Sometimes, I forget how to breathe. Does this ever happen to you? Most often, this happens when I am concentrating on my breathing, like during the opening Bikram breathing exercise. When it is at its worst, I sometimes have to take a quick in and out breath while I am waiting for others to finish exhaling. This is especially true when the teacher is a slow counter. Rarely do I lose my breath to that extent during the rest of class, although sometimes in camel, but that’s another story.
Every class, we enter the hot room as individuals, coming from our separate lives and unique experiences, and we leave the hot room as individuals, heading back out into our own place in the world, but while we are inside, we are a community, connected through our practice.
Each of us has our own story to tell. One woman always sets up in the back corner where it is warmest. She comes straight from work on the night shift. Another finishes up a work call on her cellphone before heading into the studio. Another puts her children on the school bus and dashes to class. I often walk past her on my way to the studio. One gentleman always comes in late, but settles in quietly. Someone is from England. Someone else is from China. And so it goes.
I love savasna! I mean, who doesn’t? To me, savasna is the dessert after the healthy meal. It is the whipped cream on the sundae, the icing on the cupcake, the cashmere in the sweater. Alright, enough already, but as you can see, I like it very much. And it is an incredibly important part of the yoga practice as well, as it provides the opportunity for the body to absorb the benefits of the prior postures. A win-win situation if I every saw one.
While I know savasna has a proper form, I often just lie there comfortably in relaxation. Well, that is not exactly true. I do keep my heels together and let my toes drift out to the side, and I do keep my arms extended next to my body with my palms facing up. Other than that, I just lie there in heaven. But how should we be breathing in savasna?
Is taking your spouse to Bikram yoga good for your marriage? I think so! I had been practicing for a little over 2 years when I first starting thinking about taking my husband to class. He was always complaining about his back hurting and his stress level and commenting on how I seemed much more relaxed and less achy since I started a regular Bikram yoga practice.
I had shown him some of the postures, especially when I first started, and he always laughed that he could never get his body to do any of them. I told him it didn’t matter, as long as he tried the right way, he would get 100% of the benefits. He chuckled at that, but I guess it got him thinking.
I got a very helpful adjustment in class today that made me think about my yoga practice and my life. “Keep moving your muscles throughout the entire posture,” the teacher said, “otherwise you are just putting your body into a shape.” My attention snapped back to class — I have to admit that my mind was wandering at that particular moment. But this got me thinking — had she simply caught me in a lazy moment or was my practice becoming routine? Was I just putting my body into shapes or was I practicing yoga? 
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