I've been doing Bikram Yoga for about 5 years now. Bikram Yoga is a form of hatha yoga which is practiced in a heated room with a temperature somewhere between 105-111 degrees. There are 26 asanas (postures) and the class lasts for an hour an a half. I fell in love with doing yoga from the moment I started. Today I followed my Sunday ritual and went to the 10am class. When I got to the class, I was truly grateful for being there. I said my silent prayer of gratitude and asked God to guide me and help me in whatever struggles I may encounter in the class and in life as a whole.
The class today seemed hotter than usual to me. I struggled through the last 1/2 hour of the class and tried to push myself as much as I could. At some points during the class I became antsy and I felt like screaming because I was panicking inside. It was a very weird feeling for me. So I tried to gather my thoughts and had to talk myself into becoming calm again. One of my favorite poses is the ustrasana/camel pose. This pose can be very difficult for people and has been known to provide an emotional release for individuals during the class. Many people cry and often have inexplicable feelings during this pose. I have to be honest and say that before I did this pose, I hesitated a little. I didn't know if I could handle it. So I said I would try the first set and I did. I went into my pose and when I expected that I was going to break my posture, I kept pushing back until I got it. That one time took so much out of me that I could not do the second set but oddly enough I was pleased with myself for managing to do the first one. After this effort, the class was almost over and I made it through.
In the locker area, some participants will sit by the water cooler to compose themselves. I took my usual seat on the wooden floor and tried again to gather myself. One by one people came into the room and began to talk. They were all saying that they felt as though the class was more difficult this time. One lady who was sitting next to me stated that she felt herself becoming anxious inside during the last part of the class. Thank God! Just when I began to feel as if I was going crazy, someone confirmed that I wasn't. It seemed that all of us were feeling the same emotions inside but we kept pushing just to get through. That's when I truly realized that yoga is a metaphor for life.
In life, we all get to points where we are exhausted and even driven to the point of tears. We all have to make the decision to either push through it or give up. As with some of the poses, that's what has to happen in yoga. Some poses in yoga I love to do and some I absolutely despise. The same with life. There are some experiences that I love and some that I don't like at all. In both areas of my life, I choose to fight through them despite what the outcome may be. There are times when I think I am going to pass out in yoga class (literally) but I don't. There are times in life when I feel that I am going to pass out from exhaustion, but I don't. The good thing is that I keep going back to yoga class because of the way I feel after the experience not during it. Unfortunately, when this life is over, I can't choose to come back to this experience because I liked it so much. So i have no choice but to enjoy it now, which I do. The thing is that I have to remember to keep pushing through the hard times and when they are over, I will feel better and renewed. What I also realized is that during class there are some people who have great strength and flexibility in their poses and there are others who have to still try very hard to manipulate their bodies to get into certain postures. In the end when we were talking we all experienced the same feelings but we didn't even know it. We are all different in some ways but we are more alike in others. The commonality is that we all kept pushing.
I am somewhere in the middle with my yoga practice. In some areas I am strong and in some areas I am weak. All I know is that I will keep trying my postures until I get them the right way and how I want them. This same philosophy applies to my life as well.
The class today seemed hotter than usual to me. I struggled through the last 1/2 hour of the class and tried to push myself as much as I could. At some points during the class I became antsy and I felt like screaming because I was panicking inside. It was a very weird feeling for me. So I tried to gather my thoughts and had to talk myself into becoming calm again. One of my favorite poses is the ustrasana/camel pose. This pose can be very difficult for people and has been known to provide an emotional release for individuals during the class. Many people cry and often have inexplicable feelings during this pose. I have to be honest and say that before I did this pose, I hesitated a little. I didn't know if I could handle it. So I said I would try the first set and I did. I went into my pose and when I expected that I was going to break my posture, I kept pushing back until I got it. That one time took so much out of me that I could not do the second set but oddly enough I was pleased with myself for managing to do the first one. After this effort, the class was almost over and I made it through.
In the locker area, some participants will sit by the water cooler to compose themselves. I took my usual seat on the wooden floor and tried again to gather myself. One by one people came into the room and began to talk. They were all saying that they felt as though the class was more difficult this time. One lady who was sitting next to me stated that she felt herself becoming anxious inside during the last part of the class. Thank God! Just when I began to feel as if I was going crazy, someone confirmed that I wasn't. It seemed that all of us were feeling the same emotions inside but we kept pushing just to get through. That's when I truly realized that yoga is a metaphor for life.
In life, we all get to points where we are exhausted and even driven to the point of tears. We all have to make the decision to either push through it or give up. As with some of the poses, that's what has to happen in yoga. Some poses in yoga I love to do and some I absolutely despise. The same with life. There are some experiences that I love and some that I don't like at all. In both areas of my life, I choose to fight through them despite what the outcome may be. There are times when I think I am going to pass out in yoga class (literally) but I don't. There are times in life when I feel that I am going to pass out from exhaustion, but I don't. The good thing is that I keep going back to yoga class because of the way I feel after the experience not during it. Unfortunately, when this life is over, I can't choose to come back to this experience because I liked it so much. So i have no choice but to enjoy it now, which I do. The thing is that I have to remember to keep pushing through the hard times and when they are over, I will feel better and renewed. What I also realized is that during class there are some people who have great strength and flexibility in their poses and there are others who have to still try very hard to manipulate their bodies to get into certain postures. In the end when we were talking we all experienced the same feelings but we didn't even know it. We are all different in some ways but we are more alike in others. The commonality is that we all kept pushing.
I am somewhere in the middle with my yoga practice. In some areas I am strong and in some areas I am weak. All I know is that I will keep trying my postures until I get them the right way and how I want them. This same philosophy applies to my life as well.
I liked this post!!
ReplyDeleteI have just started with my yoga exercises. I'm doing Yoga Basics and Restorative Yoga. I'm enjoying the process and learning new things, breathing, stretching and centering myself.
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYay!Let me know how you like it as you get more into it. You should also try Bikram Yoga. You may like it as well!