I think this sounds like a Bikram yoga poem:
She let go.
"She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the 'right' reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn't ask anyone for advice. She didn't read a book on how to let go... She didn't search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all of the memories that held her back. She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn't promise to let go. She didn't journal about it. She didn't write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn't check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.
She didn't analyze whether she should let go. She didn't call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn't do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn't call the prayer line. She didn't utter one word. She just let go.
No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn't good and it wasn't bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore."
- Ernest Holmes
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Adventures in Denver, CO!
I have been in Denver for three weeks now and made it to 2 whole yoga classes. I don't know if it is the altitude or just me, but I have had NO energy at all here. I expect a few days of the grind of not being able to catch my breath but nothing like this lethargy. Hoping to kick it in the butt once I have a car for the week next week.
I did try to pick myself up out of the doldrums by getting a new yoga mat in the mail! My old mat had kind of shed its protective skin and when i cleaned it it took longer and longer to dry and always had a slight smell to it! So I got a Kulae yoga mat, http://www.kulae.com/yoga_mat.htm, and am very happy with it. It is a stickier mat than my cheapy was (cheapy because I bought three mats in a year and kept losing them). For Bikram, the stickiness isn't a big selling point because we cover it with a towel, but I will say that the towel didn't slip around like it is wont to, it stayed in place perfectly! I liked the thickness for the portion of the class on the floor and was easy to clean. AND my favorite part is the PURPLE!! I am a sucker for a frilly delicate color!
I finally dragged ass to Mile High Bikram here, which is just far enough from downtown to warrant a car or a bus ride. It is a 3 year old business owned by a couple who have a great business sense. The studio has everything you need, dressing rooms, showers, locker, mat and towel rentals, yoga clothing, and a great selection of water and juices! I had the part owner, David, as the teacher at my first class there. He looks so so young but has an awesome dialogue! Very spot on as far as the standard and yet just felt so authentic to me. Not like "OMG, I have said these words a 1000 times" but with a genuine feeling. I also felt that with the gentleman who taught my 2nd class, I think it was Zack but I am not sure. I just felt like they gave a damn about the people, both old and new clients!
The studio does have carpet but it didn't have a bad smell to it. The heat is amazingly well distributed which David said was due to the insulation they put in against the terrible Denver winters. There are 2 ceiling fans, but they were barely moving, but it never felt overwhelming or too cool.
They have a pretty awesome schedule as well with some 6 am classes, 9 am, 11 am, and even some 2:30, as well as a slew of evening classes of course. There is plenty of lot and street parking AND a great coffee shop, Geez Louise, across the street for after class smoothies, coffee and breakfast.
I am looking forward to another week here with such a great studio to heal in!
I did try to pick myself up out of the doldrums by getting a new yoga mat in the mail! My old mat had kind of shed its protective skin and when i cleaned it it took longer and longer to dry and always had a slight smell to it! So I got a Kulae yoga mat, http://www.kulae.com/yoga_mat.htm, and am very happy with it. It is a stickier mat than my cheapy was (cheapy because I bought three mats in a year and kept losing them). For Bikram, the stickiness isn't a big selling point because we cover it with a towel, but I will say that the towel didn't slip around like it is wont to, it stayed in place perfectly! I liked the thickness for the portion of the class on the floor and was easy to clean. AND my favorite part is the PURPLE!! I am a sucker for a frilly delicate color!
I finally dragged ass to Mile High Bikram here, which is just far enough from downtown to warrant a car or a bus ride. It is a 3 year old business owned by a couple who have a great business sense. The studio has everything you need, dressing rooms, showers, locker, mat and towel rentals, yoga clothing, and a great selection of water and juices! I had the part owner, David, as the teacher at my first class there. He looks so so young but has an awesome dialogue! Very spot on as far as the standard and yet just felt so authentic to me. Not like "OMG, I have said these words a 1000 times" but with a genuine feeling. I also felt that with the gentleman who taught my 2nd class, I think it was Zack but I am not sure. I just felt like they gave a damn about the people, both old and new clients!
The studio does have carpet but it didn't have a bad smell to it. The heat is amazingly well distributed which David said was due to the insulation they put in against the terrible Denver winters. There are 2 ceiling fans, but they were barely moving, but it never felt overwhelming or too cool.
They have a pretty awesome schedule as well with some 6 am classes, 9 am, 11 am, and even some 2:30, as well as a slew of evening classes of course. There is plenty of lot and street parking AND a great coffee shop, Geez Louise, across the street for after class smoothies, coffee and breakfast.
I am looking forward to another week here with such a great studio to heal in!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Live like you were dying!
Well, I finally got to Bikram Yoga Tempe today after taking Sunday and Monday off, just feeling very blah, spending a little more time dwelling on my Dad and missing him. Then, on the way home from having dinner with my nephew last night, I was going through radio stations since NPR went from news to Jazz. As I hit a country station, Tim McGraw's "Live like you were Dyin'" came on. Now, when I first heard this a decade ago, it certainly affected me but nothing like it did last night.
He said: "I was in my early forties,
"With a lot of life before me,
"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
"I spent most of the next days,
"Looking at the x-rays,
"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do?
An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."
He said "I was finally the husband,
"That most the time I wasn’t.
"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.
"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
"Wasn’t such an imposition,
"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.
"Well, I finally read the Good Book,
"And I took a good long hard look,
"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
"And then:
Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
An' what did you do with it?
An' what can I do with it?
An' what would I do with it?
"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."
It loses a bit without the music to back it up but....it got me thinking about a few things. First, why I didn't go to yoga for two days. Sure I was tired but I know I always feel better physically and emotionally when I do go. Something about striving for balance and form while trying to shut my brain off really chills me out. I should go when I can to make up for the cities where it isn't close enough to go or just isn't offered at all. Then I thought about a grudge I have been holding against someone I had admired so much who had failed me at a very important time in my life. And the "giving forgiveness I had been denying" really hit home. I think I needed to forgive myself first for wanting someone else to ease my pain during a bad time and then forgive the person who hurt me, they had no idea that I relied on them so much.
I am sure I overthink things a lot, but yoga and music really do heal a lot of bruises.
So today I finally went to class, 9 am, Gabby, who was the teacher last Friday when I felt like dying, was teaching. She has an excellent dialogue as I said. It is so nice to hear, almost like the repetition helps with the moving meditation. There were also something like 6 Bikram teachers taking class which was great for peeking and seeing how their pose looked to imitate. Also in the class was a gentleman in a wheelchair who doesn't have the use of his legs so he does the standing series seated and has some adjustments for other things. Now, I would hope that I would have such courage and stamina if I were in his position but really, who knows. I hope he knows how greatly admired he is.
I asked Gabby a couple questions after class because I have gotten some conflicting information from a teacher who said the glutes shouldn't be engaged during Camel pose or any of the back bending poses. Gabby's though on it, which I agree with, is the engaging the glutes allows for more lift through the ribcage and upper body so the backbend is the correct angle. I tried it without the glutes and felt like I was going to injure my back.
The other thing was whether I was hyper-extending my right knee in standing positions. Now, granted, I can rarely stand on one leg long enough for anyone to really get an idea of whether I am hyper extended but....I think because I have such a hard time using my whole foot that the entire leg looks off which leads to the "Hmmm, is that hyper extended?" But I am comfortable with it locked and when I can actually control my big toe and get it to stay on the mat, I feel great and totally not strained at all.
So the moral to my convoluted blog is: Go to Yoga, do what you want to do, as long as you possibly can, because someday you may not have the chance!"
Namaste!
He said: "I was in my early forties,
"With a lot of life before me,
"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.
"I spent most of the next days,
"Looking at the x-rays,
"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."
I asked him when it sank in,
That this might really be the real end?
How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?
Man whatcha do?
An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."
He said "I was finally the husband,
"That most the time I wasn’t.
"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.
"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,
"Wasn’t such an imposition,
"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.
"Well, I finally read the Good Book,
"And I took a good long hard look,
"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,
"And then:
Like tomorrow was a gift,
And you got eternity,
To think about what you’d do with it.
An' what did you do with it?
An' what can I do with it?
An' what would I do with it?
"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,
"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.
"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,
"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."
An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,
"To live like you were dyin'."
It loses a bit without the music to back it up but....it got me thinking about a few things. First, why I didn't go to yoga for two days. Sure I was tired but I know I always feel better physically and emotionally when I do go. Something about striving for balance and form while trying to shut my brain off really chills me out. I should go when I can to make up for the cities where it isn't close enough to go or just isn't offered at all. Then I thought about a grudge I have been holding against someone I had admired so much who had failed me at a very important time in my life. And the "giving forgiveness I had been denying" really hit home. I think I needed to forgive myself first for wanting someone else to ease my pain during a bad time and then forgive the person who hurt me, they had no idea that I relied on them so much.
I am sure I overthink things a lot, but yoga and music really do heal a lot of bruises.
So today I finally went to class, 9 am, Gabby, who was the teacher last Friday when I felt like dying, was teaching. She has an excellent dialogue as I said. It is so nice to hear, almost like the repetition helps with the moving meditation. There were also something like 6 Bikram teachers taking class which was great for peeking and seeing how their pose looked to imitate. Also in the class was a gentleman in a wheelchair who doesn't have the use of his legs so he does the standing series seated and has some adjustments for other things. Now, I would hope that I would have such courage and stamina if I were in his position but really, who knows. I hope he knows how greatly admired he is.
I asked Gabby a couple questions after class because I have gotten some conflicting information from a teacher who said the glutes shouldn't be engaged during Camel pose or any of the back bending poses. Gabby's though on it, which I agree with, is the engaging the glutes allows for more lift through the ribcage and upper body so the backbend is the correct angle. I tried it without the glutes and felt like I was going to injure my back.
The other thing was whether I was hyper-extending my right knee in standing positions. Now, granted, I can rarely stand on one leg long enough for anyone to really get an idea of whether I am hyper extended but....I think because I have such a hard time using my whole foot that the entire leg looks off which leads to the "Hmmm, is that hyper extended?" But I am comfortable with it locked and when I can actually control my big toe and get it to stay on the mat, I feel great and totally not strained at all.
So the moral to my convoluted blog is: Go to Yoga, do what you want to do, as long as you possibly can, because someday you may not have the chance!"
Namaste!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
MORE on Bikram Yoga Tempe!
I forgot to say what an awesome website Bikram Yoga Tempe has as well! I LOVE reading testimonials from people who's lives have changed for the better from doing yoga. They inspire me to keep a smile on my face every day!
The website has information on the yoga,on Bikram Choudry, and details on your first class and the postures that I hope really sway people into trying this fantastic yoga!
www.bikramyogatempe.com
The website has information on the yoga,on Bikram Choudry, and details on your first class and the postures that I hope really sway people into trying this fantastic yoga!
www.bikramyogatempe.com
Bikram Yoga Tempe is SO perfect!
I have previously visited Tempe and gone to Bikram Yoga Tempe. They have changed locations since then and the new studio is big and damn near perfect. I attended last Friday's noon class and had made the mistake of having coffee that morning and a huge chocolate cupcake the night before. The studio was just a bit hotter than usual to me and the caffeine made my heart pound like crazy. I sat out a lot of second sets but stayed in the room! I cannot remember that teacher's name but Saturday morning at 9 am, the teacher was Jill. Craig Villani from Bikram International had just been there earlier in the week and both the teacher from Friday and Jill had a few worthwhile bits of advice to impart. Jill's tweak on getting the shoulders behind each other in Standing Bow Pulling Pose was very important to me since I couldn't figure out why my right and left sides were so different in that pose. Now I can feel and see how I line up my shoulders to the right side but not to the left. Maybe now I can try it without bending my right knee too when I feel so out of whack in that!
The studio is very organized and friendly. The people greeting at the front desk are very courteous to first timers and do a little explanation if they have never been to a class before. I bought a 5 class pack for $75 which is pretty standard. They have a "New Student" Special but use it only for Arizona residents which I completely understand. There is a decent size changing room with cubbies for backpacks and toilets and showers. The lobby has a couple sofas and benches and people hang out and chat which says a lot for the friendly atmosphere. Occasionally I have felt in other studios a "if you aren't in your 20's and skinny, why are you here" vibe, here there is a GREAT mix of ages and sexes it is just a very easy going feeling to go with.
The studio itself is CLEAN!! The carpet is totally free of smell and it is large! There are stripes on the carpet to lay your mat over and dots on the walls to line up the up/down part of your mat so that the maximum number of mats can fit and still have everyone seen by the teacher. The first day my friends and I thought the sound a little loud from the teacher's mic but didn't feel we should say anything. Saturday it was a little lower and more comfortable.
The heat is well spread throughout the room, not blasting out of a few sources, and the humidity was high which I am thinking is not easy to do in Tempe! I applaud them for it!
The teachers are perfect! Their dialogue so in tune with the Bikram standard yet given with energy and not boredom! I feel like they are really watching the class and not just saying "blahblahblah" to get through the day. In such a large room, they also know many of the peoples name and address them individually. It just makes it feel like almost a family atmosphere and makes me want to return!
And I almost forgot to say what an amazing array of yoga clothing they have for sale in the lobby! I love to see new styles and colors and it is fun to see leopard print tops shorts and onesies! Great colors, lots of styles for different bodies!
They have water, coconut water and smart water available and mats for sale or rent as well.
I HIGHLY recommend anyone who even has a glimmer of an idea of going to Bikram Yoga Tempe, they will make you a yoga addict like me in no time! They have an AMAZING amount of classes and the energy in the room will keep you coming back.
The studio is very organized and friendly. The people greeting at the front desk are very courteous to first timers and do a little explanation if they have never been to a class before. I bought a 5 class pack for $75 which is pretty standard. They have a "New Student" Special but use it only for Arizona residents which I completely understand. There is a decent size changing room with cubbies for backpacks and toilets and showers. The lobby has a couple sofas and benches and people hang out and chat which says a lot for the friendly atmosphere. Occasionally I have felt in other studios a "if you aren't in your 20's and skinny, why are you here" vibe, here there is a GREAT mix of ages and sexes it is just a very easy going feeling to go with.
The studio itself is CLEAN!! The carpet is totally free of smell and it is large! There are stripes on the carpet to lay your mat over and dots on the walls to line up the up/down part of your mat so that the maximum number of mats can fit and still have everyone seen by the teacher. The first day my friends and I thought the sound a little loud from the teacher's mic but didn't feel we should say anything. Saturday it was a little lower and more comfortable.
The heat is well spread throughout the room, not blasting out of a few sources, and the humidity was high which I am thinking is not easy to do in Tempe! I applaud them for it!
The teachers are perfect! Their dialogue so in tune with the Bikram standard yet given with energy and not boredom! I feel like they are really watching the class and not just saying "blahblahblah" to get through the day. In such a large room, they also know many of the peoples name and address them individually. It just makes it feel like almost a family atmosphere and makes me want to return!
And I almost forgot to say what an amazing array of yoga clothing they have for sale in the lobby! I love to see new styles and colors and it is fun to see leopard print tops shorts and onesies! Great colors, lots of styles for different bodies!
They have water, coconut water and smart water available and mats for sale or rent as well.
I HIGHLY recommend anyone who even has a glimmer of an idea of going to Bikram Yoga Tempe, they will make you a yoga addict like me in no time! They have an AMAZING amount of classes and the energy in the room will keep you coming back.
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