I arrived in Vegas Saturday afternoon. Let me just say this…I know I’m supposed to be here. I feel lots of energy and excitement, a deep down gut feeling of this is right and all is well. Things got off to a good start. They called my name at the airport check-in counter and moved me from a seat in the middle to a window seat. Sweet! I love staring out windows with a view.
The hotel is really, really nice. The Hilton sign outside is vintage 60s, but don’t be deceived, the hotel is anything but vintage. The rooms are nice, the beds are comfy, the food isn’t bad, it’s a tad expensive though. A veggie burger, grapefruit juice, and glass of milk with cookies ran me $25!!! The veggie burger was huge with a gigantic piece of tofu, the cookies were awesome (soft and warm, melt in your mouth cookies), but definitely not worthy of the $25 price tag. The buffet is a little less expensive, but it’s still $20. Thankfully we have a fridge, so I hope to get some fellow yogis together and head to the grocery store. I went to both restaurants that have special menus for Bikram students (Fortuna and Paradise Café). They didn’t really have anything super vegetarian or vegan. Maybe they haven’t whipped those menus out yet. Dining is up to us during training. We have a card with a set sum of money. It’s not enough to sustain one meal a day at the buffet for nine weeks. I might be able to stretch it for a month or five weeks.
A couple interesting things about the Las Vegas Hilton I learned recently. The cab driver yesterday told me Elvis lived and performed here when the hotel was built in the 60s. There’s a statue of him out front. Howard Hughes also lived here. The hotel management felt he had worn out his welcome and tried to get him to leave. Rather than leave, Howard Hughes bought the hotel!
The yoga tent looks similar to the one in Palm Desert. Thankfully, we don’t have to walk through a casino to get to it. I’ve only had to go through the casino once to get to the buffet. That’s a good thing, because they allow smoking in the casino. There’s some major perks to staying here! We get free access to the spa! I hit the steam room and sauna, spent some time in the whirlpool too. It’s a small place, but very comfy. I don’t think it can hold 300 yogis =) I have to say the sauna/steam room experience is not what it used to be for me. It’s not like a Bikram class. What I mean by that is I didn’t feel energized when leaving, not even as relaxed as after a Bikram class. That being said, I wouldn’t want to attempt even Pranayama breathing in either the steam room or sauna. The sauna was around 170 degrees and the steam room had to be at least 150 degrees. Anyone who is interested in seeing a show gets 50% off, I don’t think we’ll have much time for that though. Friends and family get a discounted rate of $60 if they want to visit. I hope the hotel is providing big, fluffy towels for class. We’re being limited to one towel per class. I generate more sweat than there is water in the Colorado River during spring.
I have jet lag. I was dozing off at 10 PM last night and was up at 6:30 AM. I need half tortoise pose to help regulate my sleep/wake cycle. Our first class is today at 5 PM. In general, the vibe is good. We’re not near the strip, we’re closer to the other end of town near old Vegas. The energy is pretty subdued, not too crazy. There are tattoo and motorcycle conventions this weekend. In some ways I think this is a pretty good match for the start of teacher training. I’ve already shed blood in this town. I cut my finger on the back of the taxi cab license plate yesterday, I have a nice missing piece of flesh on my right forefinger knuckle (oddly enough it’s a perfect triangle), which should make Standing Separate Leg Stretching fun. I can see the monorail out of my back window. I wonder if that stops near any grocery stores. It will sure beat the cost of a taxi.
As odd as this might sound, this reminds of me being a kid at camp. I know there are many differences, I liken this experience to a bunch of people coming together, most who don’t know each other, all here for the same reason. The teachers and staff are the camp counselors. I think the students are the most important part of the training. We’re creating our own learning experience, sharing ideas and energy, and learning together. The people who surround you make this yoga the experience it is. Of course, the individual is the most important person in the room, since it’s their practice. At the same time it’s good to have people around, who have similar passions and beliefs, and I can’t wait to make lots of new friends.
Last night we had an awesome dinner banquet thrown for all the Bikram Yoga staff and teacher trainees. It was amazing! They had sushi, Chinese, Mexican, pasta, deserts, and a live band! Our table was right behind the boss himself. The highlight today was orientation. It was truly a pleasure to finally meet Rajashree. She is so kind and funny, but you know she means business. We also got to meet Bikram and Rajashree’s daughter who gave us encouraging words. Jim Kallett was also very inspiring. Shelly got up to speak and it was a pleasure listening to her as well. Lynn Whitlow also had many good things to say to help us get started. Everyone I met today was full of good energy. The room was full of excitement and smiling, happy faces =) I’ve met a lot of people today, all of them wonderful. My roommate is a great guy and as it turns out he’s also from NYC. We know some of the same teachers. I have a neighbor two doors down also from NYC who practices in Queens. I’ve met people from the UK and Malaysia as well as all over the US. Everyone is friendly and open and full of excitement. I can’t wait to take class with them tomorrow.
One of the messages I picked up in orientation is don’t think too much about what’s happening, don’t try to understand it, just let it happen. It’s weird, all the things I thought training would be, the fantasies and horrors my mind has created, don’t feel that way at all. Granted we haven’t started class yet, but I really feel things are going to be much different, much better than anything I had thought. So to that end, I’m going to try and stop thinking too much =) I won’t be blogging as much as I thought I would, my entries will probably be nothing more than a summary the end of each week, about that week. It’s mostly to keep the focus within, rather than without. At the same time, I want to share my experience with all my friends and family. This is a once in a lifetime event. I want to be in it as much as possible.
Today we had orientation with Bikram. He is hilarious, but he knows how to make a point. He may have his own way of doing it, but if you pay attention, it’s not hard to follow him. We had a great first class. I was very nervous, but I did well. Bikram was gentle and joked around a lot. They are still messing with the temperature and humidity, so the room was not unbearably hot. I imagine they will start cranking the heat as the week progresses. I kind of think the first class is gentle so he can see where everyone is in their practice. Personally, I can push harder and go more deeply when I’m not struggling with my mind in an intense class. I’ve always believed gentle classes show us how strong we are and that we should try to maintain that strength when classes get super hot (easier said than done). Sorry I don’t have any pictures of the boss. Every time I tried to take one they turned out blurry. Looking forward to tomorrow morning’s class with Rajashree!
A couple interesting things about the Las Vegas Hilton I learned recently. The cab driver yesterday told me Elvis lived and performed here when the hotel was built in the 60s. There’s a statue of him out front. Howard Hughes also lived here. The hotel management felt he had worn out his welcome and tried to get him to leave. Rather than leave, Howard Hughes bought the hotel!
The yoga tent looks similar to the one in Palm Desert. Thankfully, we don’t have to walk through a casino to get to it. I’ve only had to go through the casino once to get to the buffet. That’s a good thing, because they allow smoking in the casino. There’s some major perks to staying here! We get free access to the spa! I hit the steam room and sauna, spent some time in the whirlpool too. It’s a small place, but very comfy. I don’t think it can hold 300 yogis =) I have to say the sauna/steam room experience is not what it used to be for me. It’s not like a Bikram class. What I mean by that is I didn’t feel energized when leaving, not even as relaxed as after a Bikram class. That being said, I wouldn’t want to attempt even Pranayama breathing in either the steam room or sauna. The sauna was around 170 degrees and the steam room had to be at least 150 degrees. Anyone who is interested in seeing a show gets 50% off, I don’t think we’ll have much time for that though. Friends and family get a discounted rate of $60 if they want to visit. I hope the hotel is providing big, fluffy towels for class. We’re being limited to one towel per class. I generate more sweat than there is water in the Colorado River during spring.
I have jet lag. I was dozing off at 10 PM last night and was up at 6:30 AM. I need half tortoise pose to help regulate my sleep/wake cycle. Our first class is today at 5 PM. In general, the vibe is good. We’re not near the strip, we’re closer to the other end of town near old Vegas. The energy is pretty subdued, not too crazy. There are tattoo and motorcycle conventions this weekend. In some ways I think this is a pretty good match for the start of teacher training. I’ve already shed blood in this town. I cut my finger on the back of the taxi cab license plate yesterday, I have a nice missing piece of flesh on my right forefinger knuckle (oddly enough it’s a perfect triangle), which should make Standing Separate Leg Stretching fun. I can see the monorail out of my back window. I wonder if that stops near any grocery stores. It will sure beat the cost of a taxi.
As odd as this might sound, this reminds of me being a kid at camp. I know there are many differences, I liken this experience to a bunch of people coming together, most who don’t know each other, all here for the same reason. The teachers and staff are the camp counselors. I think the students are the most important part of the training. We’re creating our own learning experience, sharing ideas and energy, and learning together. The people who surround you make this yoga the experience it is. Of course, the individual is the most important person in the room, since it’s their practice. At the same time it’s good to have people around, who have similar passions and beliefs, and I can’t wait to make lots of new friends.
Last night we had an awesome dinner banquet thrown for all the Bikram Yoga staff and teacher trainees. It was amazing! They had sushi, Chinese, Mexican, pasta, deserts, and a live band! Our table was right behind the boss himself. The highlight today was orientation. It was truly a pleasure to finally meet Rajashree. She is so kind and funny, but you know she means business. We also got to meet Bikram and Rajashree’s daughter who gave us encouraging words. Jim Kallett was also very inspiring. Shelly got up to speak and it was a pleasure listening to her as well. Lynn Whitlow also had many good things to say to help us get started. Everyone I met today was full of good energy. The room was full of excitement and smiling, happy faces =) I’ve met a lot of people today, all of them wonderful. My roommate is a great guy and as it turns out he’s also from NYC. We know some of the same teachers. I have a neighbor two doors down also from NYC who practices in Queens. I’ve met people from the UK and Malaysia as well as all over the US. Everyone is friendly and open and full of excitement. I can’t wait to take class with them tomorrow.
One of the messages I picked up in orientation is don’t think too much about what’s happening, don’t try to understand it, just let it happen. It’s weird, all the things I thought training would be, the fantasies and horrors my mind has created, don’t feel that way at all. Granted we haven’t started class yet, but I really feel things are going to be much different, much better than anything I had thought. So to that end, I’m going to try and stop thinking too much =) I won’t be blogging as much as I thought I would, my entries will probably be nothing more than a summary the end of each week, about that week. It’s mostly to keep the focus within, rather than without. At the same time, I want to share my experience with all my friends and family. This is a once in a lifetime event. I want to be in it as much as possible.
Today we had orientation with Bikram. He is hilarious, but he knows how to make a point. He may have his own way of doing it, but if you pay attention, it’s not hard to follow him. We had a great first class. I was very nervous, but I did well. Bikram was gentle and joked around a lot. They are still messing with the temperature and humidity, so the room was not unbearably hot. I imagine they will start cranking the heat as the week progresses. I kind of think the first class is gentle so he can see where everyone is in their practice. Personally, I can push harder and go more deeply when I’m not struggling with my mind in an intense class. I’ve always believed gentle classes show us how strong we are and that we should try to maintain that strength when classes get super hot (easier said than done). Sorry I don’t have any pictures of the boss. Every time I tried to take one they turned out blurry. Looking forward to tomorrow morning’s class with Rajashree!
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Good job ya Bastid !!!! and not even a call before you left.
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