Can you Find These Three Things In Every Posture?

August 18, 2015August 12, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Meditation, Postures, Self Improvement, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

I recently attended a fabulous yoga retreat at the Crestone Mountain Zen Cente r led by a wonderful yoga teacher named Charlie Samos. The retreat combined yoga, hiking and Zen meditation. I loved it! There were so many enriching experiences at the retreat, but one of the most memorable was the final yoga class. Charlie challenged each of us to find three things in every posture of the class: (1) the ease of Sukhasana or Seated Pose, (2) the stability of Tadasana or Mountain Pose, and (3) the compassion of Savasna.

It was an interesting exercise and made for a deep and enriching class. Each posture was an exploration of emotion and spirit in addition to the physical asana. It was a wonderful treat and a good lesson in how a physical yoga practice can be expanded and deepened through thoughtful meditation.

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When Bad Habits Creep Back In

August 11, 2015August 3, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Postures, Self Improvement, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yoga

So far this summer, I have done a lot of traveling. This has been wonderfully fun and I wouldn’t change it, but it has been brutal for my Bikram yoga practice. While I typically practice 4-5 times per week during most of the year, so far this summer, I have practiced 4-5 times in total, and most of that was in the past week. It is bad. My body is not in top form, my muscles ache, and for better or for worse, the bad habits I have worked so hard to break this year have reared their ugly heads. Lucky for me, yoga is a practice, not a perfect, so I will have the opportunity to rebuild.

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Parlez-Vous Bikram?

August 4, 2015July 22, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Postures, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yoga

I arrived early for class because it was a new studio for me, and a new language. I was going to take my first Bikram yoga class in Paris. The check-in proceeded well — the receptionist spoke English — but noticing the inadequacy of my “one year of French in college” language skills, she commented, “The class will be in French, will that be alright for you?” “I’ll do my best,” I replied. We both smiled, me a little bit nervously, but honestly, I was not worried. I knew the flow of the class and I felt that I would find my way using visual clues from the other practitioners if nothing else. I was right, but what I didn’t realize was how much of the dialogue I could still comprehend, despite not understanding the spoken words.

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Summer Savasna

June 30, 2015June 23, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Welcome Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

Hot Off The Mat is taking a summer savasna, but will be back with weekly posts in August. In the meantime, I will be sharing oldies but goodies on Hot Off The Mat’s Facebook page each week. Thanks so much for reading!

Namaste and enjoy the summer!

Did Practicing Non-Attachment Really Work?

June 23, 2015June 23, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Meditation, Self Improvement, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

I have always approached new concepts and ideas with a healthy amount of skepticism, so I came to the concept of non-attachment in a similar way. But I think it might actually be working! As I understand it, non-attachment is a state in which a person becomes less attached or reliant on things, people or concepts of the world to achieve happiness and peace. For example, if you don’t get your typical spot in the yoga room, it is not a cause for anxiety or stress. Or if you don’t get that many comments on a particular blog post, it does not ruin your day (smile). Or if you get a scathing email from someone you trusted and always felt understood your best intentions, you don’t fire off a hasty reply and regret it later. Yeah, that last one.