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| okay all you going to Bikram's upcoming training
soon to be Bikram Teacher TRAINERS...
BTW, get used to being called "TEACHER TRAINERS"
even though it is the name for those who are teaching you
(this used to drive me NUTS!!!)
Nevertheless... this is a very cool time-
are you ready?
did you find a place to stay?
are you nervous?
are you already sore?
are you injury free?
are you insured or at least well stocked with tiger balm?
are you TOO EXCITED??
come on! update! update!
it's almost time!!
to make things easier for you, and so you can arrive with some "knowing" i have designed a small emoticon medley for you.
Training goes a little like this.
       
Affectionately,
Dee
Edited by miss dee 2005-03-11 12:52 AM
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| That emoticon thing is simply perfect. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
 
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Miss Dee,
I am curious...what is it really like in Teacher Training - details please. Like how many times a day do you go through the actual yoga practice?? I have this vision of doing Bikram 3 times a day for those 3 months or however long it is.....that's scary to me. It's hard enough to do it every day, I can't imagine having to do it more than once and on days when I don't feel like it or on the menstration cycle..can you get out of it?? Is it a rigid structured program? Curious minds would like to know for future reference. Thanks.
Cyndi |
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| Cyndi,
read the other thread about the training. (Teacher Training 2005) there are many good posts there.
then go look at bikram's web site. they are offering a schedule there.
no need to open that can 'o worms again.
dee |
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| Cyndi - 2005-03-16 9:31 AM
Miss Dee,
I am curious...what is it really like in Teacher Training - details please.
Cyndi
I'm not Miss Dee but I'll give you a very brief outline based on my experience in 2001:
Most of the training occurs Mondays through Fridays. The day starts with a morning class (ours was at 9:30 am) then a break for lunch. Then return to the studio for approx. 4 hours of "posture clinic" or class/lecture (superficial lessons in anatomy and nutrition) followed by an evening class. Then comes a dinner break followed by more posture clinic or lecture until anywhere from 10:30 pm or later. For most of the training we were out before 11:00 pm but during the last couple of weeks we sometimes stayed as late as 1:00 am. The lectures are from Bikram, Rajashree and a variety of guest speakers on various topics. Weekends are something to look forward to: one class on Saturday morning with the rest of the weekend off, although I know some people who attended class on Sunday as well.
The training was altogether interesting, boring, invigorating, excruciating, tedious, fulfilling, frustrating, and more. The best survival technique is to remain somewhat detached throughout the process. If you want more details and specifics, I kept a journal during the training and it is available for online reading.
http://foolcrow.com/bikram.shtml
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| Cyndi - 2005-03-16 9:31 AM
I can't imagine having to do it more than once and on days when I don't feel like it or on the menstration cycle..can you get out of it??
You are expected to attend all classes but I missed one and nothing was said to me. I know several people who were excused from classes for medical reasons but I know even more instances of people just not showing up. They do keep attendance so absences are noted. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Thanks ebenjen,
I really enjoyed reading your journal. Just curious, what is the temperature kept at in your studio?? Its been mentioned on this forum that the temps are at 105 in some Bikram studios. In Bikram's book he says 100. What is the deal with that?? This is the reason I'm terrified of going to the studios in Atlanta. Although, Alpharetta's studio is very nice, I got to tour that one last December after hours...very impressive. Let me know as I may want to come down out of the hills sometime for a real Bikram experience. Thanks
Cyndi |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 418
Location: New York | The temperature during the classes I took at teacher training was WAY higher than 100. |
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| yes, same here.
I remember going to a class at bikram's studio on Wilshire a few days before the beginning of teacher training to stake out the place. (and lay claim to a primo locker with a combination lock)
I attended a Friday afternoon class-I remember hearing the sweat of the guy in front of me drip, drip, dripping onto his sticky mat from his heel in SHTK pose. (you know...early just after eagle)
I was at first irritated by the sound until I discovered it's source. then I was just shocked. you know...does not compute...
that class was waaaay hotter than 100. waaay hotter than 105. they all were. in the afternoon class the ceiling would drip humidity (sweat) on you from above. the classes were at least 2 hrs long. the class teachers used to see who could 'out kill-them' (that's you ...the poor "trainers" in your required 2 classes per day.)
the only bright spot- besides Sunday naps in the sun- was Rajashree.
I'd do yoga at her feet hours and hours forever and ever.
too bad she is the master of making a class last 90 minutes-
and of finishing on time regardless of how late she started. with her the longer the class, the better.
at the "new" location I found the big room to be hot in spots. the small room was unbearable. hot yes, but no air for breathing.
if you go, you should be ready for the heat.
(BTW... an old guy in our training with a bad heart "fell out" in class once. everyone acted like it was no big deal. not even an ambulance was called. he was out for a few days though. nice guy, and he still practices I am sure... but it was too hot there for him)
dee |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Guess I won't be going to TT!! You know, Hot Yoga has become so popular here in the US, and not to mention the lady Marylin Barnett who wrote Hot Yoga's book was published in England (I guess to avoid the legalities)...but, I say you don't need a certification to teach this form of yoga and you don't have to call it Bikram to be successful at it - at least where I am at. Soo, I'm going to keep practicing the Bikram method and I'm going to get real good at it and learn from all you Bikram teachers and whoever else such as Hot Yoga teachers...then if I decide to become a teacher, I'll open me a little studio here in the country and teach yoga. How does that sound?? Thanks for the feedback on the temp.. I still don't understand why in his book he says 100 degrees and then what you guys say. That is BS and I can think of better things to do for 3 months. But even though I say that the temp in the TT is BS, I still say Bikram is great yoga and I love it. I'm even more glad I was able to learn it from a very good teacher and Bikram. |
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| Where I practice our room can start at 110 degrees with about 40-50% humidity. It goes down to 105 and back to 110. It doesn't feel that hot though because it's cold and dry up here right now. I have done classes in Phoenix, San Antonio and Palm Springs and I wanted to die. The studio I practice in has a great ventilation system so you get fresh air the whole time. I guess I'm pretty spoiled. I did take a couple classes at the headquarters during the holidays, from what I heard their heating system was on the fritz. Wasn't very hot at all, pretty rare I guess. |
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| Ebenjen -- I had no idea you were "foolcrow"! I loved your journal when I read it a couple years ago (must have been 2002?) You were so right on with some things. Made me smile
Dee -- I, too, found Rajashree to be the bright light of training. Not nearly enough of her.
JackieCat -- It was so friggin' hot at training that I seriously considered shaving my head after the very first class. I called my husband and told him I didn't know if I could do it, that much heat every day, 2x even. I swear, it must have been 125 . . . |
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| What are your thoughts about the oxygen level in the classes and how it affects you? Where I go if I take the later evening class which immediately follows another one, the room seems somewhat hotter, but more I feel like I just never get a good breath. If I do the earlier one that never happens and it must be depleted oxygen? Is that ever discussed at teacher training? I'm now never doing the later one because I just don't think it's productive. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State |
When I used to do Bikram, the best time was always when you had the first class
of the afternoon (or the day). The studio that I loved so much was small and not
well ventilated. If you came in right after another class, the humidity was high and
the oxygen low. There were windows that could be opened, but that mean cold air
coming in. There were one or two {...]'s who would always complain if a window
was opened, even if they themselves would end up lying out of poses by the time
we hit Standing Bow. It seemed so silly to be trying to do yoga when you couldn't
breath or avoid dizziness....the heat was great, but just a bit more air and maybe
95 F instead of 106 F.
I think what really got to me in the end was the kind of tension that seemed to
invade the classes sometimes. People hating the heat, wishing a window would be
cracked, looking to see who would have to quit and lie down, strategically taking the
coldest spots in the room. This eventually overran all the stuff I liked.
Oh well, I've found another path... |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 418
Location: New York | I don't remember oxygen depletion being discussed at teacher training, but there's been a lot rattling around in my brain over the last 3 years!
My Cat's Mom: Do you remember them ever discussing it?
I could be wrong, but I don't recall anyone ever discussing any potential negative aspects of doing yoga in a really hot room. And God help you if you ever complained to the director of training or any of the senior teachers about it being too hot during our classes. It would have been pretty difficult to complain to Bikram, even if you were so inclined, since access to Bikram was somewhat restricted (MCM: Remember the little speech regarding "access to Bikram" on the first or second day?) It probably would have been easier to get a meeting with Tom Cruise. |
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| Bay guy, I can relate and may eventually leave bikram behind when my alignment is good enough for Ashtanga. I used to go to a studio here which was beautiful - lots of light and she installed a special ventilating system so I never noticed any breathing issues....but she couldn't keep it going and closed. Where I go now they do offer variations on the bikram series - call it "hot yoga" which I do like, but the space is just not comparable. No windows and this air issue even though it is cleaned regularly. I only go once or twice a week now since i'm doing more Iyengar to work on technique. Love the heat if it's reasonable, but those times where it's too hot or the air seems off I just notice newbies struggling and pushing way too hard and form just really off. Nothing we haven't discussed before but I just wonder about the oxygen part. Perhaps it's just like hiking in high altitudes.... |
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| JackieCat: Literally  I guess it didn't matter whether we had access to Bikram. Didn't seem like he had that much to say in the time he did give . . .
I don't remember anyone saying anything bad about Bikram yoga at the training -- heat, oxygen depletion or otherwise. |
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teacher training
