Springtime

I also start lying down. Breathing, centering, getting used to the hot room once again.

I seriously go back and forth on this. If I don’t do the bikram TT, I cannot teach at any bikram studio. There’s a downside to that. And yet, I know I don’t want to say up all night listening to lectures I can do without, and not learning the things I really want to learn. Quite a quandary.

First I have to ask myself if I really want to teach. I think the answer is yes, I’m a teacher at heart. Then the question is where do I want to teach, what seems to open the most doors? Because they all seem to cost about the same if you divide the cost by the number of weeks.

Hard choices.

And yet, I do want to go to training somewhere sometime next year.

I don’t know if things have gotten any better for you. but I probably drink 2 liters of water before I go to class at 6am. And probably drink close to 6 – 8 liters per day.

I have a friend in my class who has gone to class basically daily for the last 6 months. And then one day she hit a wall somewhat like you’re hitting. She kept at it, not really doing anything differently, and it passed. The trouble is that the more it happens, the more you can expect it to happen, and then one starts telling oneself messages, which are not helpful — like your practice is “horrible”. It is what it is today. It may be the same tomorrow. And it may not be. Either way, I think doing some yoga is better than doing none at all.

Hoping it gets better for you soon…

I’ve experienced lots of different teachers. Even with those who teach the dialogue by rote I find that I can pay attention to those little details like tightening my butt or my thighs or… that are included in the dialogue. By focusing on those little details, where I know I can always do more and longer, where I know I have not “arrived” if there were such a thing, I keep it fresh even when it is the same thing over and over, and the teacher is uninspired and uninspiring.

I’m with Gabrielle on the stories I tell myself. For me, that is a part of this practice, to be more in control of, more aware of the stories I am telling myself, and whether those stories are working for me. Many times they are not, and so my work is to find new stories, new ways of looking at, perceiving what I am experiencing, ways which work for me. That mental work, for me, is a big part of the practice.

My best wishes for you.

There was a time when some of the more “upbeat” teachers, with their more aggressive styles agitated me a bit. But now that my practice is stronger I can continue to meditate no matter how irritating the tracher might be.

Sharonmarie — do you have a relaxer in your hair? I am black as well and practice 5+ days per week. But my hair is not processed and is rather short. I probably wash it once a week but rinse it every day.

I’m similar. But I figure if I lived in a hot country I’d be doing hot yoga all the time, due to heat and humidity. All the vata/pitta types can’t just up and leave India. That’s my rationale anyway.

One of the things I learned when losing weight was that most of us can’t tell the difference between being thirsty and being hungry. That we have lost the ability to understand the different impulses as they are sent to the brain. So what I started doing was making sure I ws eating what I needed, and then whenever I thought I was hungry, in addition to those eating times, I drank water. Lots of water. Lots and lots of water. Till the impulses were gone.

And I have over time recalibrated my body. I now know that I’m actually thirsty much of the time, rather than hungry.

Hi

Well, I’m moving into my 4th week of Bikram, going at least 5 times per week and I don’t think I’ve seen any changes. I’m trying to be patient, but feeling a little discouraged as I think I thought it would be drastic!

I was also hoping for the appetite changes, but I am still finding myself very hungry and not eating little as many Bikram regulars claim. I have spoken to a lot of instructors who say their appetite is now very suppressed…

Am I being impatient or is it unusual that I have not seen changes yet?

Thanks!

It’s toned my body all over.

I agree with the other two posters. Sounds like the place you like the most is the second one. Don’t second guess yourself. And if I were in your shoes I’d be going to the second one as well — I’ve been to many studios and will not return to a nasty one.

I have followed Gabriells’s advice and did not sit back until my butt finally rested on the ground. It has taken some time but gravity finally finished its work. In addition, I tried to sit in that upright position 4 minutes every night, just to help it all along. Worked for me.

I suppose it depends on what one sees as the purpose or desired “outcome” of ones practice. Having just lost 40 pounds working closely with a personal trainer I get the idea of diminishing returns — for me it meant that I could not work off the same number of calories if I didn’t change things up. So we worked on muscle confusion and the like because it made sense for my goals.

But for my yoga practice losing weight is not my goal. For me yoga is a form of meditation. Of being in the moment. I do it for centering, for grounding, and yes, to continue to expend energy through a physical practice. In terms of centering and grounding it doesn’t seem to me that the theory od diminishing returns is applicable. I don’t feel less grounded doing the same exact thing. I can sit and just follow my breath over and over and get a continued benefit.

The other thing I’d say is I never feel like I’m doing exactly the same thing. Get on a treadmill for 30 minutes and it feels the same each time. But every time I go into floor bow it is different. And I try to be aware of how different it is in each moment. It is always fresh for me.

Now I have also found that by doing the same positions each time I get to go a bit deeper, I’m not spending all of my time trying to figure out what the teacher is saying. I can be more present in my body while also paying attention to the teacher. At the beginning I’d say that 80% of my attention was on trying to understand the instructions. Now probably 20% of my attention is on the teacher. For my purposes, for the meditation of it all, this is a good thing.

Of course it isn’t for everyone. Really depends on why you might be doing yoga.

Thanks so much for sharing. I have some fears about my hips and knees and it’s really encouraging to know that you can continue your practice. That it evolves but doesn’t have to end. Again, thanks for sharing.