I made my very first attempt at hot yoga today. It was challenging in
ways I hadn't expected. The yoga practice itself was not different at
all from your average vinyasa flow class but the heat! Oh my the heat! I
found it hard to simply breathe. Even in a relaxing posture like child's
pose, I was straining to fill my lungs with oxygen. The simplest task became difficult.
There is something strange about the way the mind works against you in a steamy 109 degree room. At the 10 minute mark I began thinking about quitting. I was unable to focus on the task at hand. I was shiftily looking around at other class participants to gauge if they were thinking the same thing.
5 more minutes pass, I'm just standing there holding my arms up. I am fatigued and I decide to take an unscheduled water break.
A few more minutes pass, others in the class begin working at their own pace, taking frequent breaks and resting from time to time. Great! I can get on board with this. Or maybe I could just roll up my mat and go...
Then we enter into a Downward facing dog. The go-to yoga posture. The most frequently used pose in yoga: hands on the ground, feet on the ground, bum toward the sky. Simple. Or wait, no, what? The instructor had come over to correct me. Excuse me? This is basic - I can't possibly need assistance here... but I guess I did. What just happened?
In the middle of this self inflicted torture I came to a realization. It was one of those "ah-ha" moments that comes along every once and a while. I was dwelling on the heat. I was infatuated with the temperature, my labored breathing and sweaty limbs. I had forgotten to pay attention to the simple movement I have practiced countless times in the past. I needed to calm my mind and simply focus on my practice.
Calming the mind is a basic directive of Yoga. I often experience difficulty in purging my mental flow of rampant thoughts in a yoga sesh. "What will I have for dinner tonight?"" How crazy was that Super Bowl Last night?" "I wonder what my boyfriend is doing right now?" "I think my yoga mat smells like rubber I wonder if it is from recycled tires?" "How do you recycle tires?"and so on. That is my usual thought progression today it was something like this:
"WOW, this room is warm. I'm probably going to sweat more than normal. Ok class is starting, she has asked us to start our breathing. Whoa breathing is hard in here. Seriously, should it be easier? I wonder if I might have a minor asthma problem? Ok we're moving now, interesting, maybe she will just take it easy on us. Nope, not at all, it's a regular class and I can't breathe. Maybe this is too intense for me, I'm a little rusty anyway - I've only been to a handful of classes lately. I've always been a Nancy. Suck it up - you can do this. No, quitting is a much better idea. I should really consider my health here. What if I pass out from the heat like that time I passed out in the shower in 6th grade and the doctor said it was because the water was too hot. Yeah, I'm probably sensitive to heat. I should get the heck out of here. This is dangerous for me. Look, that guy over there is taking a break - I bet he wants to quit too. Maybe if he leaves I will just follow him out the door. OMG two drops of sweat just suicide leaped from my forehead and landed on my yoga mat. I'm so embarassed I'm so sweaty. The girl in the back is just sitting now - perfect. Maybe I should sit and let this sweating subside. The instructor wants us to do a downward facing dog now - Ok that should be easy enough... maybe. Ew, every ounce of me is sweating right now. I am literally dripping. Ugh I can't stand this. My legs feel a little shaky, maybe I should have eaten before class. Maybe that means i'm about to pass out - I should probably get up and walk out now. Two more breaths and maybe the next instruction will be sit down. Why is someone touching my arm. Oh it's the instructor. She must be new - why is she correcting me. Nope, she is right, that is bad form. What am I doing!!!
That was the breakthrough moment - that was the very instant that I realized that the heat is just like all of the other thoughts that pass through my brain. It is a distraction. It is keeping me from finding peace and clarity. It is distracting me from the task at hand. I realized that if I could conquer my thoughts in this moment, surely I would be stronger mentally tomorrow than I was earlier today. And if I were to continue to practice hot yoga - who knows how much I might grow?
So some may practice this way to clear their pores or to increase their endurance in heat or simply because they are masochists but for me - I will continue this practice as a brain training exercise. I will learn to conquer my subconscious stream and I will find clarity.
Revelations like this are why I practice yoga!
~Namaste~
(Childs pose image via Kristin McGee on HuffPost Healthy Living)
5 more minutes pass, I'm just standing there holding my arms up. I am fatigued and I decide to take an unscheduled water break.
(Image via Katie Paul of Head.Heart.Health)
A few more minutes pass, others in the class begin working at their own pace, taking frequent breaks and resting from time to time. Great! I can get on board with this. Or maybe I could just roll up my mat and go...
Then we enter into a Downward facing dog. The go-to yoga posture. The most frequently used pose in yoga: hands on the ground, feet on the ground, bum toward the sky. Simple. Or wait, no, what? The instructor had come over to correct me. Excuse me? This is basic - I can't possibly need assistance here... but I guess I did. What just happened?
(Downward Facing Dog image via Kristin McGee on HuffPost Healthy Living)
In the middle of this self inflicted torture I came to a realization. It was one of those "ah-ha" moments that comes along every once and a while. I was dwelling on the heat. I was infatuated with the temperature, my labored breathing and sweaty limbs. I had forgotten to pay attention to the simple movement I have practiced countless times in the past. I needed to calm my mind and simply focus on my practice.
Calming the mind is a basic directive of Yoga. I often experience difficulty in purging my mental flow of rampant thoughts in a yoga sesh. "What will I have for dinner tonight?"" How crazy was that Super Bowl Last night?" "I wonder what my boyfriend is doing right now?" "I think my yoga mat smells like rubber I wonder if it is from recycled tires?" "How do you recycle tires?"and so on. That is my usual thought progression today it was something like this:
"WOW, this room is warm. I'm probably going to sweat more than normal. Ok class is starting, she has asked us to start our breathing. Whoa breathing is hard in here. Seriously, should it be easier? I wonder if I might have a minor asthma problem? Ok we're moving now, interesting, maybe she will just take it easy on us. Nope, not at all, it's a regular class and I can't breathe. Maybe this is too intense for me, I'm a little rusty anyway - I've only been to a handful of classes lately. I've always been a Nancy. Suck it up - you can do this. No, quitting is a much better idea. I should really consider my health here. What if I pass out from the heat like that time I passed out in the shower in 6th grade and the doctor said it was because the water was too hot. Yeah, I'm probably sensitive to heat. I should get the heck out of here. This is dangerous for me. Look, that guy over there is taking a break - I bet he wants to quit too. Maybe if he leaves I will just follow him out the door. OMG two drops of sweat just suicide leaped from my forehead and landed on my yoga mat. I'm so embarassed I'm so sweaty. The girl in the back is just sitting now - perfect. Maybe I should sit and let this sweating subside. The instructor wants us to do a downward facing dog now - Ok that should be easy enough... maybe. Ew, every ounce of me is sweating right now. I am literally dripping. Ugh I can't stand this. My legs feel a little shaky, maybe I should have eaten before class. Maybe that means i'm about to pass out - I should probably get up and walk out now. Two more breaths and maybe the next instruction will be sit down. Why is someone touching my arm. Oh it's the instructor. She must be new - why is she correcting me. Nope, she is right, that is bad form. What am I doing!!!
(image via Yoga District)
That was the breakthrough moment - that was the very instant that I realized that the heat is just like all of the other thoughts that pass through my brain. It is a distraction. It is keeping me from finding peace and clarity. It is distracting me from the task at hand. I realized that if I could conquer my thoughts in this moment, surely I would be stronger mentally tomorrow than I was earlier today. And if I were to continue to practice hot yoga - who knows how much I might grow?
So some may practice this way to clear their pores or to increase their endurance in heat or simply because they are masochists but for me - I will continue this practice as a brain training exercise. I will learn to conquer my subconscious stream and I will find clarity.
Revelations like this are why I practice yoga!
~Namaste~
No comments:
Post a Comment