"Welcome on board"

First week of training basically meant getting on board of this 9 week yoga journey.
Now as wonderful and luxureous the hotel and it's surroundings may be, "getting on board" in this context equals dropping all your inconvenient and energy-absorbing luggage; such as tears, vomit and diarrea... It was a tough week for most of the people. And as you can see in the selfportret below; it's not avacation !

We became to meet Bikram a bit during the yogaclasses and posture clinics, (everyone had to diliver the first half-moon posture in front of him and 300 others)
In class he's a true yogamaster, sending energy out to 300 people at bulletspeed with such a strong intention you think he's talking to you personally, add with that the enery from the rest of the yogi's and you have a very tough class, which took most people some days to get ajusted to.
During the posture clinics, he shows more of himself as a storyteller, guru, wise man, funny man, entertainer, he can be uniquely funny and quite upset at the same time, a moment later he gives so much love through beautiful singing to an insecure person, like a hurricane always telling you the truth, non sugar-coated.
Also he knows quite alot of people; "Last 100 years who entertained the world?, Hollywood, Guess who entertains Hollywood? Bikram!" - Although this is a known fact i was still surprised to hear he spend some time with Elvis Presley in this very hotel we're staying in, guru of George Harrison, thought yoga to president Nixon etc etc. The stories are endless.

On wednesday it was my turn to diliver the dialog. After i had finished he made me do it again, together with this really expressive girl from New York, making a duet; At the end this didn't work out that well but was quite funny to watch for others. He especially told the girl not marry cause she coulnd't listen...

Below some pictures from the place where i'm staying, it really is a paradise, temperature is of a degree to wear a thin shirt day and night. "The hotel is so luxureous, when you shit your pants at night they come and clean it up while you're sleeping, so you wouldn't notice"
In the morning from 10.00 till 12.00 there's free buffet which has everything you could want for on it, including unlimited fruit/vegetable juice acces. Although Bikram repeatedly states the BEST food to be NO food, for now i've chosen to go by more with what Craig is saying; "Eat twice as much as you think you can eat", I might even gain some weight these two months ;D

So unfortunately this is only supposed to be the introduction week, next week Emmy (Bikram's most senior teacher, 82 years old) will be here killing us, plus the heater is going to go up...
For now Bikam said, he's in a good mood and is being easy on us, i guess we'll find out next week.
Monday the train starts rolling again, alarm at 7.30, class at 8.30, lunch from 10.00 till 12.00, lecture, posture clinics from 12.30 to 16.00, 17.00 class, 21.00 lecture up till, whenever Bikram feels like; 12.00/1.00/2.00 - monday till friday, one class on saterday and we're off for the weekend to enjoy ourselves here, which is no poblem !
I've met a lot new people which, they tell us, are going to be my new international yogafamily-friends, really nice all that except for the fact that most people can't pronounce my name that well, Shud? Steward? Then i tell them Sure with D in the end, o Steward with SJ instead of ST, x 300.


Kasper sipping his water