3 years, and more than 600 classes ago, Bikram yoga began to change my life. I can still remember how right that very first class felt. That hasn't changed. Practicing yoga is still one of the most important activities I engage in each day. I arrange almost all other activities so that I can practice each morning.
After twenty years of cycling I had reduced mobility in my hips, shoulders, and neck. I didn't recover quickly from back spasms associated with over-exertion. I had pain in many of my joints and was getting burned out with cycling.
I had hoped to find a low-impact aerobic exercise that focused on stretching but didn't really expect to find anything. When a friend told me about Bikram I was intrigued, and thought I might as well try it. Somehow I knew it was right for me even when I could only think about getting out of that room as soon as possible. Stay two minutes at the end of class to relax? What the..? They have got to be kidding. Maybe I could relax on a nice cold floor instead. As my practice improves by listening to those little hints Stacy and Sherry provide each day, I no longer have days when I want to run screaming from the room.
As my flexibility and balance have improved I have noticed a corresponding improvement in my outlook and relationships. I have become more patient and much less apt to plan each day. Letting it go feels pretty good. There is an expression "when the student is ready, the teacher appears". The equivalent for me in yoga is "when the mind is ready, the words are heard". Even though we hear the same instructions every class, there are those days of head-slapping epiphanies; concentrate on your breath, balance your weight on your feet, lock your knees, suck in your stomach, don't fidget between postures, focus on yourself in the mirror. It is astonishing that you can hear the instructions every day and until finally one day you actually hear them, incorporate them, and wonder why it took so long.
Since that first day, I have developed significantly greater flexibility, balance, and strength. When I began I couldn't hold my arms over my head for 30 seconds let alone press my biceps to my ears, lock my elbows, and press my palms together. I couldn't bend over and move my knees. I could bend over or move my knees. Not both at the same time. I couldn't stand on one leg without hopping around. And I certainly couldn't lie on the floor for 2 minutes relaxing. While I still have tremendous room for improvement in all my postures, the progress I have made and the lessons I have learned enable me to more thoroughly enjoy my other physical activities without fear of injury.
Much to my surprise, however, I discovered that there are hidden costs to yoga. Costs that aren't discussed. After several months of practicing yoga I was invited to an event that required a dress shirt. When I went to put one on it didn't fit. I thought it must have shrunk so I put on another and then another until I had tried all my dress shirts. All of them couldn't have shrunk! The only possible explanation was that relaxing the muscles in my shoulders and back must have elongated my arms. So, take heed, yoga may change your size and shape and lead to the purchase of new clothes!
- Bruce Rosenstiel
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