Yesterday and today I have felt like Bikram class was killing me. Like I needed to lay down for another 8 hours of sleep after 90 minutes of yoga. I wish I could figure out why sometimes you come out of class absolutely euphoric and ready to eat a steak and sometimes you are ready to just give up and be fat and unhappy. Anyone got a clue? Please fill me in!
I have also been thinking about a great studio I went to while the last show was playing Washington DC. I rented an apartment in Alexandria, VA and went to Bikram Yoga Alexandria (http://www.bikramalexandria.com/home/). Another great studio, clean, big, nice locker rooms and showers, lots of bathrooms for we who are aging and have bladders the size of peas. The owner of the studio is ex Army, although I don't think you are ever an ex soldier always a Army guy through and through. He has devised many ways of keeping people coming to the studio and not giving up. He also works with veterans both able and disabled who are interested in yoga. He has the only "props" I have ever seen in a Bikram studio but they are used in a way that progressively weans you off the prop. He has a refrigerator in the studio for beverages and ice packs doing anything he can to keep you in the room. I wish I could have spent more time there, it was a very learning oriented place. I loved the way the owner of the studio would teach and walk through class really seeing the people there and if they were struggling or just walking through it. And yes,once or twice I got nailed for just fluffing though a few things!
One of the things he did at this studio I recommend for all places! Instead of just a line running across the floor for positioning, he had dots placed that you put your left corner of your mat to. That way whomever was laying their mat knew they would be able to see at least a glimpse of themselves in the mirror. So many places once the front and back have set their mats, the middle is at a loss to find a spot where they can see.
Also, for those of you who might be like me in the mid life contemplation mode (I refuse to call it a crisis). I am reading a book called "The Geography of Bliss" which has some amazingly pertinent things to say about how we approach happiness and unhappiness in the USA compared to other countries.
Hope you find peace as I do in the outdoors, sunshine, four legged animals, and damn good coffee!!
It is my humble opinion that you should feel FANTASTIC after each and every Bikram Yoga class. Maybe not immediately, but soon afterward. Check in with the obvious - are you getting enough water? Also, do you avoid salt 'just because'? Salt is a necessary nutrient and we sweat a lot of it out of our bodies, along with other electrolytes during class. I discovered this fact about my body during teacher training. My classes were lagging, and I was fatigued. I started drinking salty lime water in class, and ZING! My energy came back! Lastly, are you a type "A" personality, and you PUSH yourself right into a gruesome, long headache and fatigue? Push as hard as you can, but LISTEN to your body as well. My final take on the issue is that you have 75 trillion (count 'em) cells in your body and ALMOST ALL reproduce! (Fat cells don't, thank God!) So you have a different body each and every day. You even have BRAND NEW skin every 30-40 days. Take each class as a beautiful gift you give yourself, and distance yourself from judging yourself or the class. ENJOY IT!
ReplyDeleteIt's a mystery to me as well. Sometimes, I too, feel like I need a power nap. If I tracked those times, I might find out that it has something to do with hormones. There is a lot going on when we ladies are in our "moon cycle." We burn an extra 300 calories a day while ovulating, so it makes sense that that energy consumption will require us to need more sleep. Anyway, just a thought! I love being challenged by a hard class. Since I've been doing this for nearly 3 years, I'm better at reveling in the experience, and less apt to analyze "why?" I love kicking my own butt! Keeps me on my toes! Namaste, B
ReplyDelete