I enjoy practicing at different Bikram yoga studios, because while the basic premise is the same, there are always one or two unique features at each studio that help me in my practice. But one thing I find confusing is the way that different studios handle the three postures following the balancing series (Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose, Triangle Pose and Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose). I have experienced three different methods.
Today I went to my Bikram yoga studio for class, but the teacher could not speak. She had lost her voice and planned to do a silent class. I had never done a silent class before, so I was pleased. But then two new students arrived. A silent class would not work for them. Thinking on her feet, the teacher decided to play a recording of the Bikram dialogue on her phone and use that to guide the class.
As the teacher left the room to prepare the recording, a lively discussion ensued among the regular practitioners. Had anyone heard the recorded Bikram dialogue before? A few people had. Would the class still be 90 minutes? Yes. Should we just come back tomorrow? No. We all decided to stay and look upon this hiccup as an added distraction to overcome in our practice that day. I can only imagine what the new students were thinking!
Every Thanksgiving, we travel from NYC to visit my husband’s family in California. It is a lot of fun, bustling with cousins, good food, and festivity, but it is also a long trip for a relatively short period of time. It is amazing to think that I have been doing this for twelve years (since my daughter was born), but each year the three-hour time change has gotten a little harder for me to stomach. Getting older is no fun…
Thanksgiving is always a good time to take a step back and remember how fortunate you really are. It is a time for fun and family, but also reflection and gratitude. As the holiday approaches here in the United States, I find myself increasingly grateful for my Bikram Yoga practice, the release and peace it gives me, and the numerous health and mental benefits it provides. Thank you all for reading and for sharing your experiences with me! Happy Thanksgiving!
I found meditation at a Japanese Buddhist Zen center in Crestone Colorado during a one-week yoga retreat. I had struggled with incorporating meditation into my daily life for several months, but for some reason, this retreat broke through. Maybe it was because the procedures were laid out so clearly up front. Since many of the attendees were new to meditation, the head monk gave a short talk on meditation the first night. He demonstrated how to sit, how to hold your hands and gave us three simple rules to follow.
1. Don’t move.
2. Don’t scratch.
3. Don’t invite your thoughts to tea.
Simple right? Not so much. Each rule, while simple in and of itself, encompasses an entire philosophy. Brilliant.
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