The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Hot Yoga Facts
Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
in reply to: Bikram Yoga and Philosophy #3310
Thanks again, Rebecca, for your articulate and insightful comments. I agree with you regarding the cumulative effect of the heat and learning to tolerate it, and I also agree that, if students are not to the point of either throwing up or passing out, their primary goal should be to stay in the room, in order that they can acclimate, even if this means they need to lie or sit down during various poses. Of course, as you noted, staying in the room also enables them to experience the “woo-woo” effect, which is both intoxicating, addictive, and will keep them coming back for more—until they start to question whether they’re supposed to be listening to Bikram or to their bodies. Perhaps this is precisely wherein the conundrum lies: if you’re addicted, you no longer listen to your body, you no longer want to listen to it—you just want to get high (“woo-woo”). This, in turn, is exactly what fuels the Bikram empire: addiction to the high, regardless of what your body is telling you. To get someone addicted, however, you have to keep her in the room; hence: “If you’re throwing up, no problem. Just get it over with and get back in here.”
As you noted, this isn’t to say or imply anything bad about Bikram himself. After reading his books, I don’t think he’s either nefarious or conniving. He simply knows that, with respect to the heat + yoga + “woo-woo,” he has a winning combination. Also, I wonder if there have been any studies done in which the chemicals released in the brain while doing Bikram yoga are examined. I think such a study would be fascinating. I suspect that the amount and quality of endorphins released may well be similar to the chemicals swirling around in someone’s head after taking heroin.
Last, as you indicated, the yoga component of Bikram yoga keeps the parts well lubricated. In this respect, I think there’s one more point to keep in mind. The yoga that Bikram teaches isn’t his, per se; it’s his guru’s. Without doubt, I believe that Bikram’s guru was a remarkable man and that it is this remarkableness/power that comes through in Bikram’s yoga. Bikram is, without question, a well-trained yogi. He is not, however, a guru—that was his guru’s job. What Bikram did was take his guru’s-infused yoga and find a way to market it. As to this I’m not passing judgment; I am, however, re-emphasizing the same point: Bikram’s yoga is a product and, as with any product, one must listen to one’s body to decide when, whether, and how to continue using it.
Thanks, Rebecca, for your responses.
–Sarah
in reply to: Bikram Yoga and Philosophy #3307Hi, Rebecca, and thanks for your thoughtful response. Let me give three examples of what’s been on my mind and, if you have additional comments, I’d be interested in reading them.
First, you noted that Bikram instructors tell students that they should lie down and rest if they need to. This is true. They also tell them only to go as far into a posture as is comfortable. However, when some students (primarily the new ones) feel that they really can’t stay in the room any longer–maybe they even need to leave because they feel overwhelmed–my instructors haggle them: “Before you leave, just try to stay in the room. Lie down, sit down, but stay with us.” New students are told beforehand that the initial goal is simply to stay in the room. If, however, they know this but really feel they can’t stay, let them leave, and let them go in peace, without the haggling. Maybe Bikram yoga, at this point in time, isn’t right for them. That’s fine. Their bodies are telling them to leave and, if they’re allowed to do so without being made to feel guilty, perhaps they will return when they have processed their initial Bikram yoga experience. By haggling them, however, the instructors are effectively saying, “Don’t listen to your body, listen to me.” Or, because instructors are taught to say such things, what they’re really saying is, “Don’t listen to me, listen to what Bikram told me to tell you, even though he’s not here, has no idea who you are, and has no way of knowing what you’re feeling.”
Second, last week a new student had to leave class quickly because she was nauseous and had to throw up. She didn’t quite make it to the bathroom, and the instructor’s comment was, “Not to worry. It’s kust all the bad stuff coming up.” Maybe that’s true, but this is a woman who’s not feeling well, whose body is telling her that, at this time, the yoga is too much, and who’s nonetheless being told to return to continue class! Once again: a disconnect between what’s happening with the people in the room and the dialogue/mantra that’s been programmed into the instructor’s head.
Third, a new instructor recently commented, “When you do this (Bikram) yoga, you surrender your will to the dialogue, which tells you what to do.” What?! I’m not surrendering my will, I’m doing yoga. I respond to the dialogue, find the place where my mind and body meet, and enjoy the pose. This has nothing to do with surrendering my will. From where are people getting these ideas?
The above are examples of what worry me vis-à-vis the disconnect between the dialogue/commentary that Bikram yoga instructors are taught and the reality of what’s really going on—with living, breathing people—in class.
Any thoughts?
–S
-
AuthorPosts
