend for the week (7 labeled for lunch, 7 marked dinner)...otherwise, I'm not sure I'd have been so religious about it. They were portable and easy. I have no idea what it would've been like without these things, but I do know that with them, I did pretty well!

Let me know if you have any questions, or any suggestions!

Negotiating Teaching

Things are going pretty well in Teaching-Land. The owner of the one studio that is a bit of a drive has taken a very strong interest in all of the new teachers. I taught those two classes last Tuesday, and then again taught on Thursday - a class she was able to be in. It took a couple days to get in touch with her, but she gave me a whole lot of feedback that I'm going to work incorporating and working on...

A couple things that stood out for me were:

- Using phrasing from one posture in another, similar posture. Apparently, I said, "Bend your body down from the lower spine to the floor" a few (jillion) too many times. So, I went back and reviewed which postures have that line and now will only use it appropriately.

- Another reminder that I need to stay focused on the details of postures that were not ever hard for me, but that are very hard for a lot of people. In this case, Fixed Firm - where I plopped right down day one (open hips, healthy knees, flexible Jenn...). I apparently haven't been saying a dang thing about "be careful of the knees" nor have I offered any modification options for when the knees hurt. Oy! So, again, I reviewed one.

- A myriad of other things - mostly dialogue, a little bit of pacing though overall she said I was good, and continued work on breathing.

The other thing at this point that I'm working to negotiate are all of the nuances of each studio. This ranges from how to deal with the heat (last night, I cooked those poor people. The owner told me the heat was self-regulating...and after opening windows, and having a student advise me on how to turn the heat off, the thermostat was still reading 108! Live and learn...they certainly all felt they got their money's worth...); all of the check-in systems and rules (ranging from online software to little books/cards/papers...) and the hardest: rules in the room. For some, it's "nothing but clear water, no fancy waters" or "we always give advice on dealing with high blood pressure during the floor series" (this wasn't covered in training at all); leave the fans on...turn the fans off...lights on...lights off. I'm sure once I'm doing it for a while, it'll all come clear! Right now, I've had or will have classes at 3 different studios with a couple others on deck. It's all good! And I am continuing to learn and study and practice :)

Speaking of my practice, that's been going well too. I'm still getting 5-6 in a week, no doubles though :) I'm all set in that regard for a while. Now I'm also practicing at different places, which is interesting to have a different space, different teachers and just the overall different (I'll just say it) vibe. Some are hotter, some not so hot - which is fine because I can focus on different aspects of my class (hotter = more mentally challenging for me; not-so-hot = more focus on postures and details). My body is still in pretty good order, my hips are a little achy sometimes after teaching from standing in 1 place for 90 minutes without really moving. I'm sure I'll get some chops in that regard and it will be better. And, my poor bum still hurts a lot, with lesser agitation in the hamstrings, low back and little bit shoulders. Nothing new, so that's good.

I'm still having a load of fun just being home! I am slowly but surely churning through coffee, lunch, dinner, yoga, and walking dates with friends and family. There are a few local folks looking to go to training so I'm meeting up with them to give them the 411 before I forget it all. It's a great time of year here, of course, and so just being out and about is really nice. Jill and I fell right back into order pretty easily - I think her coming to training that last week made for a nice, smooth transition back to couple-dom. Still, my favorite things are cooking dinner, getting up when I want to (it's still always early, really, but my choice) and the best: going to Yoga because I want to, not because I have to! :)

Posts to Come: Packing List Update; and I'm debating on this - but this week I'm spending a chunk of time with my notes on each posture, and I'm going to combine and tidy them so I have all the nuances, health benefits and other tidbits in one place. I'm debating posting each one as a separate post. Interested?