2nd day

we had an easy morning, no class, just another lecture in the auditorium, which we didn't have to be at until 10am. in a way it was nice, but at the same time i think a lot of us are really anxious to get into the swing of things and try to set a routine. thats really the only way to get out of this alive :) 

i got a little choked up when rajashree was speaking this morning. she welcomed us all with such love and compassion. we are family now, a true part of the choudhury clan. there is no animosity here - we're all here for the same reason, and we should all act as though we are family, because we are now. we are all the same on the inside, and we are all going to experience the same trials and tribulations during this journey.  it was such an overwhelming feeling that i felt a few tears come to my eyes. i know i'm going to go through plenty of emotional ups and downs, but i didnt think it would start so soon. but emotional breakdown is a good thing. how many of us really laugh the way that the we want to? cry the way we want to? this is a safe place, we're going to learn how to live and feel... then we met bikram, and he is such a character. not to mention a literal fount of knowledge, wisdom, and insight. he can meet a person for one minute, look at them and listen, and really SEE them, know immediately what kind of person they are, what truly lies in the heart and soul. and i know this is true, from meeting him in july. that, too was an overwhelming experience, but i could tell from the two hours i spent working on him that he is really a special person. i can't believe we'll be learning from him, and all of his senior staff the entire 9 weeks. "nowhere else in the world will you find the faculties that will be accessible to you for the next 60 days." we are the luckiest people in the world right now. he told us he'd teach us to the live about the masses - he's going to give us the ability to tap into our higher consciousness. 

 

then we had our first class in the "torture chamber". it's nice because they have all been telling us to take it the easy the first week, that this is something we will need to ease into, our bodies need time to adjust. so "boss" said he'd take it easy on us. yeah... that meant allowing us to sit or lie down as needed, but leaving us in postures for indeterminate amounts of time, cutting savasanas short, and singing! our first class was 2 hours long! not complaining, though. its just the beginning. it was definitely not my best class ever, i had to take quite a few breaks, but my body isn't used the the [at least] 70% humidity in the room, and i've been out of class for, gasp, at least two weeks. i was trying really hard to stay focused, but i've been battling some kind of bug and my throat glands were swollen and sore, and my head was throbbing. and i had to pee something fierce by the second posture, so my floor series suffered slightly. but i'm getting myself hydrated and preparing for tomorrow. we start the normal routine, with double classes, posture (dialogue) clinics, and lecture. yay. we'll see how my body is holding up by saturday :)