Some of you know I am currently in the midst of a 30 day challenge, day 16 to be exact.  I can describe week 1 and week 2, but *warning* it is blunt.

I was hoping Gabrielle might be able to shed some light as to why I am doing this.  What am I getting out of day after day, as opposed to say practicing 4 days a week.

Anyway ;
week 1:  I was pooping like 4 or 5 times a day & was wondering if this was going to go on all month
week 2:  I was sore and tired and some of the classes were very difficult to get through
week 3:  Just started, my class was good, but the pooping thing is back . . . .

Hi Edge

I couldn’t help but laugh! Especially the warning…

Re pooping: Well, you must be pleased that everything is in tip top shape and working well. It sounds like the body-cleansing reputation that Bikram Yoga has is really quite evident and literal for you. And maybe it is also a great way to get in touch with and more intuitively connect with what your body needs.

I love the question: Why am I doing this? And you are asking me . Yep, I know the feeling. You turn up and your mind is the best saboteur trying to coerce you out of what is clearly the most fabulous thing. After all your body just keeps dragging you back there every day. Mind you, you have made a momentous commitment and honestly the hardest element to doing the challenge is going back every day, finding the time to get there NO MATTER WHAT life throws at you, no matter how many ‘valid’ excuses you can come up with. It is GETTING THERE THAT COUNTS. After that it seems easy (well you lose track of those things some time during your class as you willingly submit).

So what is the difference between 4 classes per week and going everyday?
There are so many reasons:
You are taming and quietening your mind. This moving meditation yields phenomenal results. And as meditation is a skill it can be practiced. Going everyday means more meditation and more opportunity to get in touch with yourself on deeper levels. I sometimes talk about yoga credits. And when you go often enough and for long enough you stack up your yoga credits. You can tell the difference they make when you can’t get to yoga or you find yourself in a stressful situation that you previously didn’t handle as well.

Going these 30 days without break teaches you endurance of course. Putting your body through it is easier than dragging that sometimes unwilling conscious part of your mind along. I mean, you have that conscious part that has made the commitment to go and you don’t want to betray that or let yourself down. But still there is that other part of your mind that is dreading going today for whatever reason. Anyone who as done any similar challenge goes through something like this. It is oh so totally normal.

You are learning how to explore your own limitless nature… how you can achieve anything despite the obstacles, despite the negativity that part of your conscious mind is throwing at you to sabotage you. But guess what? You are still there. You are winning.

Keep it up, not long to go…
Your progress is inspiring many readers, I assure you
Namaste
Gabrielle

So it appears from my research then, that everything is moving through my system, faster.  how interesting!
My day number 18 of the challenge was once again a good class.

from CureZone website regarding “Transit time”

The longer the transit time, the longer the toxic waste matter sits in the bowels, allowing proteins to putrefy, fats to become rancid, and carbohydrates to ferment. The longer the body is exposed to rotting food in the intestines, the greater the risk of developing disease. Even with one bowel movement per day, there are still at least three meals’ worth of waste sitting in the colon at any given time.

Hi Edge

Well I am sure glad you got to re-frame the ‘pooping’ in a positive light for yourself.

Don’t you just feel healthier (if not a little inconvenienced )?

Namaste
Gabrielle

I did the 30 day Bikram challenge in January of this year, and was disappointed because I actually gained weight (about 3-4 pounds).  I thought for certain the strenuous daily activity would help me drop weight, but it didn’t. I was sad about that.

It could be that the yoga series strenghtened my muscles and that actually added weight to my body.  I was also drinking a lot of water.

My shape did change a bit, and I felt firmer, but I was hoping to burn fat off too.  I don’t know if that happened.

Hi marinyogi

Congratulations on doing the challenge. Your results are good. I wish you felt better about them. I mean, you lost shape, and toned up. That is GREAT.

Muscle is more dense than fat so it is common to put on some pounds. That is a surefire indication that you burned fat.

Feeling sad about your success must be disappointing for you. But if I may be a little provocative, let me say that you are possibly making some harsh judgments and you owe it to yourself to let it go and give yourself a break.

I did struggle with shape (notice I don’t say weight gain!) in the past (before Bikram Yoga). But I found that the moment I threw away the scales and started focusing on how I felt, and how my clothes felt and fit, and how my body toned, my life changed.

Maybe a re-frame on weight to shape could work for you too. Don’t be discouraged. The shape changes when it changes. And often it sneaks up on you. I know in the past, that when I am expecting it to happen I keep looking and looking and then one day all of a sudden I see the change. Incremental (physical and mental) change day by day can be hard to judge. And luckily with the mental benefits of this practice the physical stuff usually ends up being just the bonus to a sharper, clearer and calmer mind.

Is there anyone else out there who would feel encouraged by a similar result?

Hey, have you kept up the yoga since then? How many times a week do you go now? 7 a week is a bit hard to sustain, but can you manage 4 times?

Namaste
Gabrielle