Bikram Yoga El Paseo

At Bikram Yoga El Paseo we are at the halfway mark in to our 30 day challenge. This annual challenge done in January / February is always a great reset to cleanse the body and the mind from the old and welcome in the new!!

Bikram Yoga can single handedly do this. We beat up our bodies on a daily basis by the activities we participate in on the outside and the toxic foods and beverages that we put in the inside. There is nothing like a hot Bikram Yoga class to purge the body of these detrimental toxins.

I had lofty ideas for January. I was thinking “Dry January” but I knew I couldn’t start till I came back from Cabo on January 7th because, well ….. Tequila! Enough said.

I lasted a full week starting January 7th, and then couldn’t resist a glass of celebratory red wine at a dear friends birthday party on January 14th. I drank about a half glass, then accidentally spilled the rest on his light tan couch! Yup … Guilty … IT was a sign .. and that was enough to reaffirm the rest of the “dry” month.

I decided to go a step further.

This year I decided to personally double up on my challenge and on Day 12, I began a five day cleanse / reset dietary plan. I did not want to think about it, meal plan, or prepare food in advance so I took the easy way out and ordered the 5 day kit .

Nicely packaged in 5 individual boxes with each item scheduled for a particular time of day it seemed pretty simple. They say our gut is our second brain , so cleansing my digestive system from the inside while simultaneously purging toxins during my Bikram practice proved to be a challenge like no other.

DAY 1 CLEANSE / DAY 12 BIKRAM CHALLENGE: After sweating for 90 minutes in the hot room I began my internal cleanse diet. For breakfast I enjoyed a lemon drink that tastes like “lemonade” and Super Chocolate smoothie that is loaded with protein and healthy greens. Midday snack was bone broth, and lunch was a super berry smoothie and another “lemonade”. Dinner was Lemon soup and my final “lemonade” (I get three of these per day …. who hooo)

My husband brought home a Five Guys hot dog loaded with onions and ate it in our kitchen for lunch. He did forgo the fries and for him thats a big challenge in itself. I realized my biggest challenge would be sticking to this plan while smelling his food. 30 yoga classes in 30 days… piece of cake. No alcohol ? No big deal. No solid foods just all liquids? Definitely challenging. Smelling solid food to boot?…. well, this may be too much to bare.

Meanwhile, back at the studio, the overachievers, the type A personalities if you will, were breaking ahead of the pack and doing more than one class per day. We call that “doing a double” . 180 minutes a day contorting your body in 105 degrees is not easy feat and definitely not for those who baby themselves!!

I made it through the first day of my cleanse unscathed! Yay!

DAY 2 CLEANSE/ DAY 13 BIKRAM CHALLENGE: I started out my morning before sunrise. I taught / took the 6:30am class then took a second class that was a working interview for a new teacher at 9am. Yes, I did “a double”. Truth be told, it was my second double since the challenge started. I guess it takes one to know one when it comes to Type A personalities. So even though I was up at 5:30am to get to the studio to fire up the hot room, my first break to dive into my Cleanse didn’t begin till 10:45am. My morning “lemonade” was a refreshing after the sweat treat!!! I breezed through day two of the cleanse.

DAY 3 CLEANSE/ DAY 14 BIKRAM CHALLENGE- Yikes…. I’m not going to lie. I really started to struggle with no solid food. I made it through all the bone broth, powdered protein and “lemonade” but after a long day of activity and mental struggle I wasn’t sure I could stomach dinner. So, I got comfortable, adjusted my attitude, put my best smile forward and sipped the Lemon soup part of the cleanse for dinner (while I identified as a green MM. It’s not easy being green!) I went to bed dreaming of Dodi’s “Beet Salad!” If you have never had the Beet Salad at The Nest you really need to go try that! It is by far THE BEST in the desert and will be one of my first solid meals when I’m off this cleanse!!!

DAY 4 CLEANSE/DAY 15 BIKRAM CHALLENGE: Didn’t Sleep well but started my day with the “lemonade” packet of the cleanse AND the most unbelievable fun group of Yogis and Camaraderie at the studio!!
A lot of laughs, joking with fellow challengers, reception room shenanigans, Watermelon Joe’s watermelon and pictures!! My Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Roomie is in town and helping me out and its been great having her here as well!! Shout out to Katty Chiachian!!

On day 15, I surprised the top over achiever with a trophy sticker instead of the usual flame . I knew this would spur on the other overachievers even more. I mean who would not want to see a tiny trophy sticker on their chart rising above the flames? JK, but I knew they would all get a kick out of it because there really is no competition here except with oneself!

Good to know that the challengers are keeping the faith!! Onward and Upward toward the second half of our challenge. I took the 8am class , ran home, showered and will go back for “a double”….. for no other reason than to take the new teachers class and provide her with feedback! It’s all part of the process and the challenge when you are juggling owning a business and being responsible for everything, and teaching , and putting in a full 8-9 hour day at the dental office mid week!

Thank God my husband is supportive (albeit the hotdog) and brought extra water to the studio, replaced HVAC filters and helped me with the laundry that I swear multiplies in the hampers overnight!

I finished Day 4 of the cleanse feeling great! I’m definitely over the hump and ready for Day 5 full speed ahead to finish my commitment to myself and my health.

DAY 5 CLEANSE / DAY 16 CHALLENGE: Up before sunrise once again to “ fire up the blender” so to speak! Got to the studio early to prepare to teach the 6:30am class! My TT roomie taught the 9am for me so that I could practice and complete my 16th day of the Bikram Challenge. After a couple of super busy, hot morning classes and the studio buzzing, I went home to relax and sip on some bone broth and digest a protein smoothie . The great thing I’m really enjoying about this plan is that I don’t have to think about it or prepare.

I headed back to the studio to teach a private lesson and ended my day with my FINAL soup packet. DONE , FINISHED….. 5 days of cleansing my body from the inside while I’m in the midst of purging the toxins from the inside out!! It’s such a great feeling of accomplishment!

The developer of the program states that you will not crave sweets after this cleanse. It’s amazing how participating in a cleanse like this brings one back to the basics and what is really important in life like the taste and texture of eating real food and the importance of slowing everything down!!! I’m really just craving nutritious food that tastes good but also is good for your body. First day coming off the cleanse and following a hot sweaty Bikram class, I drank a quarter of Luscious Lorraines Orange sunrise immunity juice and a quarter of her Heavy Metal Detox juice. Then I went home and scrambled some eggs with a couple avocado slices. I knew I had to incorporate solid foods slowly. I never ate so slow in my life. Savoring each bite and really focusing on the flavor and the texture as if I had never eaten solid food before. Soooo GOOD!

I’m now ready mentally and physically to finish my challenge off strong!!! It helps to have such amazing support at the studio. The Challengers have all been great inspirers and the non challengers have been amazing in rooting us all on this journey. Many of the non challengers are actually secretly doing it along with us and seeing their commitment and excitement is fulfilling as well.

Our challenge ends just in time for Valentines day and maybe I’ll be ready for a piece of chocolate by then! My main goal was just to start out this year with the healthiest body and clearest of minds, but the added benefit of fitting into some of my favorite clothes is definitely a bonus! By March I’ll be ready for Fashion Week El Paseo and I am excited to bring along some of my favorite, most loyal Yogis who meet challenges every day and do it with strength and determination! I am so blessed to have my life surrounded by amazing people in our Yoga Community.

We will keep all posted on the final results of our 30 day challenge that ends February 13th and see if our trophy holder gets to hang on to it or if another challenger will surpass him in classes. For now he proudly wears his tiny trophy on his shirt!!

The New Year brings a Rebirth and I have to say the energy and the camaraderie in the studio has never been better and is so infectious!! This is going to be the best year yet – I can feel it!! I am looking forward to a great year of OMazing classes and fun studio outings!

Hope to see you in the hot room soon!!

Namaste`