Ode To A Bikram Yoga Teacher

I love taking classes from different Bikram Yoga teachers. Each is unique in his or her own way, and each brings a special dimension to my practice. I have experienced four basic styles of Bikram yoga teachers: By the Book, Spiritual, Let’s Get Physical, and The Drill Sergeant. Of course, some teachers combine several of these aspects. I enjoy learning from them all.

1) By the Book: These teachers rarely deviate from the dialogue and hold the postures for exactly the proper amount of time. They rarely give personal corrections or demonstrations. Typically, newer teachers are like this, as they work on developing their own voice within the dialogue. I enjoy the simplicity of these classes and try to focus very specifically on the dialogue to see if I can pick up anything I have missed in previous classes. I often find some new detail.

2) Spiritual: These teachers emphasize the meditation aspects of the class. They will sometimes share inspirational quotes during savasna or anecdotal examples of how the yoga can benefit your state of mind. These teachers are very warm and encouraging, and remember not only your name, but where you are in each of your postures. I always leave class feeling soothed and peaceful — like I got a 90-minute hug.

3) Let’s Get Physical: Here, the focus is on the physical execution of each asana — making sure the alignments are correct and that each step of the set-up is done properly and in the right order. These teachers run vigorous classes and will provide personal corrections frequently. I almost always learn something new in each class.

4) The Drill Sergeant: These teachers mean business. They move between postures at a rapid pace and may even hold some postures a little bit longer than is typical. These are tough classes — my heart is always pounding and I feel like I am being pushed to my very edge, but afterwards I feel like a champ.

During each week, I try to take classes from teachers with a variety of styles. That way I am able to work on my alignment, my mind/body connection and get a great workout. Thank you to all the Bikram Yoga teachers for sharing a part of themselves with us in each class.

Fellow yogis, do you like to take class from different types of teachers?

The Circle of Life – Taking Stock and Making a Plan

March 17, 2015March 10, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Self Improvement, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

We did an interesting exercise at my recent yoga retreat that I wanted to share with all of you. It is called The Circle of Life and it is a great way to take stock of where you feel that your life is on several dimensions, and then use that knowledge to identify one or two aspects of your life for improvement. I found it very interesting.

Here is the diagram which I borrowed from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition‘s website. As you can see, it is a circle divided into 12 slices, each labeled with an aspect of life: Creativity, Finances, Career, Education, Health, Physical Activity, Home Cooking, Home Environment, Relationships, Social Life, Joy and Spirituality.

Here is how it works. Continue reading →

I Am Beautiful

March 10, 2015March 9, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Meditation, Yoga

Yesterday I discovered that I am beautiful. I guess that sounds kind of egotistical, and shallow, but I don’t mean it that way. In fact I don’t mean it in a physical way at all. I mean it in an “I’m at peace with myself” way. In an “I respect myself” way. In an “I love myself” way. Not in a “let me model for Vogue” kind of way, because, believe me, they wouldn’t want me. This is what happened.

I was at my regular Bikram yoga class, looking at myself in the mirror as I struggled with my alignment in bow pose, and I almost did a double take. Who was that woman in the mirror, working so hard, yet so peaceful? Her leg was shaking, but she was strong. Her hip was not properly aligned but she was working on it. Her head was crooked but she adjusted it. She was so focused and persistent in her pursuit of excellence, I broke into a big smile. Hey, that is me I realized. And I felt proud, and beautiful and strong. And then I fell out of the posture.

So reality set in, but the feeling stayed with me and I wanted to share it, because we all need to find our beauty in the mirror. Rather than focusing on what is wrong with what we see, let’s focus on the effort we are making to turn things around. Rather than focus on our flaws, let’s acknowledge the improvements we are making. Let’s see the passion and the progress. Let’s find our own beauty — the strength we have found to enter the hot room day after day to work on our body, our mind, and our peace.

I am beautiful. And so are you.

Fellow yogis, please share this post with the beautiful ones in your life.

Should We Throw The Baby Out With the Bathwater?

March 3, 2015March 3, 2015 Hot Off The Mat Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yoga

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?