One-third Complete!

So from what I'm told day 10 is the hump you have to get over doing a thirty day challenge, so that's either today (since it's ten classes) or tomorrow will be ten days, so we'll see which class is harder...

When I first started doing Bikram Yoga last winter I did some reading about the it's history and found a very interesting tidbit of information that I related very personally to. At the age of thirteen, Bikram won the National India Yoga Championship and was undefeated for the following three years retiring as the undisputed All-India National Yoga Champion. But here is the interesting part:

At seventeen, an injury to his knee during a weight-lifting accident brought the prediction from leading European doctors that he would never walk again. Not accepting their pronouncement, he had himself carried back to Bishnu Ghosh's school [where he practiced yoga], for he knew that if anyone could help to heal his knee, it was his teacher. Six months later, his knee had totally recovered. Ghosh was a celebrated physical culturist and the first to scientifically document Yoga's ability to cure chronic physical ailments and heal the body.

Having broke both of my knees, this story is very encouraging. Obviously I can walk and I don't have pain in my knees all the time, but since breaking them walking down hill, deep knee bends, jumping down from things, etc. are always moments when I experience some sort of pain. I always thought that would just be life, but maybe not...

It's funny how simply changing your mind about something can change it in actuality as well. We all grow up being told that sitting down on the floor with your knees out to the side is bad for you, but according to this style of yoga a pose like Fixed Firm Pose is one of the most healing postures for knees...interesting.