Feeling the Heat

September - I took up Bikram Yoga (aka hot yoga)!!!

Brace yourself - it's HOT. 106 - 115 degrees to be exact. (the humidity is kept at 30%).

Things to bring to Bikram - a yoga mat (obviously), a change of clothes, water (and lots of it), towels (both for your yoga mat and for showering), toiletries for shower time, a power bar (for after class), extra hair ties, and a positive attitude and open mind.

Nothing can prepare you for the amount of sweat that will pour from your body. I was sweating in places I didn't realize there were sweat glands. We move through 26 postures repeating each. It's a 90 minute class - the first hour is standing postures and the last half hour is on the floor. I find the floor portion to be the most challenging. Class begins and ends with breathing exercises.

Since that first class in August, I've been going regularly. Sometimes with some of my girlfriends. Sometimes by myself. And sometimes Dennis joins me - he's decided to take up Bikram and I'm so proud of him for it. (He's actually pretty good!)

Bikram has done wonders for my body both physically and mentally - cleansing my body of toxins, stretching my muscles, burning tons of calories, clearing my head. It's a great workout with serious health benefits.

Labor Day means Back to School

I'm in the home stretch - this is my third and final year of graduate school. Last week was my first week of classes. This semester I'm taking Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations and Leadership - two required classes. The finance class will be challenging but our professor is friendly, very knowledgeable, and he makes the material interesting. Leadership should be fairly easy and it's co-taught by two really wonderful professors. Overall, I'm very satisfied with my class schedule for the semester.

My research assistantship is a ton of work already. So far, I'm researching Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in New York City and their involvement in arts and culture. While it is extremely interesting, I'm already starting to feel the pressure from the added workload.

This past Labor Day, I decided to not do any work at all. I went with Dennis to a Yankees game. Even though the Yankees lost to the Orioles, we had a great time. We took a water taxi to the Bronx and had hot dogs, beer, and garlic fries (which smelled way better than they tasted). I met his twin sister who is sweet, easy going, and very warm and friendly. The weather was beautiful and my skin is nice and tan.

It's so important to take a little time to relax and put work on the back burner every once in a while. This was such a great way to ease into a hectic fall semester.