I feel better now than I have at any time in my adult life. As my body has gone through changes, I've enjoyed seeing what I am capable of. I am much stronger than I ever suspected. Within this new strength, I like seeing what different parts of my body can do. I anjoy the feeling of exhaustion the little aches and pains that go along with a consistent Bikram practice. The little pains remind me that I need to continue my practice and that my body still has the capacity to become even more powerful. I'm excited to see what comes next!

Physically, my body has changed all over. Although I haven't lost any weight, my body looks very different. My body looks more toned, I have muscle definition where I thought I it was gone forever (you know: the back of your upper arms...). I thought that my body was just beginning to settle because I was now in my mid 30's. What I learned is that my body was settling because it wasn't being moved, stretched and used in a powerful way.
The most dramatic change has been in my energy level. I've never been a very high-energy person. I'd rather read a book than exercise, but Bikram Yoga has increased my overall energy level. I actually feel like I require less sleep. Maybe my sleep patterns have changed so now I sleep more "efficiently" or maybe there's some sort of change in my body chemistry that increased my energy. I don't really know what it is, but whatever it is, I'm sticking with it.

My favorite posture changes from week to week and from day to day. Since my body seems to go through so many phases and changes, my favorite posture one day may be the most challenging for me the next.
Long-term, I like Standing Bow Pulling pose. People think that I'm crazy because it's very difficult to maintain balance and also stretch while bending over on one leg. But, that's part of why I like it. I like that it takes conscious determination and thought to keep my body in the right place for that balance to come from the strength in my leg. I can both see and feel that the tinyest (?) shift in any part of my body can throw me off balance, so every movement must be made slowly while paying attention to what effect that movement has on the rest of my body. It's a nice, long posture... plenty of time to have to face what my body is doing.