When regular people sleep, yogis stay up.

We are in our last week. Can you believe it? Just two days of classes before graduation on Friday.

They have saved the best ‘til last. Rajashree has started demonstrating the 26 postures and medical benefits. Her guru Dr Das has visited to lecture on yoga therapy. And last night Bikram started his lectures on the 26 postures with amazing demonstrations of hands-on correcting.  Of course this is a ‘no-no’ for teachers – but it was incredible to see him attack students bodies with years of experience, knowledge and confidence and push them deeper into postures.  A great illustration of just how much strength we have and how much further we can all push ourselves. Today we will see a demonstration of the Advanced series postures.  I’ll have my camera ready for that!

We were also treated to another late night Hindi blockbuster Krrish, featuring our heartthrob Hrithik Roshan. Best described as an Indian superhero, science fiction, action film. With some song and dance. This was a good one, but I did fall asleep so I’ll have to watch it again to find out the ending!

As we round out the final week, I thought I’d add to my growing list of Bikramisms. It’s just one of the lists I’ve been keeping – along with the list of ‘Famous People Bikram Knows.”  Elvis and Michael would still be singing and dancing if they listened to Bikram...

 “If you die, it’s normal.”

“You are born the wrong way. Live the wrong way. But I won’t let you die the wrong way.”

“When your mind gets lazy. Tell it to go f#%k yourself.”

“An empty barn is better than full of naughty cows.”

“Your anger is your enemy. Just look at that movie Con Air.”

“If you find dog shit in your driveway do you get mad, kick it and get the shit all over your shoe? No! You call the janitor to clean it up. DON'T LOSE YOUR PEACE!”

“If you kill yourself you get your moneys worth. If not, you’re only doing mental masturbation.”

“I never said come to class to sing and dance.”

“I sell life. 7 billion customers. And good life. Not shitty life.”

“What do you want a contract for? I have nothing. Only one speedo. You want it? Take it now.”

 “You are good people, but basically like a child or idiot.”

“You can like money, watches, cars. But live clean.”

“Don’t get stuck in people’s booby traps. Put the world in your trap. Blend them in your blender. Drink the strawberry milkshake.”

The Lake Shrine

Paramahansa Yogananda

Today I had a wonderful opportunity to visit the Self-Realisation Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades.  The Lake Shrine was opened to the public in 1950 by Paramahansa Yogananda (1893 – 1952).

Yogananda was the author of Autobiography of a Yogi. He came to America in 1920 and founded the Self Realisation Fellowship. He impacted the lives of millions of people with his teachings on yoga meditation, the underlying unity of all religions and the art of balanced health in body, mind and soul.

He is also a significant part of the ‘guru lineage’ of Bikram yoga.

Yogananda’s younger brother was Bishnu Ghosh. Ghosh established his College of Yoga and Physical Culture in 1930. He used weight lifting and body building as a means of physical training and combined yoga techniques to advance the possibilities of the body and mind.

Ghosh’s most devoted disciple is Bikram Choudhury. His last words to Bikram were to “continue his unfinished mission” and spread the wisdom and techniques of yoga to the rest of the world.

All this brings me here. A group of us from training attended the Sunday inspiration service at the temple which included chanting, silent meditation and prayer. The subject of the service today was Self Analysis and Introspection.

Golden Lotus Archway

After the service we met with Bikram’s wife Rajashree and a brother from the Self-Realisaton Fellowship. Some refreshments were provided (yes – the thought “don’t drink the cool aid” went through my mind) before we set off to explore the meditation gardens.

The gardens are set around a beautiful lake, home to swans, tortoise and fish. The colour and fragrance of the flowers was overwhelming. You could not imagine a more private oasis – and it is located just a stones throw from the Pacific Coastal Highway! There is a Court of Religions, representing the five principal religions of the world and a portion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes have been enshrined in a memorial to world peace.

After two days of particularly challenging yoga classes I was feeling defeated. Exhausted. Dreading 8.30 Monday morning when it would be time for ‘feet together on the line’ again.  In the peaceful surrounds of the gardens today I found the inspiration to start the week with renewed energy.

I was also encouraged by the realisation that there are now only TWELVE days until graduation.

Flower petals blooming

We’ve just finished the third week of posture clinics. This has been such an inspiring experience.

As teachers-in-training we all have challenges to overcome. Sometimes memorisation, sometimes performance related.  But with just four postures left to ‘deliver’ – the transformations are amazing.  We are witnessing each other find our voices, develop style and grow more confident.

Group 14 also knows how to have fun.

Along the way there have been some interesting homework assignments.  We’ve seen a range of character performances, crazy distractions from ‘naughty cow’ students and even Half Tortoise delivered as a rap. Nice work Fran.



It hasn’t been all beer and skittles. We’ve had several days of ‘double’ posture clinics in the afternoon and night and at times some students have delivered two, even three postures in a day. The homework assignments have been challenging taking people well outside their comfort zone – (wait, remind me again, what is that?) – but the words of Jon Burras who lectured us this week ring true; “commit to your limitations and you get to keep them.”



Group 14



I find the beauty of this experience is that on the hardest days, when you feel most exhausted physically and mentally – something unexpected happens to lift your spirit and help you go on. The spontaneous dance party before posture clinic on Thursday night is a memory I will always carry with me. It was just what I needed.

After a long, tiring week “the DJ got us falling in love again.”

“Did you miss me? Bullshit!”

Week four – you go down!

This week we finished our anatomy lectures.  In the process of studying for the exam tomorrow, I have pulled out some interesting facts:

·    Fingerprints develop 6-8 weeks before birth

·    Fingernails grow 4 times faster than toenails

·    We lose 500 million dead skin cells daily due to ordinary wear and tear (this makes up 95% of household dust!)

·    We have 3-4 million sweat glands

·    At rest, in a cool environment a normal person loses about ½ litre of sweat per day

·    During  training, it’s estimated we’re losing about 5 litres a day

Euwww. And if that wasn’t enough to make you turn your nose up how about this one - you can smell a giraffe from ¼ mile away. The smell repels ticks.

I am reasonably confident NONE of this will be examinable.

The Boss was back on Thursday and marked the occasion with a memorable class. He was running late and class went over time, so I had the pleasure of over 2 ½ hrs in the torture chamber. He was tough. There were many fallen soldiers.

The lecture that followed gave me greater understanding of the lesson he was teaching us that night.

“Hi dead meat!” he greeted us.

He proceeded to speak about Vedanta Yoga – the philosophy of yoga and the problems of the Western world caused by so much freedom and choice.

“Lie down on a water bed. You get arthritis. I am from India. I grew up on a bed of nails. My back is fine.”

Our minds are trained in negative attitudes from childhood and every second of every day we are damaging our bodies.  We work all day. We are angry, tired and our bodies hurt. By doing something as simple as 90 minutes of yoga our minds are clear. Once a day we have to “flush the toilet” so to speak. Yoga creates discipline and allows us to become best friends with our minds. No one can ever make you do something against your mind and your mind will never, ever let you do anything that will hurt your spirit.

That’s all it takes to change lives. 26 and 2 and ‘lock the knee’.

Yes, it was a fantastic lecture - even by Bikram’s own admission.

“What I have said, in the last two hours – if you type it – it would be the best book ever written.”

The night was capped off with a marathon session of Mahabharat. It reminds me of the 70’s Japanese show Monkey.  It really is impossible to adequately describe the production values, the quality of acting, special effects and the sweeping scale of this epic but you too can experience the first episode here.

Pain. It really is a priceless gift.

“Without it, we would not survive.”

This was the topic for Emmy Cleaves' lecture on Tuesday.

But the fact is – when it comes to yoga we are not just surviving, we are starting to thrive. It has taken time. Sure, many of us had practiced daily before coming here and have practiced doubles. But NINE WEEKS WORTH OF DOUBLES?? No way!

We are getting stronger physically and mentally. There was one yoga class this week when the nurse’s station was completely EMPTY afterwards. All 430 of us STAYED IN THE ROOM! We have completed 32 yoga classes and we are one third of the way through our training. I believe what we were told on day one – we will walk out of here and look different, sound different and be different people!

This week we said goodbye to Bikram and hello to his wife Rajashree. She has taught evening classes and with Emmy teaching Tuesday and Thursday mornings there has been a lot more feminine energy. Bikram’s method involves a lot of entertainment and distraction, while Emmy and Rajashree focus on precision and mindfulness of movement. Classes have been very different.  

It was Rajashree’s birthday this weekend so we celebrated at the end of class Friday night with a huge red velvet cake. Great fuel for yoga!

We have started two weeks of anatomy lectures, with Dr Jim Preddy. It’s fascinating to hear some of his stories on life as an Emergency Physician and learn about the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems. Best of all, he practices yoga so it is great to hear him relate things back to the postures and to see him sweating alongside us in yoga class.

We are now in full swing with posture clinics. Each day we break into smaller groups and meet with a panel of three teachers. We take turns to deliver the dialogue for whichever posture we are working on that day and receive feedback. I find it reassuring to think these are the toughest conditions we’ll ever have to ‘perform’ in.  It’s not normal to have 50 people sitting on the floor watching as I deliver a posture (out of context) and get critiqued. This feels more like auditions for American Idol!

A hard days work

It has been a positive experience and I am receiving helpful feedback. Through this process I am meeting people who are just starting to learn the dialogue and we have been able to find some memorisation techniques that work and practice together. I have found this aspect rewarding, it is cementing my knowledge and giving me a little experience in what it is like to ‘teach.’

This week I learned that pain is a priceless gift – but so is a Shakti trunk sale when it pops up next door to your hotel.  And when we are working so hard Monday to Friday I think we all deserve a little retail therapy on the weekend!

"Check, check. 1, 2, 3, 4..."

Week two is almost over. Today in our posture clinic we completed the dialogue for Half Moon and we’ve just finished our 18^th yoga class. The week has passed quickly with several highlights. Of course there was another movie screening - this one also starred Hrithik Roshan as the dashing lead. He seems to be the ‘George Clooney’ of Bollywood. Swoon.  

The threat is hanging in the air that soon we’ll start watching episodes of Mahabharat, an Indian TV series produced in the 1980s. It has been mentioned several times. I’m preparing for some marathon sessions before Bikram leaves us this weekend to go to Japan.

Classes have continued to be my favourite part of the day. This week alone we’ve taken class with Bikram three times, Emmy Cleaves twice and Jim Kallett – whose style I just love. I have to keep pinching myself to believe I am here.

Before the Boss leaves, I thought it was a good time to share some ‘Bikramisms’.  It might bring back some memories for teachers and give others a glimpse into our guru’s very entertaining personality.

Some carry meaning and insight – others are just damn funny. Some of my favourites, in no particular order:

“The darkest place in the world is under the lamp.”

“Kill the snake, don’t break the stick.”

“I’m not selling cheesecake!”

“Your whole life you’ve been pulling someone else's leg, now you get to pull your own.”

“Lock the f#*cking knee. If not, I’ll make you do it in your coffin boxes.”

“Having doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know how to use it.”

“Killing time is the worst crime.”

 “Too good is no good.”

“As long as you can see your students suffering, you know they are trying the right way.”

“One grain of rice is enough to test the whole pot.”

“Don’t let anyone steal your peace. If you do, you’re the loser.”

“A dead battery can’t jumpstart another battery.”

 “Excuse me for living. SORRY.”

 “I have a gift for you. I’m going to sing you a song. Try not to cry.”

“Last night’s lecture was amazing. I’m not looking for credit, but I felt it.”

“Now THAT’S the way you teach Bikram yoga! Not like a teacher napkin. Use it once and throw it away.”

“You cannot stand with one leg in each boat while you cross the river. You’ll split your ass in half.”

“Ignore the bad. Enjoy the good.”

“Let the spirit take the driver’s seat over the mind.”

“Negative attitudes are nine times more powerful than positive ones.”

It won’t be the same without him next week.

Half Moon, Lock the Knee and an endless Hindi movie

This is a big update, it has been a busy week and free time is becoming more scarce.

Bikram is with us full time during the first two weeks of training and posture clinics during this time have been dedicated to Half Moon pose. That’s right, during these two weeks I will hear the dialogue delivered by each student. All 430 of us. One. By. One.

If I don’t have the dialogue for this posture permanently imbedded into my subconscious by then, I have "a screw loose in the brain" as Bikram says.

This process is important – not just for the learning, reinforcement and confidence it brings – but also for Bikram to meet each and every one of us. We introduce ourselves, where we are from and then deliver the dialogue.

We were given some advice in preparation for this:

“Bikram is a mirror. He will reflect you. He doesn’t care whether you like him or not. He will treat everyone differently according to their needs. Comments will be direct and honest. He will find the weakest point in you. Take a pin and prick it. Continuously. Until you are bullet proof.”

He has been fascinating to watch and his comments hit the mark EVERY TIME.

Energy, breathing, timing and personality draw the most attention.

And there is a story for every situation. Here is one example, relayed to an American man who was overdoing it. Adding his own embellishments to the dialogue, only to stumble and lose himself completely:

“When you milk the cow, you have to know when to stop. Leave some behind for the baby cow. If you take too much, the cow will become angry and start to pee. Just one drop will ruin all the milk. Know when to stop. “

Today was my chance to deliver.  I introduced myself and where I am from – which prompted Bikram to talk about how popular yoga is now in regional towns outside the big cities. In his words, “There is nothing else to do there. Let’s go bowling, or let’s go to Bikram!”

I was prepared and was able to enjoy the experience. I could see him nodding along during the posture and when it was over he smiled, gave me two thumbs up and said “Excellent. Amazing. Why waste any time. Thank you. Next person please.”

First big milestone over.

I am adjusting to the frequency of classes and marvelling at the new strength in my leg muscles from so much ‘locking the god damn knee.’ I am already noticing the difference in postures like Awkward, Standing Bow and Balancing Stick. Nine classes down, just 89 left to enjoy.

The variety and quality of the senior teachers is amazing. I am really cherishing this aspect, knowing I will probably never experience classes quite like this again and will chase this experience for the rest o f my life.

I've had some ups and downs getting my hydration levels right, finding what works, what to eat and when, dealing with my neck injury flaring up. I had a terrible class Thursday morning. The air was heavy, I had pins and needles in my hands and feet, pain in my neck and tears streaming down my cheeks as I forced myself to get through it. But what a difference a few hours makes. By 5pm in the evening class I was laughing at Bikram (who was bouncing around like a kangaroo demonstrating Awkward and screaming at someone “I’m not selling cheesecake. I’m selling nails”) and feeling invincible. I’m learning a lot about my mindset. Control the mind and I can control anything.

On Wednesday night I had my first introduction to Bikram’s movie nights. You always remember your first. We watched ‘Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai’ – translates to ‘Say You Love Me.’ Or in my language ‘Endless. Hindi. Movie.’  Seriously, you take a look and tell me if you can follow this plot: Kaho Naa... Pyarr Haih

We’re just getting started.

Bikram's Torture Chamber

Today we met the Boss.  He entered the room without fanfare and interrupted Jim who was finishing running through some rules and regulations in our morning lecture.

Bikram was even better than I expected.  Anyone who has been to teacher training will tell you – he is full of stories, catch phrases and Indian sayings. Of course he has amazing experience and information to share, but I was not expecting him to be so funny.

He did have a film crew from NBC following him, filming a story for the Today show – so the entertainment dial was probably turned up to the max.

When it hit 5pm and it was time for our first class he gave us a very warm welcome to ‘Bikram’s Torture Chamber’. Man, was it hot in there.

The team here have done an amazing job setting up the ballroom of the hotel for classes. I have never practiced under crystal chandeliers before. And I have never seen so many people leaving class. Witnessing the aftermath of bodies lying in recovery outside was a pretty good reminder of the importance of hydration. Particularly as the weeks progress and we are out of the honeymoon phase. For the time being we are told “take it easy honey – don’t kill yourself. Save that for next week.”

I have revised my initial goal of never taking a knee in class – to never leaving the room. That might be more realistic given what I have seen today!

Things are working out really well with my roommate, Connie. She is from Argentina and has a fantastic energy about her. We have some great systems in place for water preparation, sharing meals and resources, washing and hanging mats to dry. It all sounds so basic but these are things that can cause great stress as our schedule gets busier. We are sharing the limited space really well and will make this work together. We even practiced the dialogue together while we walked to the supermarket. We would pass other yogis on the way and they’d chime in!

The fun starts again tomorrow with class at 8.30am.

“You can’t always get what you want. You get what you need.”

Today was registration and our first orientation lecture. Some facts about training:

·         This is the 39^th teacher training program

·         This is the largest ever – 430 students

·         People have travelled from 34 different countries

·         The hot yoga room that is setup in the ballroom is the biggest in the world – 16,000 square feet

The session was hosted by Jim Kallett who runs a studio in San Diego. We were introduced to the teaching staff (including the amazing Emmy Cleaves, more on her later) and the staff from Bikram Headquarters.

Jim gave us a great introduction to the program and there was no shortage of inspiration and motivation.

At teacher training there is a focus on beginnings. We are here to start our journey. What we do over the next nine weeks will only prepare us to teach. We will learn from the source, observe our own patterns, correct what needs to be corrected. Once we leave, the real learning to teach begins.

Emmy Cleaves has been practicing yoga for over 40 years. She began studying under Bikram in 1973 and is Bikram’s most senior teacher. She has amazing experience and knowledge and I can’t wait to take her class – although we’ve been warned she’ll kick our butts.  She spoke today about mindfulness. Switching off the auto-pilot that so many of us run on. She has warned us that we will experience agony and ecstasy – but that importantly we must approach everything with an open heart and an open mind.

Which leads nicely to the inspiration behind the title of this post. We must also trust the process. “This is a little bit of India here in Los Angeles” but we must go with it and approach everything with willingness.

It’s clear there will be no ordinary moments here. And every moment presents an opportunity. It is amazing how quickly people are bonding and demonstrating such kindness to each other. I get a sense everyone is here to “pay it forward.” As we go through life we all touch people’s lives in different ways, but Bikram will give us the tools to help others make real transformations.

Tomorrow we meet Bikram and he will be with us full time over the next two weeks. In preparation we were all given a word of warning:

“Do not bring anything green into the lecture or yoga room.

“For no other reason than Bikram requests it.  Respect him,” said Jim.

The messages of the day continue to rattle around inside my head.

Open mind. Willingness. No judgements.

TRUST THE PROCESS!

“The hours before a big dive off a cliff into the unknown are part thrill, part loneliness. You always jump alone.”

Well the time has arrived. This morning I practiced my last 6 am class at my local studio and twelve months of preparation has come to an end. Tomorrow I fly to America for Bikram’s nine week teacher training program.

I feel ready. I have studied the dialogue, finished a 60 day challenge, packed and re-packed several times over. Having a car accident seven weeks ago and a subsequent neck strain injury was NOT part of the plan. It has presented some hurdles, but it has not derailed my journey.   As Bikram says ‘the right way is the hard way.’

I have received so much love and support from my family, friends and teachers and I look forward to sharing my journey with you.