As we move into the final week of our Bikram Yoga Challenge, Ruijin Baker has written a wonderful, inspiring article about her personal experiences as she journeyed through the 21 Bikram Yoga Challenges that she's completed. You will enjoy her amazing story!
"Someone asked me recently how often I do the Bikram Yoga Challenge, and I’ve been asked many times, "How can you do a double while I still struggle with a single class?" I have been given nicknames like "Hardcore" or "Double Trouble" because I’m so committed to my practice. I know firsthand that it’s not always easy to do the challenge, so I’d like to share some tips from my experience with all of you doing your own B Y Challenge. I hope they will encourage you to undertake the challenge, benefit you while doing it, and start again if you’ve stopped.
I've done 21 challenges during my 5 1/2 years of practice. Literally, I try to do one challenge after another. Actually, I'm not different than any of you who feel that even one class is incredibly hard at the beginning of the practice. And just like you, I have a lot of reasons not be able to come to practice each day. I am the mother of two teenagers, my husband travels regularly for business, and my job requires me to work 6 days a week. Even with all of this, I take class every day. Otherwise, the more days I skip, the more stiff my body feels. The 60 day challenge is the best solution for disciplining me to practice on a daily basis. The more challenges I do, the easier they become. Therefore, the more you practice, the easier it will get for you, and the easier it becomes, the more open, flexible and better your body feels!
Sometimes when you’re doing the challenge life does get in the way, but please don't quit. If you have to miss a class, that's OK, but try to find the time to do a double and catch up. I started my 2nd challenge this year on March 5th. I had to miss class on day 6; so I did a double the next day. I had to skip another class on day 8; I did another double on day 10. Fortunately, I enjoy the double more than the single. I always try and catch back up within 10 days to avoid falling off the wagon and to stay in the parade. You can do this too.
If you fail to complete your challenge simply start again. As long as you keep trying, you will be successful. This is a journey, not a destination. I set my goal at the beginning of each year and I try my best to attain it. In 2008, I planned to do 5 challenges. I had completed three challenges and was working on the 4th when Hurricane Ike swept through Houston. It caught me 11 days shy of finishing. Still, I didn't quit! I started the challenge over again after the studios reopened and I completed the 4th challenge of 2008 on Thanksgiving Day.
If you want to have a fun ride with your challenge, celebrate wherever you are in it! I always celebrate my completed challenge, of course, but I also celebrate at 10 days, then 30 days and so on until I reach my 60 days. I finally broke my record of 5 challenges before Thanksgiving Day in 2009. Afterwards I made a long trip to my homeland. I celebrated the completion of my 10 challenges in two years with my parents, especially my father who was battling the late stages of lung cancer. He knows how much I love Bikram Yoga and I know how proud he is of me. I made another trip to China after completing my first 60 day challenge this year, 2010... My beloved father had passed away; I still feel that he is guarding me throughout each of my life journeys, and celebrating each of my Bikram Yoga challenges.
The 60 day challenge is a life journey, it can be easy, but sometime it can be really difficult. In 2007 I completed 1 challenge, and when I started the 2nd it became the most difficult challenge that I've ever experienced. On day 45 the engine of my car was damaged after an accident. I had to take taxis and buses to get to class; that quickly became undoable. So I started my challenge again after my car was repaired. I kept practicing until there were only 9 days left, then life got in the way again! I slipped and fell on a wet floor at work and seriously injured my left elbow. After 2 weeks' medical treatment I started over, yet again. So I suggest doing some double classes in the middle of your journey to avoid an unpredictable ending. After learning my lesson I did my 1st challenge in 43 days this year…. Better earlier than late!
I really admire the challengers who practice every day with 60 stickers one by one on their charts. Practicing every day is like eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away. I also admire the double challengers. There was a particular student's chart that caught my eye, 30 pairs of stars were twinkling in an artistic pattern. Do a double every other day, just like eating two apples every other day! I love to do a double because I can stretch my body to its fullest extent, deepening my practice in the 2nd class. I feel so excited when I am able to do a posture so perfectly, a posture that seemed impossible to do in a single class. If you are a new or are still struggling to do a single class, don't pressure yourself to do a double. Listen to your body and practice more often. Once your body is ready then go for the double. I did several triples after being so comfortable with doubles. I like them as well. I explored a quadruple one day last year, but I was too energetic to sleep that night. I did it again this year and slept well all night! I enjoyed these fun yoga adventures.
I have had amazing results practicing Bikram Yoga. This yoga holds much more healing power for me than a massage therapist, physical therapist or even a chiropractor. It has such an amazing effect on my spine, joints, and my whole body. I had an injured left hip, knee and ankle after falling off my bike years ago. The pain bothered me a lot sometimes. The only treatment that helped was this yoga. Because of B Y I have become a better person physically and spiritually. I absolutely trust the process and I have great confidence in it. I'm sure that one day, I will bend down on both sides during the Toe Stand, pain free. In my past life, before BY, I was a chain smoking, perpetually nervous stock broker. I quit smoking after only a half year of practice. I became more and more relaxed with every class I took. I wish my father had had the chance to utilize this amazing tool to detoxify his body. How lucky we are! No matter where our toxins come from, this magical yoga will power wash them all away from every ‘corner’ of our body.
I’d like to say to everyone, “Please give the 60 day challenge a try.” Bikram Yoga is the best gift that I have ever received. I'm so thankful each day for finding it, and for being part of this community. It has become such an important part of my life, and l will practice it for the rest of my life. My passion is so deep that words can’t explain it. It has shifted my attitude and even my gratitude to a new level. I would love to give to you what I have received, to share it with you. I would love to see the impact that it has on you and hear what it has done for you. If I have received these benefits then you will as well. All you need to do is to start the 60 day challenge, now! Don't let your inflexibility and stiffness scare you away. The more you practice, the less struggle you will experience. Be persistent; don't let "excuses" keep you from coming every day. If you miss a class, find time to do a double and catch back up. If life gets in your way and you have to stop, just start again as soon as you can. And once you finish the challenge, please practice regularly to maintain what you have received.
Bikram's guru, Bishnu Ghosh, said, "Never too old, never too sick, never too bad, never too late to start from scratch once again!" These words have lit my spirit throughout my journey. Each day can be the 1st day of my new challenge, or the restart date of a failed one. After all, life itself is a challenge. Each challenge that I have completed in the yoga room definitely helps me in my life challenges in the real world.
So if I can do it, you can do it! I'm still picturing that belt on someone’s chart 2 years ago, which measured how much weight he had lost, and he did more than one B Y Challenge. In order to maintain the results from the challenge you must continue to practice at least 3 times a week. To continue to have breakthroughs it is necessary do another challenge. It may take you months or even years to see all of your desired results, but be consistent, patient, and honest with yourself. Keep breathing and meditating, keep sweating and detoxifying, and keep practicing. Once the struggle is over, the joy will come, along with endless benefits for your body, mind and spirit! Bikram Yoga works. Bikram rocks and his yoga can heal the world and make it a much better place. I wish you the best on your journey. Happy challenge days!!"
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