Meditating With Monks

I am new to meditation, but as my regular readers know, I am working to incorporate it into my daily life. So when I had the opportunity to meditate with Buddhist monks at a Zen Center in Colorado for a week this summer as part of a yoga retreat, I jumped at the chance. It took me 11 hours to get to the Zen Center from NYC, and the meditation practice began with a wake-up bell at 4:30 am, but the experience was amazing! And most importantly, since I returned, I have been meditating every morning. I hope that I can keep it up.

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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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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.

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Do You Ever Forget How To Breathe?

June 16, 2015June 15, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Meditation, Postures, Self Improvement Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

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.