Should We Throw The Baby Out With the Bathwater?

Since the recent NYTimes article about Bikram Choudhury, my friends keep asking me, “Isn’t that the yoga that you do? Are you going to stop now because of what he did?” A fair question, so I have given it some thought. And what I have decided is to not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

People are innocent until proven guilty, however, there is so much smoke in this situation that there is likely to be fire; meaning Bikram, the man, probably did some pretty bad stuff. And I think that is disgusting and vile. But is this a reason to stop practicing the yoga that I love, the yoga that has changed my life for the better? It is a tough question.

Others may disagree, but what I have decided to do is to separate the man from his magic. I did check with my studio to make sure that Bikram does not receive any revenue through royalties, or what have you, so I feel ok there. But even if he did, I’m not sure that would stop me from going to class. I have never felt healthier or calmer or stronger in my life, and that is worth a lot. In fact, my most recent physical at the doctor proved the case – higher bone density, off the chart good cholesterol levels and all other blood work normal. It would be foolish to give that up.

If Bikram Choudhury did these horrible things, I hope he is severely punished and goes to jail. There is no excuse for his behavior, particularly given his role as a teacher. But I hope the Bikram Yoga series lives on forever.

Fellow yogis, is it ok to hate the man, but love his yoga?

Ch-Ch-Chilly in Bikram Class?!?

February 24, 2015February 26, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yoga

Today I was chilly in Bikram class. This never happens, right? Usually I am hot, or boiling or somewhere in between, but chilly, hardly ever. I hadn’t even worked up a sweat until the very end of the standing series. My mat was practically dry when I laid down on it for the floor series, and I drank hardly any water. I missed the heat. I wanted to sweat. So I worked harder, but still, a less than satisfying situation.

So what happened? I think it was a combination of the cold weather, the door to the studio being a little loose (which was letting in more air than usual), and the fact that the teacher forgot to put on the overhead heat until halfway through standing! That last one was the kiss of death.

At my studio there are a group of yogis who often complain about the room being cold. You know the type — they wear long sleeve shirts and fleeces over their bra tops and always move the humidifier so it blows only on them. They often confer with each other about the temperature before class starts and complain to the teacher during class that the room is too cold, even when it is not. I am NOT one of those yogis.

I don’t like when people complain about the temperature in the room — either too cold or too hot — because 1) someone’s “cold” is often someone else’s “I am going to pass out and die,” 2) it shouldn’t be about the temperature, it should be about the postures, and 3) I think we all need to toughen up a little bit — if you are cold, work your muscles harder and if you are hot, sit down and take a break.

It also never goes well. The teacher gets annoyed, makes a speech about him or her being in charge of the temperature and you being in charge of your meditation. And the teacher is probably right on that.

So, for all these reasons, I didn’t say anything when I noticed that the overhead heat was off. I tried to work harder to build up my own internal heat. I focused on what I could control rather than on what I couldn’t. But I have to admit, I was pretty happy when the teacher remembered and turned on the overhead heaters…

Fellow yogis, how do you handle temperature swings in the hot room?

When Is It Smart To Take A Sick Day From Class?

February 17, 2015February 13, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

Today I took the day off from class. I hate to do that, but I was fighting a cold, jet lag, a sore hip, and I couldn’t stop coughing! I needed the day to recover and rest so I could return to my practice strong and ready for action tomorrow. Let’s hope it works. I might have to wait another day or two with this cough… I guess it is that time of year.

I often waffle on whether or not to go to class when I am feeling under the weather. Obviously, if I have a fever or am contagious with something I don’t go, but what if I just feel a little bit sick. Will class help or hurt my prospects for a quick recovery? In my experience, it can go both ways.

Sometimes if I have a little bit of a head cold, the heat and the sweat just clean everything out and I have an almost miraculous recovery. Plus the compression postures help fire up my immune system, which has to help a little bit, right? I take the class a little easy and see how it goes. Usually I am happy I went.

But other times, going to class can be the kiss of death. My muscles are so sore I can’t really do the postures properly. I become dehydrated and weak, and my body just shuts down. I often spend those classes recovering on my mat. At least the heat usually feels good, but truthfully, I wish I was home in bed.

I have yet to find a full proof strategy, but maybe the difference is like the old saying — starve a fever, feed a cold. If it is just a cold, class will probably help, but if its something more severe, with aches and fever, it is best to stay home. For now, I usually just go with my gut. And this morning it was saying “Go back to bed!” So I did. Let’s hope tomorrow is a better day.

Fellow yogis, do you go to class when you are feeling under the weather?

Getting My Head on Straight

February 10, 2015February 13, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Postures, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yoga

After five years of practice, I recently learned that I do not have my head on straight. The teachers always say “where your eyes go, your body will follow,” but apparently for me, where the eyes go, the neck follows. I have been over extending my neck, craning it up to the ceiling, especially in the spine strengthening series, but also in the forward bend to Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose. No wonder my neck and shoulders hurt so much in these postures.

It is hard to explain, but this example may help. In Full Locust Post, when you raise your eyes to the sky to help guide your body higher, I was simply craning my neck up. Sure, I could see the ceiling because I was tilting my neck and my eyes came along for the ride. What I should have been doing was keeping my head straight while looking up with my eyes, and using my back strength to raise my body higher to better see the ceiling. Oops… I guess that is why they call it a practice.

This new awareness came out of my recent yoga retreat. I am sorry if you are sick of hearing about the retreat (my family definitely is!), but it has gotten me thinking about a lot of things. If you are not sick of hearing about it, you can read about it here and here. Anyway, I learned to get my head on straight at this retreat. It was not a Bikram retreat so the postures were different and one of the teacher’s favorite postures was called the forward fold. It is as simple as it sounds. You start from a standing position and fold your body forward from your hips while keeping your back straight. Your arms hang at your sides and glide down to touch the floor at the end. Well, simple or not, I was doing it wrong. My back was curved into a back bend rather than being straight and my neck was tilted up towards the sky.

As the retreat week went on, I learned to see my head as an extension of my spine, keeping it still and straight through the bend. I also learned to engage my abdominal muscles to better support my back and keep it straight too. This was a big change for me, although so obvious, now that I understand it.

I have been working to apply this new-found straightness to my Bikram postures this week, and it has made a big difference. My neck looks much more natural in the postures — not as tense, although I never really noticed the tension before. My spine strengthening series has also taken a turn for the better. I’m not sure why I get more height holding my head straight, but I do. It is also a lot less uncomfortable now that I am working the right muscles rather than just straining. My shoulders used to ache in these postures, but now they feel like they are opening up. I am very happy about that.

All of this has also helped me to get my head on straight in another way. I always believed that since Bikram yoga works all the muscle groups and systems in the body, it was all I needed to do for my yoga practice. But I now have a broader view. Mixing it up at the retreat helped me identify muscles I was underutilizing and highlighted a bad habit I had developed. I wouldn’t have seen this without the shift in perspective that came from trying a different form of yoga. I guess it is time to add some different styles into my yoga mix.

Fellow yogis, do you have your head on straight?

The Liebster Award – Hot Off the Mat!

February 5, 2015February 26, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Recommended Links/Blogs Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

I was recently nominated for a Liebster Award by both The Healthy Secret Identity and Yoga and Doughnuts! What an exciting week! Please check out their great blogs where they each share interesting ideas related to food, fun and their yoga practice, among other things. I really enjoy reading both blogs.

The Liebster award is a nomination given to bloggers by bloggers. The idea behind this award is to recognize new bloggers and help promote them! Thank you so much for the encouragement! My blog is only five months old, but it has become such an important part of my life. I appreciate the attention and support it is getting!

The Liebster Award Rules

Acknowledge and link back to the person who nominated you
Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you
Share 11 random facts about yourself
Nominate 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers.
Give your nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post about the Liebster Award.

The Healthy Secret Identity’s 11 questions:

Coffee or Tea? Hazelnut decaf black. Can’t get enough.
Cat or Dog? Cat
What is your favourite quote? Don’t yuck my yum. Everyone should get to enjoy what they like without criticism.
What is your go-to comfort food? Kind of a cliché, but chicken noodle soup.
What did you have for breakfast today? Scrambled eggs with zucchini.
What book are you currently reading? We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. It is a fun read.
Do you take your car to go to work or use public transport? NYC subway.
What was the last blog that you followed? Hot Room Confessions
What is your favourite flower? Pansies – they signal spring.
What is your favourite season? No question, summer.
When is your birthday? January 30 – the day Andrea nominated me for this award! Happy Birthday to me!

Yoga and Doughnuts’ 11 questions:

What made you want to start blogging? I loved my Bikram yoga practice so much and felt that I wanted to share it with others. It has been so much fun meeting fellow yogis through the blog.
What to do you love about blogging? Anything you hate? I really enjoy the writing part of it — I find it relaxing and rewarding. I also very much enjoy reading people’s comments on my blog — I learn so much from them.
What is your favorite thing about yourself? I am very honest.
What do most people not know about you? I have hearing loss and write a second blog on this topic at Living With Hearing Loss.
What is the last book you read? The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Couldn’t put it down.
Where is your favorite vacation spot? St. John in the US Virgin Islands — beautiful beaches, lots of great hiking and fabulous restaurants. We go every year in December.
What is your favorite food? There are so many, but I guess I will go with cheese as a category. I love all kinds.
If you could do anything (occupation) what would you do? I would be a professional writer.
What was your most proud moment? The births of my two children (technically two moments). I couldn’t believe that something so beautiful had entered our lives.
What did you learn from your biggest regret? That I should continue to be honest with people, but that being honest doesn’t give me permission to say things in a mean way.
What is your favorite post that you have written to date and why? (Please include link so we can read it). My favorite post is Mom, Please Go to Bikram So We Can All Have a Better Day, because it is just so true! The day is always better if I have been to class.

11 random facts:

I love Bikram yoga. (duh!)
I have hearing loss in both ears.
I like when people speak with proper grammar. (my poor kids…)
I love relaxing in a hot tub for hours – the heat doesn’t bother me.
I love hiking, especially in new terrain.
I hate being cold more than anything.
I recently learned to meditate and am trying to keep it up.
I love watching Shark Tank and have ordered many products from the show! Some are great, and some are not.
I am extremely organized — I even have packing lists saved on my computer for when I travel.
I worked on Wall Street for 20 years before switching my focus to non-profit work and blogging. I don’t miss it.
I love to travel and hope to practice Bikram yoga wherever I go in the world.

11 nominees: I cheated here a little bit and included some of my favorite well-established blogs as well as some newer blogs.

My questions for them:

What is your secret desire?
Where did you live when you were the happiest?
What do you find most rewarding about blogging?
What is your favorite color?
What cause or causes are you passionate about?
What did you want to be when you grew up when you were in grade school?
What is your favorite TV show?
What is your favorite vacation spot?
When are you the happiest?
What is your New Year’s Resolution for 2015 (if you have one)?
What is your favorite post that you have written so far and why? Please share it here so we can enjoy it.