Context

There are several students from Bikram Yoga Northampton participating in my challenge with me. Some are doing a 30 day challenge, a few have committed to the whole 60 days with me.

There are some rules. We allow doubles to count toward the result only twice in 30 days. In other words, if a participant missed a day, they can do two classes in one day to make it up. Only two such doubles can count in a 30 day challenge, four in the 60 day. One has to take class on at least 28 days during the 30 with a total of at least 30 classes.

So I decided that I could take advantage of the double rule too.

Remember Yasmin, my friend from Washington DC?

I actually never made it to her class. We were ten minutes late for Yasmin's 4:00PM class. Rather than wait two hours for the next class and start driving home at 9:00PM, I decided to get going, arrive home early the next day and take two classes at home.

I have not done a double since teacher training. However, the two classes would be number 19 and 20. I have been feeling really good, so I did not think a double would be too difficult.

I have told students who do doubles that a good approach is to take it easy in the first class, kind of use it as a warm up. Then, go deep in the second class; you'll be ready.

"Take my advice, I'm not using it".

I was having a good class in the early class so I went all out. I do not know how to take it easy. When the teacher says: "push and push and push" that is almost always what I do. I am very suggestible.

Also, Jen and I had spent the entire weekend walking around the Nation's Capital, a lot of walking. And then spent about eight hours in the car. There were a lot of underused muscles making their recent stresses know to me. I had a little trepidation about the second class.

Just before the beginning of class, in breezes Carol. Carol is the woman I bought Bikram Yoga Northampton from a little over four years ago. Carol has been teaching in the Philippines for about a year now and is back home visiting.

Carol came in about one minute before class started and was rushing to get changed.

"I'll set up your mat" said I.

I was thinking I would put myself next to Carol for inspiration. Carol has a fabulous practice. When I put down the mat, I did not realize I had immersed myself in amongst some of the most dedicated students in my studio.

On my left was Carol, my former mentor, studio owner and the person who signed my teacher training recommendation.



To my right was Marina. Marina is amazing. She has been practicing at Northampton for over four years. Marina has overcome physical injuries that would have had most people staying at home watching Opra. Marina does doubles like they were easy and is participating in the full sixty day challenge with me.

Over my left shoulder was Bob. Like Marina, Bob has been practicing since before I owned the studio. Bob is steady. There is a strength and steadfastness to Bob's practice. And like most folks who practice Bikram Yoga, their practice reflects who they are in their lives. Bob exudes a quiet excellence and he is steady as a rock.


Over my right shoulder was Kendal. Kendal is a new student to Bikram Yoga Northampton. Kendal has been practicing Bikram Yoga only a short time. But she has already achieved a level of physical proficiency beyond what most achieve in years. More impressively, Kendal has already developed an acuity for some of the more subtle benefits of Yoga, a stillness and focus rare for someone so new to Yoga.

(Kendal's Pic coming soon)

In front of me was the mirror. Surrounded by such excellence, how could I do any less than 100% and still be happy looking into the eyes of my real teacher in the reflection of myself in the mirror?

There's no business like......

I took off for a few days; went to DC for some sightseeing. It's always good to get away. But sixty day challenges become more challenging when on the road. One must plan around at least one class a day.

On Saturday, I took class at Bikram Yoga DuPont Circle. I practiced there about a year ago. I knew it was a nice area so I got a hotel room near the studio for my stay.

Good class!

A guy named Lucas taught. He was clearly experienced and did a nice job. But what was really fun is he sang show tunes in the floor series between a couple of postures. Now it wasn't like lame singing. He was really good. Sang us a bit of a tune from "Fame" before Full Locust. Very appropriate, learning about how to fly and all.

The next day Jen and I went off to see the sights. On the way to the Smithsonian I noticed a few parked trailers that are the kind used for movie crews. So I stopped and talked with a guy sitting nearby. He said they were filming a segment of "Big Love" near the Lincoln Memorial.

Jen is a big fan of Big Love. So we diverted. If nothing we want to be flexible.

Hey! It's Bill Paxton walking and talking. How exciting!

And then there are polygamists with big hair and mimes.

We did get to see the Lincoln Memorial too.

Actually, DC is a nice place to visit. It is like the whole town is a museum. We did get to see a lot of cool stuff. Well, okay, cool if you are a history buff like me. Most have a totally different idea of what cool might be like.

Now onto Sunday afternoon. My friend and teacher training mate Yasmin was going to be teaching the 4:00PM class at the DuPont studio on Sunday.

Perfect!

Yasmin is an actor as well. She performs regularly in different DC venues. And being a graduate of TT Spring 05, she is totally one of the cool kids.

Okay, it's not a Yoga pose. But one must admit it's creative.

Off I go to DC for a few days of museums and Yoga and all of a sudden I have show biz happening all around me.

Yoga?

It's all Yoga. I love this stuff.

Stillness of mind

Hatha Yoga is preparation for meditation. According to some sources, there are seven paths of Yoga. One path, Hatha Yoga, is physical Yoga. Regular practice produces physical, mental and emotional feelings of well being. It is quite extraordinary.

So what's going on here?

It's hard to say. Fitness levels increase from regular practice. Exercise stimulates the production of endorphins creating a feeling of well being. And in Yoga, compression of internal organs stimulate metabolism affecting, amongst other things, the endocrine system. The endocrine system regulates mood. There are many more physical dynamics as well.

But there is more.

In Bikram Yoga the teacher leads the class using verbal commands. Students can use the instructions, the commands as kind of a mantra, a focus point. When I practice I try to replace the chatter of my mind, my internal dialog, with the instructor's words turning them into physical responses. I do not have to think, just do.

When it all works well, I experience a connection with the teacher and the other students in the room. The connection, for lack of a better word, is a bit ethereal. But it is none the less powerful.

I was surprised and elated when I discovered as a new teacher that this connection with the others in the room was still present when teaching too. My consciousness of this connection varies from class to class. But when I am teaching, I am very aware that my state of being facilitates the group's experience.
Early in my teaching experience, I was teaching a 7AM class, and an amazing event occurred. There were only five students in the room. The light in the studio was beautiful with the rising sunlight creating a patchwork of shadows and morning light. In one of the final postures, Head to Knee with Stretching, the five students, all lined up in the front of the room, moved in unison from right to left in perfect timing with my instructions.

From my vantage point in the back of the room I suddenly felt as if I were dancing with all five of them. The experience was as if we were all part of a larger whole, like we were different elements of a larger organism. It was a breathtaking experience.

I used to associate a stillness of mind with attempting to quiet my thoughts. I do not know if it is possible to stop thinking all together. But focus facilitates quiet. One pointed focus stills the chatter.

Christine, a regular at Noho, is a rock climber. This past weekend Christine was climbing in Arcadia National Park. When I was talking with Christine about the subject of this post, focus, she described her experience repelling down and climbing back up a narrow space between two rock walls.

"All men die, some men never really live"

Despite the gender incorrectness, the quote conveys a certain truth. Climbing a cliff face wall will produce an awareness of life while demanding total attention and focus. One will not be thinking about what color the new curtains should be while choosing the next hand hold.

We can, with practice, find that same degree of focus safely in our Yoga practice. Just ask Christine.

Christine on solid ground doing a fine triangle.

Half Moon, Hands to Feet Pose

The last two days of my 60 day challenge, day 9 and day 10, were days where I had to get behind myself and push. It is only my commitment that got me into the hot room yesterday.

Goethe on commitment:

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way."

The universal opening resulting from commitment one experiences in a Bikram Yoga class usually happens after the first set of Half Moon Hands to Feet Pose. Usually by then my body, my mind relax and start flowing with the class, instead of resisting.

A common problem in Half Moon is when students collapse, or fail to stretch their upper body up as the bring the body down. Maintaining an upward stretch helps create a nice symmetric arc on the side of the body opposite the compression. Elbows and knees should always be locked, arms against the ears. In the picture above I could give several students corrections to the form of the postures.

They could probably comment on my black and red plaid board shorts.

The first forward bend of the series comes next:



Well, okay, most of us have to bend our knees to grab the heels. Actually, it is important to keep the upper body against the legs throughout the posture. Here on day 11 of my 60 day challenge, I have noticed that my face is touching just a bit lower on my shins. Things are starting to open a bit.

Next is our first back bend; back is going to hurt, don't be scared.



Notice above the varying depths of back bending. And the picture is of some of the most accomplished Yogis in the world demonstrating at teacher training in 2005.

Do not compare yourself with others. Just do the postures the right way, as best you can.

Try to keep your knees straight, hips forward. If you can go deep enough to see the floor, it's time to bring attention to keeping your chest up too.

So eleven days done for me, I am feeling results already. There are several Noho Yoga students joining in on 30 and 60 day challenges too. I'll start profiling them here soon.

Yoga for You!

I took the sixth class of my sixty day challenge in West Roxbury, MA. What is special about the studio in West Roxbury is the director, Diane.

When I completed my teacher training and wanted to buy an existing studio, Bikram instructed me to go and meet Diane. He actually made it a requirement for my affiliation. I was a little annoyed at the time. West Roxbury, a sub division of Boston, is nearly two hours away from my studio in Northampton, MA. But I went.

I have pretty much been going every Tuesday ever since!

Diane is a very special instructor. She has been teaching Yoga for over twenty years, and is quite good at it. But beyond that, Diane has a special quality. It is a difficult quality to define. She gets people.

On Tuesdays, teachers from around New England come and take class with Diane. It is a special class for teachers. And we learn from each other. What I appreciate most is Diane's dedication to teaching Yoga the right way, her consistency, her integrity and her leadership. If you take a Bikram Yoga class anywhere near Boston, you will get a good class. I am proud to be part of the New England area network of studios. And one of the reasons you will get a high quality instructions in this region is due in large part to Diane's leadership.

I'm a fan!

Inspiration

I am quite frequently thinking about what I will post next here. My loose plan for today was to write about Half Moon and Hands to Feet pose, the opening sequence of postures.

There is an old Jewish saying I like: "man plans God laughs".

Just as I was about to go into class to put my mat down, the teacher called me to the front desk. The teacher was concerned about a new student, a young woman who attends one of the several colleges nearby. On our registration form I ask if there are any physical problems we should know about. The new student had entered "cerebral palsy" on the form.

Cerebral palsy is a disease caused by a pathology in the cerebral cortex of the brain. It can be a very disabling condition. Most who have it are born with it. There is no known cause or cure. Fortunately this young woman was not too severe. She did, however, have difficulty with motor skills. She had poor physical coordination.

The new Yogi was an absolute charmer. I could see right away she tries to make the people she is talking with feel comfortable. She had a kind of don't- worry-I'm-okay way about her.

So today in the fourth class of my sixty day challenge I was often looking over my shoulder in the mirror to be certain our newest student was doing okay. The only real modification she needed was to use the ballet bar for balance. She worked hard and did the best she could. It was so inspiring.

My hips have been a little sore from a lot of practicing lately. The new Yogi stole the thunder from that excuse for sure.

After class I was sitting on my big blue exercise ball in the lobby. It's my favorite place to cool down and watch the sweaty Yogis come out of the hot room. When the new student came out I introduced myself and talked with her a little.

I have a little knowledge of brain anatomy and I know her condition is not yet something that can be cured. I told her neuronal growth (brain cells) is not something that will happen. But axons (what brain cells are connected with) do grow and form ever expanding networks. Yoga promotes axonal growth.

I told her to keep coming and expect miracles. She gave me a big smile and said that's why she was here.

September 11th

I talk with a few folks about what is appropriate to be posting on a blog. And I had decided that I was not going to say much about the significance of September 11th in a blog about Yoga. But emotions have a funny way of changing things. Besides, it is about Yoga.

I spent the early part of today in a bad mood. It was not until nearly 3:00PM that I began to think about some of my friends, brothers we would call ourselves in the FDNY, who died eight years ago today.

I took the second of my sixty classes in my studio tonight. Jennifer taught, she is such a good teacher. By the end of class, I felt much better. This Yoga heals so many things. I remembered why I chose this path.

In 2005, after I completed teacher training, I wrote this testimonial for Bikram:

http://www.bikramyoga.com/testimonials/Tranquility-PeaceoftheMind.htm

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was on an airplane with my brother Jim. We were grounded in Dayton, OH. When I finally got through to my firehouse back in NYC I learned my friend, Captain Jay Jonas of Ladder 6, survived the collapse because he and his men were helping an injured woman named Josephine.

My brother Jim, a musician, wrote this amazing song:

http://www.jimhubbardband.com/music-1.html

Day One!

First, a little bit about how I became involved in Yoga. I have been athletic for most of my life. Prior to owning Noho Yoga I was a Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department. As group of guys go, we were a fairly fit bunch. I liked running, swimming and cycling, with a little weight lifting thrown in.

Then in 1998, I met a woman who introduced me to Yoga. At first, Yoga was a way to improve my running and swimming. But over the years, I did more Yoga and less of the other stuff.

In January, 2002, while vacationing in Maui, I discovered the Bikram method of 26 postures and two breathing exercises practiced in a very hot room. The series was physically demanding and produced results.

I simply loved the series. As time went on, I did more and more Yoga eventually letting go of the other exercise forms I had done for so many years. The physical, mental and emotional results I was getting from my Yoga practice were just amazing.

In 2005 I became a Bikram Yoga instructor and bought my studio in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts.

Today is the first day of my sixty day challenge. Given we are at the begining, I'll talk a litte about the beginning of the series: pranayama breathing.

Pranayama is a breathing exercise where you inhale and exhale deeply. The purpose is to bring fresh oxygen into the deepest part of the lungs, expanding lung capacity. When teaching, it's fascinating to see how the student's skin color changes during pranayama breathing. They get pink.

Like all yoga postures, the first breathing exercise is dynamic. In addition to improving lung capacity you will work your shoulders and warm up your cervical (upper) spine. The snoring sound the students make, done properly, stimulates the vagus nerve. The nucleus of the vagus nerve is under the brain. The vagus nerve innervates many major organs and affects digestion.

My first class of my sixty day challenge took place in Norman O'Neil's studio in Nashua bikramyoganashua.com, New Hampshire . I practiced with Norman and two other teachers. Then we had lunch at a vegetarian restaurant where the veggie wrap was too small and overpriced. But the company was good.

Sixty in sixty at sixty!

Hi, I'm Charlie Hubbard, the owner and director of Bikram Yoga Northampton in Massachusetts: Noho Yoga. http://bikramyoganorthampton.com

Starting on September 10, 2009, I will begin a sixty day challenge.

What's that?

I will do a ninety-minute Bikram Yoga class every day for sixty days ending on my sixtieth birthday: November 8, 2009.

Bikram Yoga is a form of Hatha Yoga promoted by Bikram Choudhury bikramyoga.com.
The series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises take place in a room heated to over 105 degrees. The series is designed to stretch, stimulate and strengthen every muscle, joint and organ leaving the participant feeling serene and fit.

Done frequently and vigorously , the 26 posture series enhances strength, flexibility and balance. Hatha Yoga, of which this series is a part, is a healing experience facilitating fitness of the mind and body. The series promotes healing of many conditions.

Starting Thursday, September 10, 2009 you can follow my progress here.