We've had so many guest posters lately. It has been wonderful! And I encourage ANYONE who wants to guest post to simply write in and let us know. We would be more than happy to schedule a day for you to post. The stories and thoughts everyone has shared have been awesome. The Bikram yoga community is amazing and strong.
But as I have worked with each guest poster to get their stories up and live on the blog, I realized something... You all get a chance to learn about where they are from, as we post bios for them with their stories. But I've never taken the time to give you all background info on me. And, if I recall, neither have my two co-editors of this blog, Bikram Yoga Chick and Dancing J.
LOL!
As one of our guest posters wondered recently, "Do you really practice this yoga? Or are you like the Wizard of Oz behind a curtain... Pulling strings?"
I promise, I'm no wizard.
But now that we are a third of the way through this challenge, I figured it is time to give you some background on me and my Bikram yoga practice. (And I encourage Bikram Yoga Chick and Dancing J to do the same on their posting days!) I think it is probably good that you understand I am an actual practitioner and not just someone coordinating a scene.
I blog as "The Missus." In reality, my name is Heather Molina. I moved to Toronto last year from Boston. And I have been practicing Bikram yoga for five and half years.
I began my practice at Bikram Yoga Boston, with a collection of amazing teachers who are strict dialogue teachers. They paid attention to not only the words they recited each and every class, but also to my progress. One teacher in particular never missed a thing in the story that is my Bikram yoga practice...
Example: For the first two years of practicing, I wore yoga pants or cropped pants to practice in each day. The very first time I wore shorts to class, she commented, "Heather!!! You are wearing shorts today! About time!" It was amazing to me that she noticed because I only ever saw her twice a week, as she rotated teaching with other instructors. But she noticed. As did other teachers on various little things.
They helped me evolve my practice while also helping lay a strong foundation for me. I learned how to move in and out postures the correct way by practicing with such strict dialoguers. And when I moved to Toronto and began practicing at Bikram Yoga Bloor, the teachers there didn't have to fear any bad habits I picked up at my old studio.
Since moving to a new home studio and practicing under another set of amazing teachers, I have seen my practice progress forward in new ways...
- I can feel the muscles in my back flex in Cobra.
- My thighs are starting to get off the ground in Floor Bow.
- I can stand on tipped part of my toes and almost come down all the way in the second part of Awkward.
- Standing-Head-to-Knee... I can, for a brief second, actually put my head to my knee and hold it.
I've also seen my body make "progress" in a weird way too. I get acid reflux, badly, every few classes. But my teacher the other night explained, "This is good. Your body is getting rid of something."
I am excited to see what the rest of this challenge brings. Both the good (progress in poses) and the bad (acid reflux and crying for no reason).
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Heather Molina is a married woman living in Toronto's Yorkville neighborhood. She has been practicing Bikram yoga for a long-ass time. So long, in fact, she knows it is time to commit to going to teacher training. By day, she works as a digital marketing executive at an agency in the city. When she's not working, spending time with her husband or detoxing in the Bikram studio... She loves to write and travel. In fact, she loves to visit different Bikram studios when she travels.
7 comments:
Ah yes. The story behind the yogi... :) We all have one, don't we?
Thanks for sharing, Heather!
LOL! Thanks Hannah!
The Missus The Myth The Legend
LOL! The myth, the legend! I guess I could do this, too - would give me something to write about tomorrow! Though when it comes to talking about myself these days, I'm never sure where to start. Or end. Hehe.
It's nice to put a "face" to a name. Thank you for sharing your story, Heather!
Ah, yes! "The Missus" unveiled. :)
Great idea. I will unveil "Bikramyogachick" next time I post. :)
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