Where the Eyes Go, the Body Follows
/
In Bikram, we all know: you must first envision yourself successfully breathing and relaxing into the posture before you can complete it. In poses like bow, above, you must use your eyes to direct your progress. Photo via Like the Jetson's Flickr.
It's not too often in life that we find something we're super passionate about that also acts as medicine for our own bodies, minds and spirits. But today I realized that's what I've found in Bikram yoga. That's my Bikram.
I walked into the studio about five minutes before class -- way later than I'm used to showing up -- all out of breath, nervous-excited, and pumped for class. As I get to the front desk to sign in, there's Stuart, the awesome studio director who runs BYE, shirtless and grinning ear to ear as he greets me with a warm, "Hey you're back! Congrats!"
I nod, elated as I scribble down my name, grab a towel and mat to borrow, stuff my shoes in a cubby and race off to the bathroom to change. I'm trying to hurry and still be polite, but man I'm itching to get in there!
As a side note: today was my first class wearing bathing suit bottoms instead of shorts, and man it was the right choice! At first I felt a tad embarrassed to be bearing so much skin, but then I quickly noted how it was a chance to show off my Minnesota-sun tan and a body I'm becoming more and more proud of even though it's certainly not super-model size. Plus, I was seriously sweating today since I haven't been in the Hot Box for a few weeks, so having less clothing in the way of my practice was definitely a blessing. Less to wash later, too!
Anyway, wardrobe choices aside, the yoga was fantastic today. For awhile I kept imagining that the first class back would end up an utter hot mess -- my mind and body all over the place and experiencing uber-suffering-- but this was not the case at all! I think it was a combination of the relief of being in the heat and finally getting to stretch out my body the way it now craves, plus the fact that several friends who I adore and whose practices I admire greatly were surrounding my spot in the room.
The yoga was, hands-down, a gift today. We often forget this, but Bikram always is a gift we give ourselves.
There's nothing better than having a class where you can smile at those around you, deepening your practice and your sense of compassion along the way. Laughing when you fall out, and being proud when you have the guts to get back into a posture that's kicking your ass. Pushing through a posture because you realize if you can, you must and you'd like to take baby steps without being a baby. Plus, Stu has the greatest attitude and the best jokes in class. There were seriously several moments where I wished I had a pen and paper so I could note down what he had said word for word.
Note to self: at Teacher Training, that will be a must! As I read on a friend's Twitter page recently, planning to bring leather-bound notebooks that will withstand the heat and sweat sounds like the way to go...
But back to class:my 90-minute bliss party in 105-degree, 40% humidity madness today. I'm smiling just thinking about the wonder of the quiet as I first entered the room, anxious to warm up in the remaining two minutes I had before we began pranayama. And all the postures that followed. Several times I seriously found myself thinking I wish we could do another set of that -- it feels great, and I need it!
Right from the start of class, my body breathed a sigh of relief at being back in the "best weather ever," as my teachers call it. I rolled my neck in slow circles, feeling the release of tension and constant pressure -- the excitement and buildup of the last few weeks leading up to the wedding finally rolling away as I erased the pain of sleeping without my good pillow, or planning too late into the night with tense muscles.
I was so grateful even in the five seconds I first entered the room, when I realized what a complete blessing it is that we practice in such stillness. The calm and silence soothed me in a way I've never quite experienced before, as if it were satisfying a longing so deep and so natural to me since I began Bikram that it's now something I require for peace of mind. Mid-way through class, Stuart asked us all to listen for a second and check in with our breathing, and the room went still again. You could hear some labored air moving in and out through yogis' bodies, but for the most part the room froze, as if suspended in space and time.
It was, in a word, beautiful. Serenity unleashed. 100% relaxation earned by 100% exertion. So, so wonderful to return to! And it's been there all along, but it felt so new, revitalizing and refreshing today.
More than that, I really felt myself cultivating a deep meditation throughout the 26 asanas. Hitting that first savasana on the floor was like combining several deep-tissue massages with a bubble bath, picnic in an open field, and nap in the afternoon sun. I mean, bliss, baby!
It rocked.
Toe stand set #2 felt fantastic, too -- every time I can manage the balance and focus required to nail that posture, I just feel on top of the world. In a very focused, relaxed, relieved sort of way. It's as though there is nothing else in the world -- much less the room-- than your flexing toes, your softened breath, your downward gaze. Everything else just shuts up and floats away. And that's exactly the point.
I am so inspired, now more than ever, to move forward with finding a way to Teacher Training next spring. This yoga is a gift that should be shared, and that it would be an honor to help others give themselves!
If you are reading this and have thoughts, insights or opinions on the road to Bikram's Torture Chamber (the real deal!), please do share your thoughts below. I will be posting a lot about it in the upcoming days and weeks, and I'd love to build some yogi community into this discussion and journey. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I love hearing the many voices of the loving community that's out there continuing the yoga legacy in the world.
I'll be meeting with Stuart this week to discuss his thoughts on getting there and on owning a studio, plus I may grab coffee with another one of the instructors soon as well. She's my favorite teacher, so it will be a lot of fun hearing from her and getting amped up about her experience as well. Both of them are such genuinely amazing people -- as are so many of my fellow yogis at the home studio, like the lady I met today (and have seen for weeks before) who's been coming for nine years. Nine years! Now that's dedication. We chatted (and laughed) over the reality of becoming addicted to the postures, and the way they overhaul your body's ability to process water, digest food, and move comfortably especially for those of us with spine issues that crop up here and there.
It's so true, what I tweeted earlier this week and which many of my followers immediately responded to:
I walked into the studio about five minutes before class -- way later than I'm used to showing up -- all out of breath, nervous-excited, and pumped for class. As I get to the front desk to sign in, there's Stuart, the awesome studio director who runs BYE, shirtless and grinning ear to ear as he greets me with a warm, "Hey you're back! Congrats!"
I nod, elated as I scribble down my name, grab a towel and mat to borrow, stuff my shoes in a cubby and race off to the bathroom to change. I'm trying to hurry and still be polite, but man I'm itching to get in there!
As a side note: today was my first class wearing bathing suit bottoms instead of shorts, and man it was the right choice! At first I felt a tad embarrassed to be bearing so much skin, but then I quickly noted how it was a chance to show off my Minnesota-sun tan and a body I'm becoming more and more proud of even though it's certainly not super-model size. Plus, I was seriously sweating today since I haven't been in the Hot Box for a few weeks, so having less clothing in the way of my practice was definitely a blessing. Less to wash later, too!
Anyway, wardrobe choices aside, the yoga was fantastic today. For awhile I kept imagining that the first class back would end up an utter hot mess -- my mind and body all over the place and experiencing uber-suffering-- but this was not the case at all! I think it was a combination of the relief of being in the heat and finally getting to stretch out my body the way it now craves, plus the fact that several friends who I adore and whose practices I admire greatly were surrounding my spot in the room.
The yoga was, hands-down, a gift today. We often forget this, but Bikram always is a gift we give ourselves.
There's nothing better than having a class where you can smile at those around you, deepening your practice and your sense of compassion along the way. Laughing when you fall out, and being proud when you have the guts to get back into a posture that's kicking your ass. Pushing through a posture because you realize if you can, you must and you'd like to take baby steps without being a baby. Plus, Stu has the greatest attitude and the best jokes in class. There were seriously several moments where I wished I had a pen and paper so I could note down what he had said word for word.
Note to self: at Teacher Training, that will be a must! As I read on a friend's Twitter page recently, planning to bring leather-bound notebooks that will withstand the heat and sweat sounds like the way to go...
But back to class:my 90-minute bliss party in 105-degree, 40% humidity madness today. I'm smiling just thinking about the wonder of the quiet as I first entered the room, anxious to warm up in the remaining two minutes I had before we began pranayama. And all the postures that followed. Several times I seriously found myself thinking I wish we could do another set of that -- it feels great, and I need it!
Right from the start of class, my body breathed a sigh of relief at being back in the "best weather ever," as my teachers call it. I rolled my neck in slow circles, feeling the release of tension and constant pressure -- the excitement and buildup of the last few weeks leading up to the wedding finally rolling away as I erased the pain of sleeping without my good pillow, or planning too late into the night with tense muscles.
I was so grateful even in the five seconds I first entered the room, when I realized what a complete blessing it is that we practice in such stillness. The calm and silence soothed me in a way I've never quite experienced before, as if it were satisfying a longing so deep and so natural to me since I began Bikram that it's now something I require for peace of mind. Mid-way through class, Stuart asked us all to listen for a second and check in with our breathing, and the room went still again. You could hear some labored air moving in and out through yogis' bodies, but for the most part the room froze, as if suspended in space and time.
It was, in a word, beautiful. Serenity unleashed. 100% relaxation earned by 100% exertion. So, so wonderful to return to! And it's been there all along, but it felt so new, revitalizing and refreshing today.
More than that, I really felt myself cultivating a deep meditation throughout the 26 asanas. Hitting that first savasana on the floor was like combining several deep-tissue massages with a bubble bath, picnic in an open field, and nap in the afternoon sun. I mean, bliss, baby!
It rocked.
Toe stand set #2 felt fantastic, too -- every time I can manage the balance and focus required to nail that posture, I just feel on top of the world. In a very focused, relaxed, relieved sort of way. It's as though there is nothing else in the world -- much less the room-- than your flexing toes, your softened breath, your downward gaze. Everything else just shuts up and floats away. And that's exactly the point.
I am so inspired, now more than ever, to move forward with finding a way to Teacher Training next spring. This yoga is a gift that should be shared, and that it would be an honor to help others give themselves!
If you are reading this and have thoughts, insights or opinions on the road to Bikram's Torture Chamber (the real deal!), please do share your thoughts below. I will be posting a lot about it in the upcoming days and weeks, and I'd love to build some yogi community into this discussion and journey. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I love hearing the many voices of the loving community that's out there continuing the yoga legacy in the world.
I'll be meeting with Stuart this week to discuss his thoughts on getting there and on owning a studio, plus I may grab coffee with another one of the instructors soon as well. She's my favorite teacher, so it will be a lot of fun hearing from her and getting amped up about her experience as well. Both of them are such genuinely amazing people -- as are so many of my fellow yogis at the home studio, like the lady I met today (and have seen for weeks before) who's been coming for nine years. Nine years! Now that's dedication. We chatted (and laughed) over the reality of becoming addicted to the postures, and the way they overhaul your body's ability to process water, digest food, and move comfortably especially for those of us with spine issues that crop up here and there.
It's so true, what I tweeted earlier this week and which many of my followers immediately responded to:
Bikram yoga is slow medicine, but it is the best medicine.
What you don't realize until you've fallen head over heels in love with your practice is that it's the best medicine not only for your body, but also your mind which tends toward madness, and your spirit which loses heart more than many of us can handle.
Bikram has changed my life. I'm hooked. I'm in it for the long haul, and in love with where I'm headed.
Bikram has changed my life. I'm hooked. I'm in it for the long haul, and in love with where I'm headed.
Mind over matter is what makes a champion, especially when the heat is on.
