Regrets after practice?

What a week! I don't even know where to begin to explain the huge emotional rollercoaster I'm on this week...and I'm not quite sure anyone would even care *that* much, because all of our journeys take us on rides like this every once in a while. Suffice it to say, that one of the ways I "deal" is to take it to the mat. My experiences on the mat were definitely high points this week - especially my elusive treat of time with Diann ♥ on Saturday! The only thing is that I have a slight feeling of regret. I'll elaborate...

Have you ever experienced a feeling of regret after a practice? Maybe a favorite asana was left out, perhaps your pranayama (breathing) was only half-hearted, maybe you wish the class was a bit longer, or perhaps your focus just wasn't there. These things happen, and while they cause regret, the sooner your get yourself back on the mat, the sooner the feeling of regret will fade.

I've experienced all of these feelings and a whole host of others after a practice, but this time my feeling of regret is from something new. At the start of practice, Diann said we'd be working on standing balances, and while I'm not terribly confident at these, I thought "This is going to be good for me!", and I was ready for anything. Well, almost anything, it seems, because at the end of practice, Diann invited us to take a supported handstand, and I didn't do it. I feel like such a fraud - after WEEKS of offering inversions for my Pose of the Week (handstand noticeably absent, BTW), I'm invited to take an inversion, and I don't do it.

Why didn't I do it? Was it fear? Was it exhaustion (emotional from my week/physical from Diann's practice)? Was it because I had an "option"? Was it *gasp* stubbornness? It doesn't matter, really. I didn't do it, and I'm disappointed in myself.

So what to do? Get right back on that mat. Build up some strength in the arms. Try out some of the preparation postures that Diann gave throughout practice (a foreshadowing of what was coming - I should have seen it!). Get my legs up that wall! And hang out there for a while, getting used to seeing my crazy week from a different angle. At the very least, I'll build some courage to tackle what the next week offers, and at the very best, I'll squash my regret.

Don't let regret get in the way. Get out there and conquer!

Bikram? Part 1

Happy Christmas, readers! Hopefully you've been enjoying a bit of the magic that seems to come calling this time of year. We have an unanticipated (by me, anyway) blizzard warning for the area where I live, and being housebound is likely to enable me to enjoy some much needed snuggle time with my boys (all 3 - BIG one and small ones included!).

Every year, I have about a week off for "Winter Break", and it's always fun trying to plan out fun activities that we don't normally have time or inclination to do. This year, I thought I'd squeeze in a little "me time" among the other fun stuff by scheduling some time to take yoga classes - I do try to write a blog about it, afterall... There is a Bikram Yoga studio in a nearby town that is offering a "newcomers special" - 1 week of unlimited classes for $30! Seeing as a normal class is $25, I only have to go twice to amortize it and get a real bargain. So I decided to give it a go...

Most people know of Bikram Yoga as "Hot Yoga" - where you practice yoga in a room that is heated to 100 degrees. It is supposed to be a specialized sequence of 26 asanas, developed by Bikram Chowdhury (pictured above - love the skullet, dude), done in a "scientific order" to cleanse the body of toxins and deliver fresh blood to every last organ. I tried Bikram once about 10 years ago - before I was "into" yoga and practiced regularly - and was completely intimidated by the extreme athletes who were in the class. I'm talking ultra-competitive, less than 3 oz. body-fat athletes. I was completely out of place, and not really knowing what "regular" yoga was all about, this one Bikram Class almost scared me off. Thank goodness I didn't let it prohibit me from trying other disciplines of yoga, or I wouldn't be here today, writing my blog, trying out Hot Yoga again - all for the sake of "researching" and "commentating" on it for my readers (all 3 of you - thanks Kara, Evelyn, and Liz. My own mom doesn't even read my blog, so you guys rock.).

So Bikram Yoga is indeed "hot". The room is in fact 100 degrees, you feel it as soon as you walk into the room. The class that I took at 9am on Christmas Eve was also "hot" in the sense that it was p-a-c-k-e-d with people - at least 45! I haven't been in a class that packed since Diann was teaching Saturdays at the gym. There were college kids, there were grandmas, there were long, lean aggressive yogis, there were rounder, softer, go-with-the-flow yogis. Some people looked out of shape, but did every single posture, and some people looked like hard-core athletes who needed to sit-out a posture now and then. And there was me, tucked into the corner with my bright yellow mat and bright red face, sweating profusely, just trying to stay in the room for the whole 90 minutes. I did. Barely.

I attempted every single posture, and we did all 26 of them. Twice. The first time you visit a posture in Bikram, you hold it for 1 minute. You break, then return to the same posture for 30 seconds. If you do the math, you can see you're barely in asana for 40 minutes. Yet the class is 90 minutes...and you sweat enough for a marathon. I mean, it's logical that you'd sweat, and I seem to be making a big deal about something that makes sense, but I sweat from places I don't normally sweat from. My ankles? My shins? Under my eyes? It was weird. I started sweating right away. At first, the science teacher in me thought it was condensation forming on my skin - the room was so hot, and my skin was so cold that I was like a glass of lemonade on August 1st - but when it started dripping into my eyes, I realized it was honest to goodness sweat. But was it sweat that I had "earned"? Not so much. The heat was forcing my body to cleanse itself, but I think I prefer to cleanse my body the old-fashioned way - by drinking lots of water and doing regular old twisting postures that squeeze the kidneys and liver. The heat made my muscles warm and pliable, but I think I prefer to get my muscles warm the old-fashioned way - by slowly building up heat with a series of gentle postures.

So, I titled this post "Bikram? Part 1" because I think there's more to come. I'm not looking forward to it. At one point during the class, it felt like I was breathing in fire because it was so hot in there. My eyes were red. My face was red. The time spent in the 26 postures didn't even feel like I had been to a yoga class. But because every single article I've read explains that the benefits come after a few classes, I have to practice due diligence and give it another go. Plus, there was *one* really cool thing - after the class, my skin was actually steaming. I was driving home and the steam rising from my arms was steaming up the car windows so I had to roll the windows down. It was like 36 degrees outside, and I'm some loopy old broad driving down the road with the windows down. I must have looked crazy. I must BE crazy to do it again. All in the name of research, readers. All in the name of research...

"And looking back it was easy, easy, easy. 'cos I know that I can sacrifice" - Groove Armada

Ha ha ha. Good one, Groove Armada, good one.

POW! - Pose of the Week

My series on inversions continues...This week's pose: Sirsasana - because I certainly feel like I've been turned upside down lately!

What a week! I celebrated a birthday (twice), dealt with an aging dog who may or may not be developing Alzheimers, baked cookies and breads for the holidays, braved the stores, and also trudged through the regular day-to-day routines with my boys. Yes, I only WISH this turning myself upside down were serenely taking place on the beach, gazing out over the ocean instead of being metaphoric.

Despite the dizzying prospect of a headstand, turning yourself upside down certainly has it's benefits. Much like the previous inversions I've suggested, Sirsasana ironically improves digestion, strengthens spinal muscles,arms, and abdomen, improves circulation, and reduces varicose veins while relieving stress and anxiety. Sounds like I can use a bit of that this week...

Of course, this is quite a daunting posture, and I actually "cheat" and do this pose against the wall. I *have* (once or twice) done it free standing - away from a wall - but that was in the summer, when I was practicing daily and had a great sense of balance. These days, I'm lucky if I get in a session once a fortnight, so I'm using the wall. I'll build back up to a free headstand, but for now, I'll go with the flow, supporting my postures where I need to, and that's exactly what Yoga is all about. So don't feel daunted, get yourself near a wall, and surprise yourself by attempting a nice little headstand this week!

I have seen Sirsasana presented two ways: one with the forearms on the floor, hands hugging the crown of the head and the other as you see in the picture above, with hands forming a triangle with the crown of the head and forearms are parallel to the floor. Either way, you will reap the benefits of the posture. I'm most familiar with the method of forearms on the floor, so that's how I'll get you into the pose...

Kneel on the floor about an arm's length away from a wall. Interlace your fingers, forming a nice little cup where you can tuck your crown for support. With your forearms on the floor, place the pinky side of your hands down, anchoring yourself - this will become your base. Still kneeling, tuck the crown of your head inside this cup and slowly straighten your legs and begin walking your feet toward your head. Allow your hips to come into alignment with your shoulders, keeping a straight back. Bend your knees, and use the strength of your abs to lift your feet off the floor, extending the legs straight up in line with your hips, spine, and shoulders. Use the wall for security and support. With more and more practice, you can play around with the pose and gradually find yourself less and less dependant on that wall.

Concerned about compressing your neck and vertebrae while in Sirsasana? There are actually sophisticated props you can purchase to help you maximize the benefits of the posture. Gaiam has a "BodyLift" contraption on offer this week (just $99!) that can assist you with the posture. You avoid compressing the neck and can also use the prop as a mediation seat, but you will lose the benefit of pressure on the crown of your head (which stimulates circulation to the brain). Some people may find this pressure uncomfortable, so the "Body Lift" may be the prop for them. A video clip of the prop in action is linked below:
http://www.gaiam.com/text/videos/95-9225_video.html

Will you try a headstand this week? Are the holidays already turning you upside down enough? Maybe this will cancel it out and be just what you need to set your world right-side-up again...

The world looks different from upside down. Go ahead and give it a try!