seriously, you need to click on the picture so you can really appreciate the moment in time that has been captured here. look at his hand, skimming the water, look at the drops of spray above the wave. i can’t believe i waited this long to share this one with you!

guess what? i practised bikram yoga every day in 2009! i took a sunday off in 2008, so two years of daily bikram yoga won’t be until later the middle of january. i ended 2009 with the 4 and 6 pm double. what else am i gonna do on new year’s eve? we had so many teachers practising at the 4. the girls were all giggly like they were in grease, which made it extra fun. it was a crowded house and kris was about to start class but couldn’t find the first-timer. i don’t know which one of them said it, but i heard, “great, the person who’s here for the first time isn’t here for class. and he’s behind the pole where he can’t see himself.” the whole class started laughing and then we calmed down and waited. i don’t know what he was doing, but as soon as he walked in, a few of the girls started giggling and then it was a chain reaction. oh well, that’s what you get for walking in late, ha ha. oh, they din’t let him practise behind the pole, though, they’re not mean or anything.

i was surprised at how many first-timers were in the room for the 4 pm on new year’s eve. there was even one first-timer for the 6. she was cute too, hee hee. so, in honour of all the new year’s resolution crowd, may i present

beginner’s advice to bikram yoga pt. 1
don’t expect to do anything that the person in front of you is doing. it’s like riding a surfboard. you can’t go out and rule the waves on your first day out, don’t expect to be in that beautiful standing bow your first day in the room. relax, don’t worry, just do what your body will allow. your first day in the room, concentrate on the instructions, take them one step at a time, don’t go further than your body will allow and be comfortable with that. it’s okay, no one else is judging you.

happy new year heartbreakers, thanks for being my sounding board, listening to my rants, super thanks for all the encouragement, when you order a tank top, it makes my heart soar and believe that these designs *will* someday take off and truely be global. i hope to see you tomorrow ~ namaste, m

please be advised that if i give you a tank top, i might take your picture! all my teachers are my favorites, but leah teaches a particularly great class. her pace and voice make her very popular with, not only me but, everyone at the studio. she’s also one of my biggest supporters and not just because she wore this tank top while she taught class today. she pushes my practise just like the baker does, not just with corrections in class, but afterwards with encouragement to go farther than i normally go. seriously heartbreakers, she’s had a big influence on my practise. while i have your attention, what do you think of the pink tank top, is it a good colour? if you have an opinion, lemme know.

are you ready for the holiday/new year’s resolution crowds at your yoga studio? i think it’s already started at our studio. for the second day in a row, i was next to a first timer who huffed and puffed his way through class. today wasn’t as bad as yesterday. wow, i was behind this guy for the seperate leg part of the standing series (we turn to the side for these). after every one of them, he dropped his stare to the ground so hard, you could have easily rested a book on the back of his neck, it was parallel to the ground. that guy really needs bikram yoga in his life to help him with his posture. oh man, i am so grateful to be fixing my body with bikram right now. the opening up and realignment aren’t usually comfortable or fun, but i can see it’s working and i’m feeling better everyday. alright heartbreakers, that’s enough for today ~m

i luv the way neon photographs. definitely click to see the larger, uncropped version. this was just before christmas, pizza & pasta with the family!

today is my favorite teacher’s birthday. one of her facebook friends wrote that she is a big part of what makes his life so great. i think we all feel that way about her. it’s not an exaggeration to say that she has shaped my bikram yoga practise into what it is today. her guidance hasn’t been limited to correcting my poses, she works on my bad habits too. i remember one time she asked during the dialogue “what part of the pose includes cracking your toes?” then there was the time she kicked over my water bottle. she gave me a fake “oops” look as it emptied out. that was her way of telling me i was drinking too much water during class. i know some people wouldn’t respond well to this kind of treatment, but i also know she only wants the best for me. happy birthday baker, i don’t care what they say about you, i think you’re awesome!

class was so crowded i had to practise behind a pole! actually, i think i was in that same spot last week. i don’t mind the lack of mirror. when i was video workout boy, i never had a mirror to look at myself in, i just looked at the flat screen. after 715 days in a row, my body awareness makes me feel like i can see myself anyway. like in ardha-chandrasana, i don’t need the mirror to tell me when my hips get out of alignment, i feel it right away! okay heartbreakers, see you tomorrow ~m

p.s. elijah wood was on conan last week. the sweater he wore looks a lot like the sweater cheech marin wore in a 1973 interview. look at these screenshots and decide for yourself.

this guy gets more brazen everyday. on my way to bikram, i got off my bike and tried getting a picture to no avail. after bikram, i decided to not stop but still try for a picture. i was in complete motion when i took this! if you click and look at the bigger version, you can see some panning distortion, but for the most part, i think it came out pretty clear. you can see the san lorenzo river through the trees. yes, a lot of my bike ride is scenic!

the holidays present an interesting time for those of us who don’t eat along the (main)stream path. one of my followers tweeted “do they have to make the string beans with meat?” yes virginia, santa claus is a carnivore. my sister served peas with more bacon than a blt! speaking of swine, god forgive the people who raised our christmas ham. oh man, i’ve done at least 2 sets of pavanamuktasana everyday for 714 days straight and i still had problems digesting that meat. it was rough going down and it stay inside for all that long. i think my body absorbed all the nutrients and said, “let’s get the rest of this stuff outta here.”

on a related note, i bought a conventionally grown apple for the first time in i don’t know how long. apples usually give me gas, but this was nothing like i’d ever experienced. amazingly loud belches and farts that would have made barney and cartman proud. i have the same problem with organic apples, but nowhere near as violent. i hope this is the reminder you need to see food, inc. see you tomorrow ~m

i took this the night i saw lee perry. i locked my bike in front of the club and walked down pacific avenue. it was sprinkling lightly, but you can’t tell. the del mar is in between the yoga studio and new leaf, the market i buy kombucha at. it was pretty sweet that the show was early enough so i could walk down the street, take some pictures and buy some kombucha to drink before the show. plus i love neon iphoneography pictures. definitely click to see the larger version!

i don’t get out much at night, so a picture like this is kinda unique to me. i don’t go out for a lot of reasons, but, the main reason is that i need to get my sleep so i can practise bikram in the morning. it’s one thing to go everyday, but i don’t wanna go through the motions, i try and give it my all in every posture. you wanna put as much intensity in your practise as you can. not so much that you burn out, but enough so that you’re not cheating yourself. when you slack off in class, you’re losing out on the benefits that you expect because you showed up. see you tomorrow ~m

self-portrait, christmas morning, 2009. doing no-handed donuts in the cemetery parking lot.

i was pretty disappointed with the lakers loss last night. as a fan, you can prepare for the game all you want, yell at the top of your lungs, but it really doesn’t matter. kind of like this, i can write whatever i want, but you’re still gonna eat mcdonalds, drink starbucks, wear lululemon, binge, fast, whatever.

i would like to let go of all my attachments. that way, whatever you do doesn’t bother me. it sounds cold, but isn’t that the goal in life, to have no attachments and be free of all worry?

when i was 18 or 19, i bought a book of poetry by an 8th century zen buddhist. it’s the only book of poetry i’ve ever owned. for some reason, han shan’s poems have always spoken volumes to me. last night my mom gave me a new copy, to replace my moldy original. han shan called his home cold mountain and now his poems seem to speak for me.

“i think of all the places i’ve been,
chasing about from one famous spot to another.
delighting in mountains, i scaled the mile high peaks;
loving the water, i sailed a thousand rivers.
i held farewell parties with my friends in lute valley,
i brought my zither and played on parrot shoals.
who would guess i would end up under a pine tree,
clasping my knees in the whispering cold?”

the room was filled with candles ~ in between two of my favorites ~ have a great day today whatever you celebrate ~m