Day 14 - Bikram scares me, but hot yoga's cool

DAY 14 - May 23, 2011

I have a love-hate relationship with Bikram yoga. I love the heat, I love how it makes me all bendy and flexy, and I love how I am able to mold myself into positions I normally wouldn't deem fathomable. It's shocking how good it feels to practice in a room that has the equivalent temperature of a sauna, but trust me, its incredibly cleansing. Watching the beads of sweat drip off me onto my yogitoes towel below, makes me one happy gal. Afterwards, you feel like you had a facial, lost 5 lbs, and took a few shots of tequila. Sounds fun, no?

I dislike Bikram (hate is a strong word) because the studios are usually bright, you are usually staring at yourself in a mirror, and the instructors are, well, very stern. Yeah, stern, that's it. Ok, I'm not going to candycoat it - they like to yell at you. At least this has been my experience. While other forms of yoga will encourage you to "listen to your body" and "do the best you can", Bikram is a bit more in your face. I've been to classes where I wouldn't be surprised if the instructor pulled out a ruler and hit ya on the back of the hand, nun-style, if you didn't go deep enough. But there are many people out there that love this style of practice, and to each their own.

With all that said, I do like "Hot Hatha Yoga" or "Hot Yoga" classes. These classes tend to use the 26 traditional poses of the Bikram series as a foundation but build on them and add other poses that complement and expand the practice. And best of all they are generally more relaxed (this doesn't mean easy). I went to Alice Senko's Heated class at Samara yoga studio for my day 14 and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Alice is animated, energetic and you could tell how much she loves being an instructor. Being a newbie to her class, she made the effort to ask my name in the beginning of class and I was pleased when she didn't forget it (nice touch). She also has endearing quirks like saying "sof-ten" with the hard T sound and my fave "lit-trally", instead of "literally", like Rob Lowe's character on Parks and Recreation. [Sidenote - Watch Parks and Rec. You will not be disappointed.] The sequence was challenging, and by the end, I looked like a crazy lady with frizzed out hair and was dripping with sweat (think jumping into a pool with all your clothes on). But I was a happy lunatic, no doubt about that.

Day 14 overall: Got deeper into Hanumansana (full split), which I am stoked about (gotta love that heat). This hot yoga class reminded me of the days I would regularly take/teach hot yoga in NJ. Good old days.

Day 7 - Turning inward

DAY 7: May 16, 2011

Apparently, Boston is the new Seattle and it is going to rain FOR-EV-ER. When the weather is cold and damp, my body craaaaves heat so it was a no brainer when deciding where to go for class. I headed over to South Boston Yoga (SBY) for a Hot Yoga class with Joanne Flaherty. The hot yoga room at SBY is womb-like with heaters continually pumping warm air into the space. Lights were turned down low and candle lights flickered on the altar. The ambiance was super chill and I could have flowed through the whole class with eyes closed. Joanne mindfully guides students with her sultry voice and smooth way about her. I could almost picture her in an era passed, vibing to the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald in a jazz club, bourbon in hand.

My hips have been getting a lot of lovin' these days and this class was no different. I guess there is something about the spring that makes you want to loosen your groins. Wait, what?! But seriously, I could feel the progress that has been made in my body over the last few months of practicing, and in the last week in particular. I definitely have more mobility in my joints (hips included) and my overall strength is improving each day. Amazingly, I find that the more I open my body up, the easier it becomes to turn my focus inward. Finding space in the poses allows for a sense of freedom and, in turn, a sense of relaxation.

Being able to integrate an element of ease into the poses will transform your relationship with the asanas. I'll even be so bold as to go beyond that and say, try to bring an element of ease into everything you do. The breath is the key. You've heard it before, but that's because it is so true. When stress is overwhelming you, take a breath and allow yourself to feel the lightness in the body - even if just for a moment.

Day 7 overall: Felt like I got a big ol' yoga hug. Finally realized (after a week) why I have bruises on my triceps - bakasana (crow pose) is the culprit! Does this happen to anyone else?! I upped the spinach intake at dinner to prevent this from happening in the future.