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.
This week was a rough one. Whatever I did, it was wrong. Whatever step I took, it was leading in the wrong direction. I had to redo basic tasks multiple times to get them right. My computer died and my hastily purchased new one didn’t work either. My children were on their worst possible behavior and my foundation work keep hitting roadblocks. And it was 50 degrees outside —in June! My frustration level was so high that I started to snap at everyone in sight. Never a good response. The kicker — I couldn’t get to yoga for 4 days straight.
Last week I was walking down the street in NYC and a woman hip-checked me. It was an accident. She felt terrible. But I went flying. I had the presence of mind to stick my foot out to try to regain my balance, but I happened to be near one of the tree planters that line the streets, so there was nowhere for my foot to go. The world started to move in slow-motion as I felt my ankle bump into the planter and my body go down. I remember thinking, “You are actually falling. You are going to hit the ground. I hope I don’t break my ankle.” Boom. I landed in the planter on my side. I had not been able to catch my fall with my hands.
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.
Welcome to Hot Off The Mat’s next installment of Interesting Reads, where I periodically recommend books on yoga and meditation. If you have book suggestions, please let me know. Enjoy!
Knowing how much I love yoga, my friend recently suggested I read Poser: My Life in Twenty-tree Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer. Poser is the story of Claire, who after the birth of her first child, is searching for answers. How can she be the perfect mom, while continuing to be a good wife, friend, daughter and freelance writer all at the same time? To find sanity in her daily life, she turns to yoga. Claire’s journey to find the right style of yoga for her takes her through some less than ideal studios and teachers, but also through some great ones. Through her exploration of yoga, she learns about herself, works through deep-seated insecurities, and finds the courage to stay true to herself when making important life choices.
Hot Off The Mat ™ 