Day 5

I met a guy. His name is Shawn. He's 28, cute and VERY wise.

OK, before excitement takes over, he was my instructor this morning. I met him at the front desk and mentioned that I was almost halfway through the 10-day challenge, and he commended me. But something he said has really stuck with me: "focus on the postures, not the benefits."

Hmmm.

I started this because I thought I would get something out of it, physically. I've been pleasantly surprised by how I've become more aware mentally. Each day, I've had a chat in my head about how my back feels in boat pose, or how my hamstrings loosen themselves when I'm stretching my forehead to my knee. My focus has not been solely on the postures themselves.

My friend Lisa joined me this morning. After class, we had a chance to chat about our experience with Bikram. She reiterated the lesson from yesterday. Lifelong practices take time, and that we shouldn't strive for perfect. I feel like I'm steadily loosening my grip on perfect, but I have a long way to go...and that's OK. I think my practice includes that need to be excellent or perfect, staying present, and patience. BIG challenges with the "challenge," but at the same time, I welcome it!

Today's lesson: keeping my mind focused on the postures means that I'm present in that moment, and not thinking beyond.