follow your heart
more folk art as displayed on the side of the follow your heart action network van. i love this message. in case you forgot, this truck drives donations from santa cruz to new orleans. to bad he can’t drive to haiti. wow, that is an unfortunate state of affairs down there.
i love that twitter keeps me up to date on bikram practises across the country. bex in mass had a not so humid class, mindy in colo had a perfect class, hot, humid and just right! here on the stoney shore, it was plenty humid, but not so much on the hot side. it was a great class though—juicy enough with great pace and dialogue. mmmmmm, been feeling so strong lately. everyday, it seems i’m getting a better stretch than the day before and hearing little pops in places that i din’t know about. today, during pranayama, i felt a little “pop” in my left torso that felt “oh so new to me.”
i sound like a broken record, but bikram really does change your body. i find myself correcting my posture almost constantly, reinforcing the work i did earlier in the hot room, bringing my bikram posture into my real life. things that used to feel so comfortable are starting to feel strange. ever since i can remember, i’ve liked curling in bed on my side, but that’s an easy way for me to hunch in my shoulder and it hasn’t felt as natural as it used to. my bikram posture isn’t liking it one bit and begs for that savasana position. this is proof to me that bikram works and it’s based on one of the basics….
beginner’s advice to bikram yoga pt. 12
stick with it. you’re not gonna see results right away. how long have you been living without bikram? you’re not gonna get fixed overnight. i look at it like this, 36 years of bad posture compared to 2.5 years of healing, how much progress do you want in a week? a month? keep coming back as often as you can, once a week, 3 times a week or everyday, you’ll notice a difference not only in your practise but also in your real life. maintain a regular practise and you *will* see results. see you tomorrow ~m
Tags: art, bikram newbie, leica, santa cruz photographs
January 13th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
It’s always a great to remember that progress is not instantaneous. Thanks. I’m also trying to accept the idea that progress can be represented in ways that initially seem not so good. I also had the sleep thing change! I was always a fetal sleeper, and now I usually sleep lying flat on my back. Sign of progress, right? ;-)
January 14th, 2010 at 9:32 am
YES! Being consistent in the practice is exactly right! That’s when things will click.
January 14th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Have you tried other kinds of yoga? I love my bikram, but have been dabbling in some vinyasa…never tried it before…the jury is still out. ~M~
January 14th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I realize M’s question was probably not directed right at me, but I feel compelled to answer :-) I practiced Ashtanga (traditional first series) pretty regularly from the time I was 16-27. I felt like it increased my flexibility like nobody’s business, but I didn’t feel strong, centered, or lean. Also, the endless sun salutations got a little boring.
Like I said, though, great for flexibility. Haven’t had such flexible hammies since I switched to Bikram. What’s the jury currently deliberating? :-)
January 14th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I do love the sense of peace and accomplishment after a good bikram practice, but the drippy wet thing is a little much on a daily basis Mckinley’s blog inspires me to continue, but I thought I would check out some other types of yoga. Bikram is all I’m really familiar with and I have to admit the flexibility and balance I have acquired through bikram is amazing. sooo that is what the jury is deliberating….thanks for giving me your thoughts, ETY ~M~
January 14th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
hey ety, have you ditched your pillow yet? i’m thinking of losing mine, not sure though. i’m also super glad to hear about your yoga experiences. i’ve never done any other kind of yoga except for a few months flirtation with fit tv’s namaste yoga series. don’t laugh! i’ve been thinking about trying vinyasa as well, but still haven’t gotten around to it. in the time i’ve been practising at the studio, i’ve seen some regulars switch to other yogas, but most seem to come back to bikram.
hey trace!! i’m sure a lot of my stuff is preaching to the choir for you, but i love to hear from you!
so excited to hear from all of you actually, the dialogue that goes on here sometimes is better than i could have ever imagined.
January 14th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Thanks, M, and ~M. Not laughin’. :-) And the Ashtanga-derived vinyasa yoga can be great! Very smooth, beautiful practice. It just didn’t quiet my mind.
I haven’t ditched the pillow yet. My reacher recommended it, but I’m scared to! It is pretty thin, though.
I love the ETY abbreviation! I should have people call me that in real life.
January 15th, 2010 at 7:43 am
You totally just made me have an epiphany! For *YEARS* I have been the “ham” in the “japanese ham sandwich” between my bf and my cat…lying on my side, spoonish position, no room for light or air. For the past few months, though, we have been in a nighttime struggle, because I just want to sleep on my back (IN SAVASANA!)and the bf (and the cat!) do not like this new change. I never connected that this started when I went back to practicing Bikram regularly…or connected it to the fact that my posture is trying to better itself…huh.
January 16th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
funny, bex, my right shoulder is so hunched in because for 10 years i slept with a cat cradled in my arm. even when i’m flat on my back, my tendency is to hunch in that shoulder!
yup, if you do it enough, bikram posture wants to take over your whole life. it’s a part of being physically healthy, but doesn’t make for good snuggling, does it?