I love savasna. Who doesn’t? That wonderful reward at the end of standing series, between postures on the floor and at the end of class. The time when the health benefits are being absorbed by the body. In final savasna, I can sometimes feel the blood surging through my veins, cleaning out scar tissue and toxins, and spreading oxygen throughout my body. It is an exhilarating feeling.
But Bikram yoga is all about balance. You have to give maximum exertion to get that feeling of maximum relaxation. I find this particularly true in the back strengthening series on the floor. While the postures are short in duration, the effort required is great. Backbend after backbend against gravity. My heart is always pounding and my breath comes heavy, but once the posture is over, I settle into the maximum relaxation portion of the program. And it feels good. My breath and heart rate return to normal as I prepare for the next pose. I use the phrase maximum exertion, maximum relaxation almost as a mantra to keep me going during the postures, and to help me enjoy the relaxation of the savasna.
I once had a teacher that in final savasna, encouraged us to relax our bodies so much that we could feel the floor supporting our body, rather than our body holding itself in place on the mat. If I really focus on it, I can do it and it is a great feeling of freedom. Almost meditative. If I have the time at the end of class for a more leisurely savasna, I always try to relax to the point where I can feel the floor supporting me. Almost like a well-earned hug at the end of class.
On Monday I was nominated for the “One Lovely Blog” Award by The Souzapalooza Blog. As a newly minted blogger, this encouragement is very rewarding, especially from such a seasoned blogger. Souzapalooza lives in Westchester, and among her many other interests, loves Bikram Yoga. I have enjoyed her comments on my blog and hearing her thoughts on her practice. It is always a comfort to know that you are not alone in your struggles. Thank you Souzapalooza for your interest in my blog and for the “One Lovely Blog” award!
The One Lovely Blog Award nominations are chosen by fellow bloggers for those newer and up-and-coming bloggers. The goal is to help give recognition and also to help the new blogger to reach more viewers. It also recognizes blogs that are considered to be “lovely” by the fellow bloggers who choose them. This award recognizes bloggers who share their story or thoughts in a beautiful manner to connect with viewers and followers. In order to “accept” the award the nominated blogger must follow several guidelines:
Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
Add the One Lovely Blog logo to your post.
Share 7 facts/or things about yourself
Nominate 15 bloggers you admire and inform the nominees by commenting on their blog
Thank you, Souzapalooza for the shout out!
Seven Facts About Me:
1. I live in NYC with my husband and two children, aged 11 and 9.
2. I have a 40-50% hearing loss in both ears. It is genetic and started in my 20s. My father and grandmother had the same issue. I hope everyday that my children will be spared.
3. I love Bikram Yoga — I guess that is not that much of a surprise given my blog!
4. I am very organized! I love making lists and checking things off the list when they are done.
5. I spent 20 years working on Wall Street but am now involved in non-profit work related to finding a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Check out Hearing Health Foundation for more information on this important work.
6. I just learned how to add a link to my blog and recently learned to tweet. I really need to improve my tech skills…
7. I love walking and hiking! I wear my Fitbit everyday and get very excited when I hit my 10,000 step goal for the day. I also track my sleep on the Fitbit, which is really fun.
I will nominate the following blogs — I am very new to this so can’t get anywhere close to 15!
Views From the Podium – This is a blog written by a Bikram Yoga Instructor. I really enjoy her insights into the Bikram Yoga practice and her unique perspective as a teacher on the yoga that gives me so much. This is coupled with stories of fellow practitioners who are doing great things outside of the hot room that are always inspiring to read.
Hearing Health Foundation Blog – This is a blog written by Hearing Health Foundation. It is a great blog that shares tips and information for the almost 50 million Americans living with hearing loss and tinnitus. It is also a comfort to those who have family members or friends with hearing loss.
Grand Piano Passion – This is a blog written by a fellow Hearing Health Foundation volunteer and board member that discusses her return to piano playing as an adult. Check it out for interesting insights into reclaiming your passion as well as being a musician with hearing loss.
“Mom, please go to Bikram so we can all have a better day.”
This is a direct quote from my 9 year old son this past Saturday. I was waffling about going to class on Saturday morning since we had a bunch of errands to run and a busy plan for the day. But out of his mouth, came a truism. If I went to a Bikram yoga class, I would have a better day, and so would the family. The whole family laughed when he said this, and immediately shooed me out the door to class. And we did have a better day – less yelling and frustration, and a lot more laughing and relaxed family time. Ninety minutes very well spent.
That got me thinking about something that teachers often say at the end of class – that the time you take for class is not purely selfish time, but is more than that. Some go as far as to say that taking class is sort of like paying it forward – as the strength and peace you get from class are passed to others you encounter during the day. While I always thought this was somewhat true, my son put it in such simple terms that it really sunk in. I could always see that going to class was a positive for me – better health, more energy, and a greater sense of calm, but it took my son to show me how it so clearly impacts others in my life as well. We all have a better day when I go to Bikram yoga class. It’s just a fact. I am grateful there is such a simple way to guarantee a better day.
Fellow yogis, do your friends and family push you out the door to class?
Teachers often say that the postures you dread are the postures that you need the most. I think that is probably true. Maybe the dread is your body’s way of alerting you to pay special attention to the posture. Or maybe it is just to give you that little extra challenge to overcome in your practice. Either way, if you dislike a posture, there is probably a reason and it is worth the effort to give that posture a little bit of extra attention.
The posture I dread is camel. I know a lot of people love that posture, but it gives me the shivers. By the time I have done the sit up and have gotten into position, I am already dizzy. I find it such a vulnerable posture – my belly and neck are exposed, I am arching and looking backwards, and the stretch in my neck makes it hard for me to maintain my breath. I sometimes have to pull up early in the first set, but I can usually make it through the posture in the second set, when my knees are set wider apart and the arch in my back feels less constraining.
I have been thinking about why this posture is so challenging for me, and I think it may have two causes. The first is I have a narrow ribcage, so perhaps that makes my breathing more constricted in the posture, which causes me to feel less in control. In that case, the posture is surely one that I need to help loosen up that extra space for my lungs. The second reason may be more emotional. They say that camel can release a lot of stress and anxiety and I tend to hold onto my stress with two hands! Another good reason why this may be the posture that I truly need.
Here’s what I will do. I will pledge to focus on camel for the next 10 classes. Not just get through it, but focus on it, push myself into it, stay in it, and see what improvement I can make. If I make some progress, I can try again for another 10 classes. Maybe after that, I will need to move onto the next dreaded posture – standing separate leg head to knee.
Fellow yogis, do you have a posture that you dread?
One of the wonderful things about Bikram Yoga is that the class is the same, no matter where you are in the world. My home studio is Bikram Yoga NYC in Manhattan, but I have been lucky enough to practice in several other studios. And in each of these studios, I always felt at home, welcomed, and among friends. The routine of the class was the same, the dialogue the same, the flow, the heat, the postures, all the same. Even when the class was led in a different language, the rhythm of the words sounded familiar and I could follow along with ease.
So far in the United States, I have practiced in NYC, Yorktown Heights, NY, Walnut Creek, CA, and Maui, HI. Overseas, I have practiced at two different studios in London and one in Berlin. One of the classes I took in Berlin was in German and I remember it as one of the best classes I have taken. Despite not knowing a single word of German, the rhythm of the words was so similar that I could follow along well. It actually made it such a peaceful class – all about feeling the flow of the words and tapping into the energy of the other students, rather than listening so intently to the actual content of the words.
While the class is always reassuringly the same, it is fun to notice minor cultural differences in the studios. For example, in London, one of the studios very strictly enforced where the mats were placed in the room. Each mat had to be lined up with red lines on the carpet to make sure that all could see well. Even in a less than crowded class this was strictly enforced. I kind of liked that actually, as it eliminated any of the mat scrambling that can sometimes happen during class. In the other London studio, fresh oxygen was pumped into the room periodically throughout the class. I never really noticed a difference with that to be honest, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt.
I thought it would be fun to keep a photo album of all the studios where I have practiced. So far the album is a little thin, but I am confident I will add to it over time.
Fellow yogis, where in the world do you like to practice Bikram Yoga?
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