I have been accused of taking up new sports or activities simply so that I can have an excuse to shop for new clothes and gear for that sport or activity. I am not sure that is accurate but I will say that yoga clothes are pretty darn cute.
I recently started going to Bikram Yoga on a regular basis. My first Bikram Yoga class was when my son was 5. That would be 7 years ago if my math is right. Damn I’m getting old. Anyway, I would never have gone had it not been for my law firm at the time deciding that we all needed a little stress relief. A Bikram Yoga studio had just opened in Reno. They gave every employee class cards for 10 classes at a time and I figured I would give it a try. I honestly don’t remember much about my first class or the 20 classes I took back then. I remember it was hot. I remember that I had spots on my face for about a week. I later found out those spots were the bad toxins in my system working their way out of my polluted body. I guess that’s a good thing. My Bikram Yoga career was tragically short. I was a newly single mom to a kindergartener. I was working full time. I was fat and didn't know how essential exercise was to a healthy life. I didn’t exactly have a lot of time for 90 minutes of yoga on a regular basis. Now Bikram says things like “If you don’t have time in your life for yoga, change your life.” I thought at the time, "Yeah right Bikram…are you available to baby-sit?"
I returned to Bikram Yoga at the urging of my best friend Krista about two years ago. I had just given up martial arts and was looking for a sport where people weren’t always trying to hit me. No one tries to put you in an arm bar at yoga. There are no thai kicks, no roundhouses to the head, no body jabs. I love that about yoga. But I digress… I was hooked again. I went faithfully about 5-6 days a week. I lost a lot of weight and felt better about myself and life than I had in a long time. I bought the special super cute towel with the grippers that fits perfectly on your mat and doesn’t make your feet slip. Although based on a recent lecture from Stefan I realize that these towels may be a form of cheating. Something to do with a lack of inner thigh strength? I’m not sure but the towels are so cute that I have 3. I kept it up for a good 5 months. I was faithful. I was devoted. My heart belonged to Bikram Choudry. Then, of course, my life got in the way. My son, 11 at the time, needed surgery (nothing major but when it is your kid it is always major) and once again I thought to myself, “if you don’t have time for yoga in your life, change your life”. Again I thought to myself, “Ok Bikram, are you available to sit at the hospital or on the couch watching a sick kid?” That’s what I thought…
The thing with Bikram Yoga is once you get out of the routine, it is really hard to go back. You know after being gone a while the weird spots will come back on your face. The excruciating headache will return in the dreaded Camel pose. You know that the triangle really sucks when you haven’t been there for a while. And then there is the thought that those super cute yoga shorts just might not be as cute on you after a yoga hiatus.
Fast forward to November of 2010. I was driving in the car and literally said to myself, “I need to go to hot yoga”. It was the strangest thing. I knew I needed to go. I knew. I said to my boyfriend “I can feel the pollution in my brain, in my blood, pulsing through my body. I’m a big fat polluted person!”
The very next day I found my way back to Bikram Yoga. One pair of my super cute yoga shorts still fit so I put them on, took a deep breath and went back to the mat. I will admit that I was a little crushed when one of my favorite teachers didn’t remember me (thanks Barry) but, I suppose, that’s what I get for being unfaithful.
I have been faithfully going to Bikram Yoga 4-5 times a week. I long for the day that I can do a 30 day challenge and go everyday. But for now, I have enough challenges in my life. I look forward to seeing Susana (the cutest little thing ever) with a different yoga outfit for everyday of the week. Where does she shop? Must be on-line. My heart smiles when Eric is the teacher because he recites poetry at the end. Eric is the only person in my life who recites poetry. How great is that! Stefan scares me a little bit because he gave a pretty hash lecture about the hazards of cheating by moving your towel so you feet don’t slip. Apparently Bikram doesn’t like cheaters. But I like his tattoos and his sense of humor when he isn’t being a yoga hard ass.
I know Bikram Choudry sometimes gets a bad rap. He is frowned on for having too many cars and living a lavish lifestyle in Beverly Hills. He is condemned, in essence, for shopping too much. Seriously? He is questioned for his decision to copyright his yoga postures. The attorney in me is all for copyrights. Why wouldn’t he do everything he can to have his intellectual property protected? Bikram Yoga is accused of not being “real yoga”. Well it feels real to me in the middle of the balancing stick in 105 degree heat.
I am committed for the long run. I no longer need Bikram to baby-sit because my son is growing up way too fast. My cute shorts all fit again. I’m not spotted like a leopard because a fair amount of my polluted soul has been cleaned. The headaches have gone away. I still dread the camel pose but I know someday soon I will look forward to it. I actually love the heat. I admire my fellow yogis that show up everyday. Eric’s poetry makes my heart happy. This is definitely about more than having an excuse to buy new clothes and gear. This is a lifestyle thing. I’m in it for the long haul…cute shorts, cute towels and all.
I recently started going to Bikram Yoga on a regular basis. My first Bikram Yoga class was when my son was 5. That would be 7 years ago if my math is right. Damn I’m getting old. Anyway, I would never have gone had it not been for my law firm at the time deciding that we all needed a little stress relief. A Bikram Yoga studio had just opened in Reno. They gave every employee class cards for 10 classes at a time and I figured I would give it a try. I honestly don’t remember much about my first class or the 20 classes I took back then. I remember it was hot. I remember that I had spots on my face for about a week. I later found out those spots were the bad toxins in my system working their way out of my polluted body. I guess that’s a good thing. My Bikram Yoga career was tragically short. I was a newly single mom to a kindergartener. I was working full time. I was fat and didn't know how essential exercise was to a healthy life. I didn’t exactly have a lot of time for 90 minutes of yoga on a regular basis. Now Bikram says things like “If you don’t have time in your life for yoga, change your life.” I thought at the time, "Yeah right Bikram…are you available to baby-sit?"
I returned to Bikram Yoga at the urging of my best friend Krista about two years ago. I had just given up martial arts and was looking for a sport where people weren’t always trying to hit me. No one tries to put you in an arm bar at yoga. There are no thai kicks, no roundhouses to the head, no body jabs. I love that about yoga. But I digress… I was hooked again. I went faithfully about 5-6 days a week. I lost a lot of weight and felt better about myself and life than I had in a long time. I bought the special super cute towel with the grippers that fits perfectly on your mat and doesn’t make your feet slip. Although based on a recent lecture from Stefan I realize that these towels may be a form of cheating. Something to do with a lack of inner thigh strength? I’m not sure but the towels are so cute that I have 3. I kept it up for a good 5 months. I was faithful. I was devoted. My heart belonged to Bikram Choudry. Then, of course, my life got in the way. My son, 11 at the time, needed surgery (nothing major but when it is your kid it is always major) and once again I thought to myself, “if you don’t have time for yoga in your life, change your life”. Again I thought to myself, “Ok Bikram, are you available to sit at the hospital or on the couch watching a sick kid?” That’s what I thought…
The thing with Bikram Yoga is once you get out of the routine, it is really hard to go back. You know after being gone a while the weird spots will come back on your face. The excruciating headache will return in the dreaded Camel pose. You know that the triangle really sucks when you haven’t been there for a while. And then there is the thought that those super cute yoga shorts just might not be as cute on you after a yoga hiatus.
Fast forward to November of 2010. I was driving in the car and literally said to myself, “I need to go to hot yoga”. It was the strangest thing. I knew I needed to go. I knew. I said to my boyfriend “I can feel the pollution in my brain, in my blood, pulsing through my body. I’m a big fat polluted person!”
The very next day I found my way back to Bikram Yoga. One pair of my super cute yoga shorts still fit so I put them on, took a deep breath and went back to the mat. I will admit that I was a little crushed when one of my favorite teachers didn’t remember me (thanks Barry) but, I suppose, that’s what I get for being unfaithful.
I have been faithfully going to Bikram Yoga 4-5 times a week. I long for the day that I can do a 30 day challenge and go everyday. But for now, I have enough challenges in my life. I look forward to seeing Susana (the cutest little thing ever) with a different yoga outfit for everyday of the week. Where does she shop? Must be on-line. My heart smiles when Eric is the teacher because he recites poetry at the end. Eric is the only person in my life who recites poetry. How great is that! Stefan scares me a little bit because he gave a pretty hash lecture about the hazards of cheating by moving your towel so you feet don’t slip. Apparently Bikram doesn’t like cheaters. But I like his tattoos and his sense of humor when he isn’t being a yoga hard ass.
I know Bikram Choudry sometimes gets a bad rap. He is frowned on for having too many cars and living a lavish lifestyle in Beverly Hills. He is condemned, in essence, for shopping too much. Seriously? He is questioned for his decision to copyright his yoga postures. The attorney in me is all for copyrights. Why wouldn’t he do everything he can to have his intellectual property protected? Bikram Yoga is accused of not being “real yoga”. Well it feels real to me in the middle of the balancing stick in 105 degree heat.
I am committed for the long run. I no longer need Bikram to baby-sit because my son is growing up way too fast. My cute shorts all fit again. I’m not spotted like a leopard because a fair amount of my polluted soul has been cleaned. The headaches have gone away. I still dread the camel pose but I know someday soon I will look forward to it. I actually love the heat. I admire my fellow yogis that show up everyday. Eric’s poetry makes my heart happy. This is definitely about more than having an excuse to buy new clothes and gear. This is a lifestyle thing. I’m in it for the long haul…cute shorts, cute towels and all.
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