Yoga

Mom, Please Go to Bikram So We Can All Have A Better Day

Hot Off The Mat Yoga and Life , , ,

“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?

The One You Dread is the One You Need

Hot Off The Mat Postures , , ,

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?

Practicing Bikram Yoga Around the World

Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences , , ,

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?

Switch Up Your Grip for A More Balanced Practice

Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Postures , , ,

Do you switch up your grip in second set?  I always try to.  For me, this means placing my other thumb on top in the second set of postures.  Early on in my practice one of my instructors suggested it, and it was easy enough to adopt.  It has become a habit, and one that I am happy I have.  I feel that it provides a more balanced stretch to my arms, shoulders and back, and builds more equal grip strength in my hands.  It also gives me a shot of discipline and focus in my practice, as I have to decide which thumb to put on top first and remember to switch it up for the next set.  Usually my right thumb goes on top in standing and my left thumb on top on the floor.  Not sure why….

I find the grip switch particularly useful in half moon.  I get a much stronger stretch in my hip when the thumb on top is the same as the side to which I am bending.  It makes sense, as the thumb is the strongest digit and its iron grip on the stretching arm allows for greater reach.  I also find it useful in half tortoise as it focuses the stretch on alternate sides of my back and hips in the two sets.  I also switch which arm is on top in wind removing pose and fixed firm pose.  This helps me get a more equal stretch in my shoulders, which happen to be very tight.

I find it interesting that some instructors talk about switching the grip and others do not.  It must not be part of the official dialogue, but I think it is ok to go off script a little bit, to add a helpful detail to the practice.  I appreciate it when instructors do that.  It makes the instruction more personal, and helps us learn from their practice in addition to the dialogue.

Fellow yogis, do you switch your grip?

Practicing Bikram Yoga as a Germaphobe

Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences , , ,

I admit it.  I am a germaphobe.  My friends and family laugh as I Purell myself after riding on the bus, or after shaking hands with too many strangers, or after being near anyone with a cold.  But at Bikram, for whatever reason, it is ok — the bodies packed together, someone else’s sweat dripping onto my mat, even the occasional arm bump during full locust pose — all ok. Maybe it is the calmness I feel in class that gives me the clarity to handle the germs.  Maybe I am so sweaty anyway, it just doesn’t matter.  Maybe it is just out of necessity. Whatever it is, the class frees me from this phobia for the 90 minutes of practice.  I feel centered and focused on other things such that the germs become less of an issue.  I am grateful for that.

Today during class, the instructor walked on my yoga mat several times.  Not around my mat, not grazing my mat, but on my mat with both of his feet!  This was during standing series of course.  I almost laughed out loud realizing that I had been envisioning a blog post on practicing as a germaphobe and here I was faced with it head on (or foot on!).  I am happy to say that I was able to shrug it off and continue my practice.  In fact, it was a really uplifting class for me today.

In the interest of full disclosure – I do still wear socks in the studio unless I am on my mat.  And I really do hate to touch other yogi’s feet during the sit-ups.  So, I guess my yoga practice hasn’t cured me of my germaphobia entirely… but I am making progress.

Do you worry about germs in class?