Sammy Medina my friend goes to Yoga Lol!

Sammy's first time at Yoga
check out my friend Sammy lol

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1685028086

He is super in shape, a stuntman/actor/martial artist, and he came to Bikram yoga with me on Friday while James coached....

Check him out! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2795989/
Sammy did great!
He's James' favorite new student now!

At one point Sammy felt like he was gonna pass out and he laid by the door trying to get air out of the crack,

James says " Sammy move away from the door, cuz you're blocking the air in for everyone else!"

I'm proud of Sammy he made it through 1 hour 15 minutes of the poses, and STAYED in the room!

I couldn't even stay in the room!

Bikram yoga in my home town!

At hq in LA I met a girl named Katie who said her mom opened a Bikram yoga in my home town Walnut Creek! 8I finally went there today.
Very crowded but not too hot! It was nice to go with my auntie clara.

Id like to go everytime I come back to Walnut creek.

It wasn't as hot as in LA.

2011 a new location

Aww, So I took a year off Bikram yoga due to reconstructive Shoulder surgery.
The Bikram College of Yoga changed locations to Olympic Blvd West of the 405 .
I'm glad that I see some of the same faces from the old location.
I'm sad that Juan does not teach anymore...

There are a lot of great teachers though and now my friends Wendy and Gabi come also!

I had a memory of Juan:

"Go down push down, try harder, you're not Trying HARD ENOUGH!  At least ACT like you're Trying harder, Go down PUsh Down, Stretch farther harder, and if your trying, I don't believe it ONE BIT!!

If you're an ACTOR, GET A DAY JOB! Go down push down pull harder.."

american directions are simple for stupid people

For the pose where you kneel and sit between your feet and lie back with your arms over your head. I can't always do it cuz my knees hurt. but i get better e very day. this one day juan says to me

"what happpend miss white? your knees are gonna snap" mind you, he has a thick accent

me: "i had knee surgery"
juan" what acl reconstructive surgery?"
Me: "yes"
juan:" well you should have done yoga and that wouldn't have happened, that's okay, because there's still hope for you. okay everyone stretch down, tell all your gymnastics friends to do yoga so that wont happen to them too"

the rest of the class he called me gymnastics, or my gymnastics friends

" do you not understand me because of my accent? well once i had no accent maybe i should go back to the UK and learn english, my accent only comes out when I'm angry"

"see the directions are simple,, like directions in english are, american instructions are made by stupid people, so simple. Open box, pull out bag.... put a in to b.... push the button"

at the end of class after the breating exercises,

"okay i've had about enough, i 've run out of insults to say"

look at yourself in the mirror

juan really doesn't like it when you're eyes wander around the room, i tend to do this because i enjoy watching other people struggling, or doing the poses, i get competitive.

Juan: "ren, look at yourself in the mirror, don't look at me, I know I'm gorgeous, everyone look at your own eyes in the mirror like you are a narcissist for once"

"Nikki, whats the matter, what are you doing looking at me"

nikki " i'm listening to you"
juan : "you listen with your ears not with your eyes"

nikki is wearing a long sleeve black rash guard

juan: nikki why are you wearing so much
nikki: " it's cold"

later, nikkit takes off her rash guard and is wearing a white tank top with nothing else under.

Juan:" oh now nikki its hot, next time wear something else, it's not a wet t-shirt contest in here"

new guy from texas

New guy from texas today, he's done bikram before in texas but not in LA.

Juan : "you're from texas? did you bring any weapons, or boots? okay everyone lets begin....."

we're at end of class laying down postures
Juan" hey texas, whats the matter, you're knees are tight? do you play sports, what sport do you play, (new guy pretends to shoot a hoop) basketball? I wouldn't be able to play basketball to save my life.. everyone turn around lie back whole body loose,completely relaxed, not to mention i wouldn't play golf at gun point, everyone sit up flex you're feet...."

sterling

theres a guy named sterling, older man, he was once a dancer/actor and was in that movie Hello Dolly, He has been taking bikram for 25 years. He is really in shape and a good looking man for his age. He's super nice too.

He always cracks the door open to get fresh air, because he doesn't like it too hot, and i aggree with him, i feel like i can finish and hold more of the poses, and have more energy when it's not too hot. some people in the class like it die hard, standing right under the heater. I always stand a little bit infront of sterling to catch air from the door.

sterling always wears some blue biker shorts and a tank top, and he pulls the tank top up , exposing his midriff.

juan: "and everybody bend down, go down, lean back go back, sterling wears his shirt like that so it looks like a woman's bra top, go down, lean back sit down, hey ren, i don't know why you haven't caught on to that , you have the biggest nipples in this room, go down, miss go down, everyone go down, lean back..."

mind you everytime i quote juan, all his comments are intermixed with his instructions/coaching to do the poses things like " miss white, go down, straight your elbows, you have no knee, no knee meaning you don't bend it"

We're doing cobra stretch, where you lie on your stomach, elbows by your nipples, and you pressup and stretch back and look back as far as you can.

Juan: " stretch back look back, way back, look back, way back, up so i see the whites of your eyes like you're possessed, look back everybody FUCKING look back...."

Juan: "stand there confidently, don't stand there looking like a victim, this is the only country where you can make money off looking like a victim"

the 6 inches for Standing awkward pose

Juan teaches again today. i am a little late and i look at him on my way in and say "are you teachign Juan" I think he said yes but i didn't hear it...
Today he is calling me yuen today. He must of looked in the sign in book to see what i wrote. good thing because i wore a purple bikini and he woulda called me purple bikini. I thought many times to correct him but then the other people in the class would then look at me, and i din't want any more people looking at me in class. so i decidd i'll tell him later. but i still chickend out telling him after class when i left the studio.
here's the jist of what he said today,


For chair standing pose
" step 6 inches wide, and i don't mean the 6 inches that you told your girlfriend but a real 6 inches"

end of class "Okay, everyone lie down and total relax body, I've had about enough, have you?"

"Miss green, are you really trying because i don't believe it, if you're an actor get another job because i don't beleive it one bit."

"those are very interesting patterned shorts, did you guys get them in costa mesa?, whats up with those shorts ladies." two ladies were wearing the same funky hot pants with weird paisley designs on them.

daniels a new guy in class "daniel, stretch forward, like all the ladies around you, yes youre a man, and there's laides surrounding you, do it like the little girl infront of you"

I do Bikram Yoga at the Bikram Yoga School on La Cienega. For those of you who don't know, it's 26 postures done in a hot sauna room over 110 degrees, you do every posture 2x, except for the last one.

One of the regular instructors, Juan, is really something. He talks like a drill seargent, sort of with the tone of horse race annoucer or auction announcer who constantly speaks the dialogue, but manages to throw in comments and corrections about students in a seamless manner. With his thick Spanish accent, his jokes and sarcastic comments help make the class flow in an entertaining way,although many times he has offended people and caused them to leave class. He stands about 5'2" tall, on the podium to teach class, with his long hair and Little Speedo, his body is small and ripped.