Surviving Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Las Vegas 101

Or so I hope it is a thorough and complete guide to helping you survive 9 weeks of Hell Yoga Bootcamp.

Sustenance

There will be shuttles that head out to Trader Joe’s /Smith’s [which is kinda like a huge ass supermarket - for non US citizens] to do your shopping. Shuttles arrive every 30-40 [or hourly...] minutes depending on traffic and how many ‘bus drivers’ there are.

Or, you could share a cab and head out to said stores [around US$17-20 total, best to share it with 4 other people in a cab].

As of writing, no shuttles headed out to Whole Foods [a type of fancy-nancy organic superstore].

Laundry

Ah, is that the rank of sweaty yoga wear I smell? Fret not! There are a few ways you can combat the EVILS of mould growing in your yoga gear! [eww!]

Actually, just 2.

- Handwash in the sink of Las Vegas Hilton after every class. This was what I did. As there were NO balconies / open windows to dry it out on [apparently this is to prevent people jumping out of the rooms and suiciding / what have you nots]. But perfectly fine, as the air in Vegas is DRY DRY DRY and your togs [depending on the type of material] will try out pretty fast [a day / 2]

- Rinse them out [get rid of the stink] and save them all for laundry day during the weekend. Shuttles do head over to the laundromat, which costs around US$1.75 [in quarters only] to wash [not including the cost of washing detergent] and around US$0.50 to dry. As I am such a lazy person, I decided against hand washing all my clothes in the tub to dry in the room, but it’s a totally fine option to save $ !

Diet

I am just going to say this very simply without stepping on tails and toes. Eat. What. You. Crave.

The Human Body [capitalised for a reason!] is a VERY VERY SMART too – it KNOWS what it needs! If you’re craving potato chips – GO FOR IT.

A huge cheeseburger? EAT IT.

Warm, deliciously sinful platter of butter prawns Malaysian style? [ME!] GET IT. [I couldn't though - there was NO WHERE in Vegas that had Butter Prawns like Siu Siu ]

Eating In

Here was a sample of my diet for 9 weeks at Las Vegas.

Loaf of bread [to make sandwiches] – US$1.99 – US$2.49 [Trader Joe's]

Luncheon meat [ham, turkey, tofurkey...] – US$3.49 up [Trader Joe's]

Salad [I particularly liked Arugula and some spiced mix that was US$1.99] – US$1.99 upwards [Trader Joe's]

Carton of Soup – US$2.49 up [Trader Joe's in-house brand. LOVED Spicy Sweet Corn - the one in the olive green packaging]. If you prefer, you may head over to Smith’s to get Campbell’s Soup but I found it too… artificial / salty to my liking.

Bag of Chips – US$2.99 up. Yes, I once ate a whole bag of Doritos as a midnight snack. What, don’t judge me, I was at training!

Fruits – Apples, Oranges, Lemons [VERY IMPORTANT] range from anywhere between US2.99 up. Then again, maybe you like fruits such peaches [which I do love but couldn't afford ] which will of course, be priced differently.

Butter – Don’t tell anyone, but you know those room service carts? Yeah, I, er, took butter from it AFTER the people who’ve ordered the service are done with it. Figured I won’t have use for a whole block of butter, and it’s all going to waste anyway. So why the heck not?

I am so sick of bread and sandwich ham, I have yet to touch any of those 6 weeks after teacher training.

Eating Out

I’ll be honest here. Dreadfully honest. Hate me / call me silly, but this is for your own good.

The food at Hilton really isn’t all that great, unless you’re prepared to fork out US$40 UP at TJ’s Steakhouse [which ... is... so-so, but a luxury on your tongue/ oral senses after eating cold sandwiches for the whole. damn. week].

Cheap food can be obtained at Paradise Cafe, though unfortunately the service is slow, the food either too salty / oily / fried / processed [even the SALADS! I can taste the PROCESS in it!]. At Fall 09 Training though, they offered a Vegan menu which was… uh… ah… *shuffles feet. Crap.

Benihana / Teru Sushi [located next to Benihana] has lovely Japanese food, but on the ‘kind-of expensive’ side. However it’s a lovely treat!

Garden of the Dragon hosts American Chinese food, not the type of Chinese food I was used to. Spicy Singaporean noodles ended up being noodles overly doused in curry powder [ewww] and a savoury pork dish I ordered ended up being sweet. Again, maybe I’m not used to Americanised Chinese food [which I found to be either too oily, too sweet, or just plain WTF].

Buffet – YES. No visit to Viva Las Vegas is complete without a visit to a buffet. Buffet at Hilton is open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Prices change according to the mealtimes [breakfast is around US$17/8 inclusive of tax while Dinner is US$19.49 inclusive of tax]. I’m not a big fan of the Hilton Buffet, but they do have some pretty awesome spreads on display

Part 1 complete! Next will be for International visitors – what sort of phone plan to get, travelling to the States, things to bring [who fits a blender into the suitcase from Asia? Certainly not me!]…

Toodle loo!

M*

p.s : I have resumed blogging on my other site, just so my 3 avid readers will know