Wednesday 11 June 2008

England here I come.....

Today I will be leaving Mexico, after nearly 10 weeks - Armond and I had some wonderful days in Zihuatanejo, a little fishing town and stayed at the amazing La Casa Que Canta. This was probably the most spectacular boutique Hotel I have been to - and fantastic personal service. You feel like you are in your own home. It was such a bliss to do nothing, relaxing, no boot-camp...

We did a bit of dialogue practising - Armond has been great and was a student doing the postures while I delivered the dialogue.

Anyway, my life is now about to take another turn, back to the life I left behind. I'm excited, ready for it but also a little apprehensive, mainly as I will be returning as a Yoga teacher. But I am going to embrace it, and fully jump into the cold water and hope I can teach as soon as possible my first class.

It's been great to give my body a rest, my knees are still sore but will start practising again either Thursday or Friday.

We will head back to Acapulco today where we catch the flight to Mexico City and then have a night flight to London.

Well, what a journey this has been.....and I've done it!!!

My journal has now come to an end, at least for this chapter.

Love,
Katherine xx

Sunday 8 June 2008

Last night week 9 / Post Training

Well, Friday night, after graduation the party begun - I was not aware that many students were so desperate to celebrate with alcohol, cigarettes and whatever else...anyway, I had a quarter of a beer and didn't really fancy any more alcohol - but there were big parties happening, the official one down by the beach with drinks/cocktails/and a marshmellow bombfire and then some inofficial groovy and crazy room parties. It was crazy, all a bit too much, as we were also so tired and had only just finished our 9 weeks intensive program. Then at 11pm the Disco started! Armond and I were about to go to bed but then just popped to the in house Disco - and it was actually really good and there must have been about 70 or so Yogis in there dancing their socks off and celebrating!!

So we got to bed exhausted about 1am. Saturday morning another early start to get packed, say good bye to as many people as possible and then finally leave what has been my home for the last 9 weeks, the Acapulco Princess. I was glad and ready to leave and to finally have some quality time with Armond and transition into the other Katie world again.

I'm now writing this from a little Mexicon fishing village, Hotel Casa que quanta, Zihuatanejo. About 4 hours up north from Acapulco. This is a wonderful retreat and just such bliss to relax and do nothing and induldge in some amazing fresh fish and seafood.

It's good, and altough I'm a little apprehensive teaching my first class I will go for it with all my heart and soul. After all I have succeeded the 9 weeks teacher training so this is just a continuation of my training.

Hope to see many of you all soon again in person.

Lots of love,
Katexxxxxx

Friday 6 June 2008

Week 9 - Friday evening - GRADUATION

Well, I am in a strange and surreal space right now. It is 6:30pm and today was my final and last day of training which was graduation. I have graduated and received my certificate from Bikram with a handshake and a kiss from Rasheshree, his wife. It has been a lovely day, but also quite sad. Naturally I am SO happy not to have to do another Yoga class today, or tomorrow and can finally give my body a rest, but we have been in such a bootcamp lifestyle that this sudden freedom is almost a bit scary and you feel kind of lost.

Armond has been with me these last 4 days and again I must say that he has been great, just being by my side, while I have still been in my Yoga bubble ' and now I am neither here nor there! But by tomorrow when we leave here I will feel better. It is the letting go process now, saying good bye to these people I have shared my last 9 weeks with. The good and the bad times, we went through it all together.

On Thursday night I was pretty unwell, think I had a bit of fever and the body was sore all over, I think it was a clear sign to tell me that I needed a rest. But Friday was ok again and my last two classes, with Rash and Bikram were pretty good. Altough my best one was on Wednesday night with Craig.

I would like to say again, how amazing this experience was for me, I was pretty insecure at first about making a decision to do the training or not but now I can honestly say that I don´¨t regret any minute (well apart from some of the lecture sessions....) of this training. It is not possible to put in words my experiences and thoughts and emotions. Lets just say it was pretty damm amazing!!!

Armond and I will now head up the coast for a couple of days relaxation before flying back to London where I will hopefully be able to teach my first Bikram Yoga Class. Armond has caught a nasty cold here so we both just need some peace and quiet now.

With this, last entry, I would like to thank my dear husband, my family, Helen, Davina and my friends for all their support and encouragement which has been so helpful to get me through these 9 weeks.

Remember: We are all capable of much more then we think so, you just have to explore it and sometimes tap into the unknown, I know it´s scary at the beginning, being out of the comfort zone. But so gratifying once you have explored the bigger picture of this life.

With love always,

Namaste.

Katherine, certified Bikram Yoga Instructor as of Friday 6th June 2008, Acapulco

Thursday 5 June 2008

Week 9 - Thursday Night - I'VE DONE IT

I have finished my 98th class tonight, and with that my last and final class during training!!! I can't quite believe it yet - it was pretty emotional at the end and Armond was there too and took some good photos - will put on blog soon.

I AM FEELING SO HAPPY AND LIGHT - I have completed all 98 classes and NEVER had to leave the room. I am pretty proud of myself!

It's quite surreal everything at the moment - we have one more lecture tonight which hopefully wont last too long and then graduation tomorrow.

The time is close to say good bye to all these wonderful people here. They will always be in my heart. We have shared so much together.

Katherine xxxx

Wednesday 4 June 2008

Week 9 - Wednesday evening

My Last Craig Class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt pretty rotten today, not right in the belly, some intestinal issues, a really low energy class today and then I felt this afternoon like having the flu, my whole body was sore.

So I snoozed 20 mins during the afternoon lecture preparing myself for the 5pm final class with Craig. I was pretty worried how I would actually manage it.

And I did manage it, with grace, strength, committment and energy. It's magical, this Yoga can turn your whole body and mind around.

It was an amazing class with what I must say the best teacher I have ever experienced.

I was in row 4 and my two neighbours and I just gave out united strength and energy.

I can't believe that there are only 2 classes left to go.

Armond has been so supportive and always there for me despite me still being in my Yoga bubble. He understands so well what I am going through having done the training himself a couple of years ago.

1 more day training to go.

This is the MOST AMAZING AND TOUGH EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE.

Namaste (the light in me greets the light in you)

Katherine

Week 9 - Wednesday

It's 7:30 am and I'm about to leave for my morning class, 4 classes to go now until I finish!!!! And Week 9 has so far been challenging (yet again) - the boddy is really tired now and even the weekends are not enough to recover, and then we started the week with a late night on Monday, watching bollywood films (mandatory) until 2:45 am. The knocks me side-ways....

As you all know my dear husband Armond is here. He is incredibly supportive and has been taking part in most of the yoga classes. We will both be glad though once the training is over, as right now I am partly wife and partly a yogini in the yoga bubble wrapped up in all my yoga world.

Armond very kindly brought me 3 sandwiches last night at midnight into the lecture theatre after bikram announced yet more videos - I distributed them amongst about 10 people in our row who were so grateful for a midnight snack. But then the video that Bikram wanted to show had by mistake not been sent in from headquarters. So he was NOT happy at all and let us go shortly after midnight but the staff had to stay behind and discuss the situation with him.

So my guess is that tonight will be a late one, at least I slept nearly 7 hours last night. I'm getting really really exhausted now and am longing for some quiet days with Armond in a different environment.

Well, and for the building up aspect of this training. I'm still kind of waiting for it. You know, they break us down here and then supposidely should build us up. But I think they are leaving it up to ourselves to rebuild us.

So it's been a normal week, like any other, not extra goodie or any free time or anything like that. It might still come.

I can't believe I'm almost at the peak of the mountain. Wow, how exciting and thrilled am I!!!

Well, will write more soon.

Lots of love,
Kxxxx

Sunday 1 June 2008

Week 8 - Armond hijacks the blog!

Katherine has allowed me to write an entry on her blog.



I arrive late on Friday evening at the Fairmont Princess 5 Star Yoga Prison Camp, just in time to catch the last half hour of the talent show. I saw a spectacular Bollywood dance routine put together by a dozen or so students which was a lot of fun. The show was accompanied by the erractic movements of a low flying bat that had lost his way and ended up in the theatre ... whoops of girlish screams (mostly from the men) as the bat threatened to land on someone's head. Eventually one girl picked the bat up with her hands and set it free outside.



It was dark in the theatre so I was not able to see Katherine. It was strange that after all these weeks we were in the same room for over half an hour and still not together ...



Anyway the show ended and everyone filtered out and I still couldn't see her. I called her mobile and it went to voice mail. I wandered around for a while, asked a couple of yogis if they'd seen her and no luck. Finally I called again and she picked up the phone. She was in the lobby with Simone. I caught sight of them and walked up behind her and gave her a little kiss on the shoulder.



Now at this point you might imagine that there would be a Hollywood type of lover reunion complete with slow motion kisses in the pouring rain. Instead the reality was Katherine frozen stiff with mild shock! She kept averting her gaze from me because somehow the emotion was too much to process. When Simone said she'd leave us together, we both insisted she joins us for a drink! She did and we joked and chatted for a while. It was really nice and slowly we both got used to being together again. It was lovely!



K looks great. She has grown taller (if that were possible)! She has really bonded with her fellow students and its amazing to see her so comfortable with all these different types of people - and they all love her :)



We went to bed at 1am on Friday night and I took a sleeping pill to make sure I'd get a full nights sleep and get over the jet lag. There was the usual yoga class at 8am on Saturday. I had no intention of joining it of course. I have hardly practiced or taught in 18 months and there was no way I was going to start my baptism of fire with jet lag and Rohypnol! But then K woke up at 7 and somehow the energy at this place worked its magic. How could I NOT practice? I jumped out of bed and went down to the torture chamber. I had a wonderful class. It was a privelege to be part of the union. And afterwards I jumped into the ocean and we drank the juice of a huge coconut. (THIS WAS NOT HOW OUR TRAINING WAS IN THE CAR PARK LOT OF LA CIENEGA BLVD IN LA!!!!!)



Anyway I could go on and on but this is K's blog and she always says I talk too much anyway (where did she get that idea?!) ...



Next Friday its all over and on Saturday we head up the coast for 4 days of solitude and relaxation in Ixtapa.



Namaste



Husband of Katherine the Yogini