back in practice

Until Sunday, it had been almost a year and a half since I participated in a yoga class. My long sabbatical from the practice came, not from a desire to take a break, but from monetary constraints.

Over the past year and a half, I’ve tried lots of other things to keep my mind and body in shape: practicing yoga at home, hiking (sometimes with a very heavy Antonio strapped on my back), running (which is just in sane), bicycling, etc. In the past, I’ve done stuff like kickboxing, weight-lifting, and basketball.

While I find a certain value in each of those forms of exercise (okay, maybe not with running), I’ve learned that nothing accomplishes and fulfills what I want like the yoga that I practice. As much as I want to share the many reasons that I love practicing Bikram’s yoga, I’ll just highlight a few…

1. It’s a holistic practice that, instead of distinguishing between mind and body, allows the natural connection between the 2 to exist fluidly.
2. Yoga is about balance – not being lazy AND not pushing oneself further than one can/should go. Being honest, accepting, and kind about where I am every day – every moment – is REALLY hard to do (particularly since I’ve inherited massive amounts of competitiveness). The mental, emotional, spiritual implications of such a practice are infinite.
3. Bikram’s yoga actively works all physical systems simultaneously: strength, flexibility, metabolism (i.e., heart rate and all that other internal stuff).
4. The studio is HOT (105 degrees). My idea of hell is not burning but freezing for eternity, so I actually love the intense heat of the studio. Plus, it has tons of physical benefits for one’s body – including cleansing the body of a lot of toxins.
5. Apparently, participants burn 650-1200 calories (!!!) in one 1.5 hour Bikram’s yoga class. That is a LOT of calories. When I’m practicing yoga, the large amount of food that I eat (to accommodate for the calories burned in class) combined with the strength-building postures transform my puny little body into a solid, strong, healthy structure.
6. At the end of every class, I lie flat on my back in the hot room – allowing my body to cool in its stillness and my mind to rest in my breath. I am suddenly aware of how clear my thoughts are and relaxed my entire body is. I feel strong, centered, calm, inspired to continue with another day.

Ahhh, it is so good to be back into my yoga practice. After my class this morning, I couldn’t resist sharing about it.

p.s. If you’re interested in doing yoga but are intimidated by, for example, the pictures in this post, RE-READ # 2… It’s not about being the most bendy, flexible acrobat; it’s about being true to what your body is capable of. Plus, if you practice enough, you’ll become capable of much more – which appeases my competitive genes enough to keep me going. :)