The Bikram Yoga Dialogue — Straight From The Horse’s Mouth

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!

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Can Bikram Yoga Help With Jetlag?

December 1, 2015November 30, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yoga

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…

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Bikram Yoga Gratitude

November 24, 2015November 30, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

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!

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The Three Rules Of Meditation

November 17, 2015November 16, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Meditation Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

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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If You Can’t Take The Heat, Turn Down The Humidity

November 10, 2015November 6, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yoga

I like a hot Bikram Yoga class — the feel of the sweat on your skin, your pores opening to let out the toxins (kind of), and your muscles stretching farther than they would normally go. But the humidity – you can keep it. Maybe it is the changing of the seasons, but class has felt incredibly humid lately. This is good news for the overzealous ladies who set up in the hottest corner of the room and blast the humidifiers into their face throughout class, but not for me. I like a more modestly humid class, so I can focus on the postures and my meditation instead of simply trying to breathe.