Sunday 5 July 2009

Final pics

Graduation Day

Me and Irish Patrick

Graduation Dinner

The amazing demonstration

Lulu after class

An interesting way to spell Hannah

Me before teaching at Oceanside, San Diego (they have no mic so I had to shout extra loud...which wasn't hard for me!)

Me and Dom

Our certificates!

Liz and Bikram

Lulu waiting to take centre stage!

Rach and Simon digging in to the buffet

Liz, Dominic (Anna's boyf) and moi

Me and lovely Anna from Hawaii
Nelia, Me, Liz and Stan - all trainees (now teachers) from Spring 09
at Bikram Yoga, El Cajon
Liz having a well earned rest in Balboa Park

We drove through mountains to get to San Diego...the GPS (SatNav) went crazy!

5:30am before my first time teaching a proper class!

Liz before her first class (and lovely Wendy, the studio owner)

Lulu at Bikram Yoga, El Cajon -learning last minute dialogue before her first class there.

Our bed! We all slept together and it was lovely! No funny business.

Advice for any future teacher trainees

For anyone reading this blog who is heading off to TT at the Desert Springs Resort soon...

  • If possible, take a microwave/blender/rice cooker/bowls/spoons or anything you want to cook with. A knife and chopping board will come in handy too.
  • Buy a water cooler or water bottle with a large opening (for class) so you can put ice in there. The desert is boiling.
  • Bring a camping chair or a floor seat, otherwise you’ll be sat on the floor for hours during posture clinic (or get to posture clinic early to get a wall spot!)
  • Prepare yourself for late nights (up til 5am sometimes watching movies). Sleep deprivation is part of the process. Just accept it and sleep when you can.
  • The hotel internet is about $12 a day. I used a cheaper alternative for $10 per month. Go to http://www.boingo.com/ and this works in the hotel lobby.
  • There’s a Ralph’s and a Rite Aid opposite. A shuttle will take you to Trader Joes and the laundry mat at the weekend.
  • Keep hydrated. A pinch of sugar, salt and lemon juice in your water is great for electrolyte balance but Coconut Water and Kombuca are incredible for rehydration.
  • The hotel has a sushi bar downstairs - the seaweed salad is delish. The spa is also amazing. Save about $100 extra for a full body massage - it's incredible. Starbucks is also in the lobby.
  • LEARN as much dialogue as you can before you go. It’ll make your experience a lot more enjoyable and you’ll get more sleep.
  • I put on weight – not too sure if it was water retention or muscle mass but I’m slowly shrinking again. A lot of girls put on weight and most men lost weight.
  • Most importantly, enjoy it. It’s hard work but so much fun and you will meet some amazing people from all over the world. The friends you make at teacher training are the ones who carry you through til the end. They are the only ones who understand how you are feeling.

Graduation and my first teaching experience

I can officially call myself a certified Bikram Yoga teacher! I got my certificate on Saturday 27th June (after a very long ceremony). Then me and my closest friends went out for dinner and I was in bed by 10pm. I was absolutely exhausted. The whole 9 weeks was an amazing experience but the lack of sleep finally caught up with me. Next day myself, Liz and Lulu travelled to San Diego. I felt so weak. I must have gone for a wee about 15 times before we left. I couldn’t stop peeing and I felt shaky. Maybe it was all the water retention letting go? However, we made it to our little apartment (one bed, a kitchenette and toilet). We stayed in the centre of San Diego and it was a perfect location for us to get to the 3 studios we were teaching at.


My first class was at 6am. I got through it and surprised myself with how much dialogue I knew. It was a bit scary but I didn’t really have time to get anxious as it was so early. I taught 6 classes in 4 days and by my third class I was hooked. The first two classes were ok, but the third one felt amazing and I could see people were starting to respond to what I was asking them to do. This yoga is so powerful and I now know how important it is for the teacher to maintain the energy. It makes people work harder and feel better.


I’m now sat in a hotel room near LAX. I’ve come full circle. I’ve said goodbye to my friends and I’m now waiting for my wonderful boyfriend to get here so we can have a holiday. I think that was the hardest thing to deal with whilst on training – missing people from home. My final message goes out to my amazing family and friends. Being away from home makes you realise what is important. I can’t wait to come home and settle back in to my lovely life. My only wish is that we can all take class together. That way, we can all live until we’re 120.


Namaste x