Bikram 101

Hi all, Juliana here!  (Some of you know me as "thedancingj" from my personal blog.  Some of you know me as Juliana from life.  Some of you know me as both!)  I'll be posting to this blog periodically throughout the challenge, along with themissus, bikramyogachick, and possibly others.

I'm really excited for this little project of ours, which seems to be picking up momentum already.  I can't wait to re-dedicate myself to my personal practice in the coming year (which has very special meaning for me, as it's the year when I'm finally going to teacher training), and I can't wait to share the experience with all of you!  Group challenges are great; I feel like they bring our community together in the best way.  The more the merrier, so please don't be shy... don't fright, don't scare.  Just jump on in.  As they say in my favorite Smash Mouth song - yes, I listen to Smash Mouth - "The ice we skate is getting pretty thin/ The water's getting warm, so you might as well swim/ My world's on fire!  How 'bout yours?/ That's the way I like it and I'll never get bored..."

In honor of everyone's upcoming daily practice, I entertained myself by writing up this little to-do list.  (It's also posted under the profile of our Facebook page.)  Here are just some of the things that we will be doing next year:

Practicing 101 classes in 101 days.

SWEATING. A LOT.

Opening the lungs.

Creating a tremendous stretching sensation, all over, inside out, bones to skin, fingertips to toes.

Looking like a Japanese ham sandwich from the side.

Bending the total spine backward bending.

Concentrating and meditating.

Twisting like ropes.

Using Bengal Tiger strength and English Bulldog determination.

Kicking and stretching equally and simultaneously.

Looking like a capital T as in Tom (not a broken umbrella!)

Rolling forward like a wheel.

Creating a perfect marriage between the heart and lungs.

Compressing the thyroid.

Creating natural human traction.

Relaxing completely.

Getting the total spine flat on the floor (eventually in the future.)

Having one leg, like a cobra. (Wait a sec...)

Kissing the towel.

Lifting up like a 747 taking off.

Looking like two wheels in one base.

Sitting Japanese style.

Getting more relaxation in 30 seconds than in 8 hours sleep.

Creating 360 degree angle backward bending for gravitation.

Feeling the spine stretching from coccyx to neck

Creating pressure with the left foot sole against the right leg bicep of the thigh muscle.

Touching the forehead to the toes.

Twisting like a pearl necklace.

And most importantly of all....
Last but not least...
If I had to pick just ONE thing...

LOCKING THE KNEE!!!!!

That's my to-do list for the moment.  What's on your list?