A little frustrated going into week 2...

So week 1 is over and done with. It was an amazing thing how much I learned about myself, my surroundings, and Bikram and the staff here. Got several really groovy guest teachers last week. Emmy was a fiesty one that diverted from the dialogue enough to give us all some very pointed detailed tips for the poses that improved my understanding of them greatly! A guy from the D.C. area came through and really helped boost moral by actually giving us a 90 minute class (as opposed the the 2 hour classes we've been having) and got us in and out of the poses quickly so everyone did very well and were very energized after that one. The heat in the room seemed to have found itself a nice balance by our last class on Saturday. I spent my weekend eating and sleeping and hanging with my cousin seeing a few inland things of L.A. All in all, week 1 was a success, despite the untimely womanly issues. Thank God that's out of the way!

So here we are, almost done with the first day of week 2. My morning class was strong with Bikram's niece. We are finishing up our dialogue delivery during lecture, will probably finish it tomorrow and start breaking into our small groups for the remainder of training. This evening's class was BRUTAL though... But it was brutal for everyone in different ways. Most people let the heat get to them and about as many people left the room today as what happened the very first day. There was something wrong with the fans or heating unit or something and air flow wasn't good tonight. EVEN BIKRAM left the class because he was so pissed off at the technicians that were supposed to be in charge of those things. Somebody snuck in a thermometer and said that it was 119 degrees F in there tonight... TOO HOT for most. . .
Oddly, the heat didnt bother me tonight, and could've been very therapeutic for me if the staff had allowed it. Around the 4th posture, I can't be for certain about what exactly I did but I ended up getting a pinched nerve in my shoulder. It hurt so bad I couldn't even take a full breath or lift my right arm over my head. So I stepped to the back of the room in hopes of stretching it out and not disturbing others. One of the staff picked up on it and dragged me out into the freezing cold hallway, despite my objections, and then it REALLY seized on me and I started crying. Dumb, I know.
I get that the majority of their students come out of the postures cuz they are overheated, dehydrated, or have some kind of electrolyte imbalance causing cramps and numbness and nausea and such. But my pinched nerve had nothing to do with any of that! I wasn't sick! Anyway, I had one of the staff members help me stretch it out a bit, and I went back in feeling better until the end of the class. People were still dropping like flies because of the heat, but my shoulder started acting up again so I stepped the the back again. THEN!!! One of the students waved down a staff member telling him "Oh my God I think her shoulder is out of place!". I'm waving them AWAY, trying to say NO NO! It's not that! And once again, they whisked me out into the hallway, where of course, it started hurting like HELL again. . . *sigh*
Finally got to see the nurse though, I explained that I was perfectly healthy and hydrated, I just must have moved my shoulder wrong. She gave me a few advanced yoga postures to try (One is touching your hands together behind your back and pulling traction against both shoulder blades... AMAZING!) and we decided that a bit of ibuprofin and maybe a Flexiril tonight will do the trick, along with a nice morning class to work the rest of it out. What an ordeal though!!!

Anyway, week 1 was the period crap, and week 2 is starting with the pinched shoulder nerve. Joy... (Sarcasm)... I'm ready for a nice strong practice to return to me! UGH! I can do so much better than this! ... ok, ok... taking it in stride. .. breathe. . . I didn't realize that my practice here would be so vastly different than my practice back home. . . It will get better though, I'm told. Just hang in there. . .

Done venting. . . Sorry... I'll write some better stuff later. LOVE YOU!