Sweating it out at Bikram

After dabbling with yoga as a university student, I took it up properly (ie every week) in 2002. I started doing ashtanga yoga and loved it from the start. Round about the same time, Bikram yoga was becoming popular in London and as I read more about this hot, sweaty yoga, I decided to give it a go. I think I went 3 or 4 times altogether. I would have liked to have done more but the only Bikram studios at the time were in north or west London and going after work, doing an hour and a half class and then getting showered and changed and back down to deepest, darkest south London soon put me off.

A little while ago, someone mentioned that there was a Bikram studio in Ibiza town. A quick search on Google (what would we do without Google now? I think I've lost the ability of tracking down information without it!) located the studio and I went earlier this week. My Spanish teacher Moly also goes to the studio and so we both rocked up to the class on Tuesday afternoon. I was somewhat unprepared as I'd forgotten how much you sweat and didn't bring a small towel with me, nor my yoga mat but at least I remembered to bring a bottle of water. As we waited for the class to begin, Moly said to me in Spanish "get ready to suffer" - I started to feel a bit nervous....

The teacher is a lovely French guy. When I signed in, he said the class is conducted in Spanish and I said "yes, that's fine" because by now I can converse quite well in the language. However, doing a yoga class where all the instructions are in Spanish is something else, particularly as I haven't learnt the parts of the body so half the time didn't know what he saying. So I did what I always do in this situation - identify the person who looks most advanced and I can see clearly without turning my head round too much and copy everything they do. If it'd been an ashtanga class conducted in Spanish, I probably would have been fine as I know the sequence fairly well and could just roll with it. Anyway, I didn't have to copy the others for too long as Sebastian (the teacher) very kindly started conducting the class in English as well as Spanish for the benefit of me.

The room was about 42 or 43 degrees. I don't think I've ever been in a room this hot and I started sweating even before the class had started. After a little while, I found myself getting dizzy - not helpful when you're doing a balancing pose and you keep wobbling and toppling over. The dizziness got so bad that I spent a large chunk of the middle of the class lying down but better that than passing out on my mat. When I did manage to get involved with the class again, I was so sweaty and slippery that it did get in the way a bit. Anyway, finally we got to the relaxation bit at the end and I could lay down and have a long rest, listening to some Oriental music. The music confused me a bit and as my mind wandered and I thought of leaving the class and saying thank you to the teacher, the Japanese for "thank you" kept popping into my head instead of Spanish. This is what happens when you have four foreign languages under your belt but have never specialised as a linguist!

The day after the class I ached all over and it felt like I had a big knot in my left shoulder blade. I normally have a constant knot on the right side so it felt a little strange to have it on the other side as well. I was going to go again for another class (I've got a special deal where I've paid 20 euros and can go as many times as I want for a week) but decided to leave it as my ability to move in a fluid manner had been hampered slightly.

I went again today (Friday) and am planning to go again on Sunday and Monday. Today's class was better. It wasn't so hot in the room and I didn't get dizzy or have to keep lying down. Excellent - this must mean I'm making progress! I'd still get light-headed and at one point it was quite bad and I kept stumbling around but soon regained my composure. Bikram doesn't have the dynamic aspect of ashtanga (I think everyone would have a seizure if it did due to the heat) so it doesn't feel like the class is moving along that quickly. But before I knew it, we were at the end doing the relaxation and listening to the tinkling Oriental music.

I had a quick shower and got ready to leave. Although I wasn't surging with energy, I didn't feel tired. Nor did I feel hungry and this surprised me a little. I was anticipating a gnawing hunger after the class but it didn't happen. I still haven't fallen in love with this yoga yet but doing two more classes over the next three days may seal the deal. I have noticed one thing though - all that sweating has left my skin feeling really soft! It feels great!

I thought that....

....not working would have meant that I would be blogging every day. But as you can see, it's not happened. Time has been taken up with lots of Spanish (4 times a week), running, swimming, yoga, entertaining visiting friends, hanging out with island friends, looking after 3 cats and living in a gorgeous 5-bedroom villa while cat-sitting!

I'm 2 weeks away from moving back to London and feeling pretty excited about it! People here keep asking how I feel about moving back and yes, I'm excited! I'm looking forward to getting back and the start of the next adventure. It's my birthday weekend as soon as I get back so I've 3 days of running around seeing friends, celebrating my birthday and also doing a radio show on the Saturday morning where I'll be doing "A decade on the dancefloor" - just hope I can locate my records! I think they're in my parents' attic.

There is a sort of plan for when I move back. I want to write a novel so I've decided to spend the next year on that, working part-time so I've got time to research and write. At the moment, I'm trying to organise trips to Karachi, Dallas and Toronto so I can start the research process. More details on the novel in another post (I always promise to come back and write about things but I never do. However, this is one thing that I will be writing about!). I'm doing a creative writing course from the 20th April so all the travelling needs to be fitted in before then.

More on all of this later, now I've got to go and have an island lunch with a friend. The good-byes have started.....

A lot's happened...

I glanced over my last two posts and realised that I'd started both with "a lot's happened" and then I'd add in a framework of time. Although it was an accident to begin both this way, it pretty much sums up Ibiza - a lot seems to happen in a very short space of time. Things can go from one extreme to another in a matter of days, hours even. I wonder if this has something to do with the microclimate enjoyed by the island - a blistering hot day can turn into torrential downpours in the blink of an eye. My friends Ruby and Jenna have just been over to the island for a short visit. I last saw them three weeks ago when we all met for lunch in London. As we caught up on our respective three weeks, once again there was that realisation that we'd all lived about three months in three weeks, not one of us had a start to the year that could be described as "normal" - whatever normal may be.....

Yesterday as I read over my post from two weeks ago, there was that happy sensation that things had changed so much since that time. It had been written literally as soon as I'd had the weird conversation with A where he'd told me that there was no more work after the end of the week. It had been a pretty horrible atmosphere and after that conversation, I actually felt sick but had to carry on with my work as there was lots to do. I decided to move out of the villa as soon as possible as it would have been strange to carry on staying there once work had finished. I had nowhere to go but knew that things would work out as they were meant to work out. Towards the end of the week, things started to improve in terms of the atmosphere at work. The thing that really seemed to help is that since coming back from London, I'd been working alongside Y and she has a far calmer energy than A. We sat side by side and ploughed through stacks of work on the different websites. With A, one minute I'd be doing one thing, the next minute something else. There was lots of talk about the different things he wanted me to do but never the time to explain things so I could take over properly. Working with Y, I kept my head down and just got on with things.

On the Thursday, A told me he wasn't going to charge me for staying at the villa but by then, my friends George and Will had come to the rescue and helped me out. And to be honest, I thought it would probably be better if I went and stayed somewhere else for the last bit of my time in Ibiza. I know it's a hassle having to move again but I've come to the conclusion that Cala Carbo is like the Bermuda triangle, it's very easy to get sucked in and never leave again! The place is opposite Es Vedra, the third most magnetic place in the world. Es Vedra is like a huge majestic sculpture that looms out of the sea and it's true, you can feel the energy when you're in front of it. But to live right opposite it (as I was in the villa) can be too much energy that draws you in. I thought it better to escape while I could!

The next night, as I was rushing to finish my work and go and look at the beach house I was going to move into, A had an impromptu chat with me. It wasn't what I was expecting at all but I'm so glad we had that talk. Basically we had an honest, frank conversation about me leaving. We could both explain our positions from a calm, rational place and understand things from the other person's perspective - it was a proper grown-up conversation. At the end, we both said "I'm so glad we've had that conversation" as neither of us wanted things to end badly but I was prepared to make the break once I left as I really didn't think they wanted any more to do with me. From the place I'd been in a few days earlier, I never thought for a minute that the week would end the way it did, in a wonderful amazing manner! Now I know that I'll be leaving A and Y as friends and I will continue to be a part of their lives, as they will mine and this to me means an immense amount. The other thing was that when we discussed my trip to Marrakech and the long report I wrote, I didn't think anything I had written would be given much consideration. A told me that he was going to implement everything I had mentioned (apart from one point where we agreed to disagree) and this was another fantastic result as I didn't think I had made any difference. Now it seems that perhaps I did!

Very quickly

A lot's happened since my last post two weeks ago. I've moved into a lovely little beach house just by Cala Jondal and stopped working although there is still lots for me to do so I keep going back. Two weeks ago, I felt absolutely awful but that soon passed, things got a lot better and now things are great. I'm excited about the rest of my time in Ibiza, going round the island and spending time with people. I'm also really excited about going back to London. Things feel like they're falling into place, I know what I want to do when I go back. I had a bit of a realisation last week about why I came out here in the first place. There's lots to write about and I don't have time at the moment but I will come back in the next day or two and fill in the last two weeks.....

Oh dear......

A lot's happened since my post last week. I had the conversation with A that I was moving back to London at the end of February and I thought it had gone okay. But later that day, he said two things to me. First he'd like me to pay to stay at the villa and also he didn't know if he had enough work for me to keep me busy in February. I was welcome to stay at the villa til the end of February.

He said he wanted to have another meeting to make a plan about what work I could do until the end of January. We've just had that meeting and I was told there was no more work for me after this week. This is actually great as the atmosphere at work has been pretty dire recently and as I drove back to work after Spanish this morning, as I got closer I found myself thinking "I don't want to go there, it feels so horrible....". Also the island is looking absolutely gorgeous at the moment and I was actually looking forward to having a month off to actually enjoy the place. Now I can have an extra two weeks to enjoy the place! This aside, I still felt a bit sick after we had the conversation but at least I know it's temporary and it's already started to disappear....

Although I can stay at the villa until the end of February, I've decided to move out this weekend. As of yet I don't have anywhere to go but I know something will turn up. Staying at the villa would just feel weird and I'm not comfortable with it. So once again, I'm going to be on the move. I didn't actually unpack anything after I moved all my stuff out of the flat last week so all I really have to do is stick things in the van and drive them to wherever will be my final home (for the next six weeks!). And then it's back to London. My little Ibiza adventure is nearly over. For the time being......

I had the conversation

So, back to work this morning and as soon as I arrived, A trooped off to the bar to get coffees for us. When he came back, he slid the door shut and said he had a few things to talk about. "Maybe he's guessed..." I thought to myself. He had some news for me, possibly bad news. The owner of the flat where I was meant to return after the winter (according to the 2008 plans) had come to say he needed the flat back. I would have to move all my stuff out and find somewhere else to live by the end of March as I could live in the luxury villa til then.

Now this would normally have caused me all sorts of problems as it would have meant looking for somewhere to live once again. But that was in 2008 and now we're in 2009 and everything has changed. Well for me at least. I thought this was as good a time as any to announce my plans. So I told A that I was planning on returning to London. He looked thoroughly relieved. I think maybe he might have felt a little guilty getting me to move into the flat in the first place, only to find that I wouldn't have been able to live there long-term. And maybe they were starting to wonder what to do with me - recently I found myself becoming more and more of a secretary to Y. I don't mind looking over documents to check the English is word-perfect but being asked to type things up leaves me feeling a bit under-used. And under-whelmed. When I've taken the initiative to make things happen, generally they've got messed up, often in an embarrassing manner. So a bit of a stalemate really!

I didn't go into some long speech about things being chaotic and unprofessional, it didn't seem necessary. In my head I've already moved on to pastures new. I did say something about low pay and working six days a week and starting to wonder "so why am I doing this?" But ultimately I made it about me wanting to get on with my life and that's the truth. I've offered to carry on doing things with the British market once I'm back in London but only as a consultant - I'll help towards creating something successful if I'm rewarded properly.

If someone had made a fly-on-the-wall documentary about my adventure, I think it would have made quite good telly. I've experienced most emotions in my time here and my Spanish teacher said my life resembled a soap opera, amazing twists and turns every step of the way. Fantastic opportunities turned into disasters, the most heart-warming moments turned into heartbreak. But all in all it's been a brilliant adventure, a time to do something different, away from the hectic pace of city life. I've got two months left and I intend to make the absolute most of it!

The plan

It's my last night in London, back to Ibiza tomorrow afternoon. I'm anticipating a conversation on Wednesday that outlines my plans - I hope it goes well!

Seeing that I've got two months left on the island, I want to make the most of my time there. This involves getting around as much of the island as possible, with camera in hand. Obviously it also involves spending time with friends, squeezing time in wherever possible amongst my usual work six days a week.

As it's also the beginning of the year and a time for resolutions, here are a few things I'd like to get in place over the next two months, to have me ready for my return. Aside from the usual eat well and drink lots of water, I'm going to add in a 3-times a week swimming routine. I didn't do much yoga or meditation last year so I'd like to get that back in place - it's important, it makes a huge difference to your day to day life and is good for you. I'm going to find the Bikram studio in town and head off there once a week too. It's so easy to become a hermit in the evenings, straight home after work and not out again. But it's time to change that! I've also got about two months of supplements left for my kinesiology and I'd like to get that finished, even if it does mean taking the horse pills.

I'm feeling quite re-energised and looking forward to returning to London, refreshed and rested. I feel like I've got lots of energy and a part of me wonders how far I could run if I tried. And would I feel any different after doing some exercise? I ask this because once upon a time, even a short run would make the endomorphins fly around my body. I would get that buzz from the smallest bit of exercise. It was the same with tweaking my diet to make it more healthy. Just the sight of fruit and veg would increase my energy levels. Sadly, this hasn't been the case for a few years now. My body isn't able to turn nutrients into energy, I don't know why but this is the main reason that I'm seeing a kinesiologist. I really hope that this rest I've had is just what I needed and my body returns to previous energy levels.

As I slowly mention to friends about returning, conversations always turn to the doom and gloom of Britain. People having to reassess their lives and cut back wherever possible. And the thought that goes through my head is "hello, welcome to my world!" Ever since I was made redundant in October 2002 and embarked on the path of the freelance person, I've had to cut back on frivilous spending and unnecessary treats. That air of uncertainty, of not knowing what's around the corner, I've lived with that for over six years and you get used to it, even embrace it. It keeps you on your toes, the only security you have is to be the best you can be and always believe that even if things feel wobbly, that passes and something better will replace it. You need to keep your most positive head on at all times, no matter how difficult it might be, and go forwards, always go forwards!