mtcat

if i may offer my two cents, and yes, it’s only two cents, you are right about the ujayyi breathing being necessary in ashtanga to create the inner heat since the outside heat isn’t as intense. i learned recently from a hot yoga teacher (not a Bikram teacher) that the ujayyi breathing will basically get your blood “boiling,” to put it in ayurvedic terms and make your practice even hotter. she encouraged us to use silent breath for that reason alone. i know i am a blend between Vata and Pitta (cold and hot – again, ayurvedic terms) and once i use ujayyi breathing in Bikram (which i did early on in my practice), i start to overheat. also, if i hear other people breathing loudly, i find it really disheartening since it’s already hard enough and eventually, i start to take on the loud breather’s energy and slowly wither. i find that energy in the Bikram room is extremely delicate and the gentler the breathing, the stronger the practice for everyone.

my teacher also hosts a silent class every morning. it’s his own practice that, basically, all students are invited to attend. therefore, out of respect for his practice (he’s been a Bikram yogi for 30 years), i practice as silently as possible since he is an extremely quiet yogi. all i know is that Bikram encourages a quiet breath once the initial Pranayama is over. my theory, and i could be wrong, is that Pranayama gets everyone warmed up (in every sense of the word) and once that heat is induced, the quiet steady breathing helps us intensify and strengthen our poses. my teacher says, “your body should be hot while your mind and breath should be on ice.”

i hear ya. i’m sick with a head cold right now and will have missed about 5 days of yoga. however, i’m pretty sure it’s not the yoga that’s the problem. i was actually marveling for a good couple of months how i was NOT getting sick and was attributing it to the yoga. i’ve heard that this kind of yoga is great for repelling and squeezing out these toxins that cause colds/flus. i’m pretty certain my current cold is a result of being around people in my non-yoga life who have colds. so, not speaking from a scientific background, i’d say hot yoga is a cure not a cause but i could be totally wrong.

Thanks for your story! It really is inspiring as I prepare for Day 22 🙂