Last night I went to my very first Bikram yoga class. My boyfriend had work yesterday, and my living situation right now is really, REALLY stressful, so I was determined to find something to do out of the house. I’ve been searching for a yoga studio close to where I work for a few weeks now with no luck. For some reason I didn’t even consider studios around where I actually live until last night and I am SO upset it took me this long to find a place to take classes because IT. WAS. AWESOME.
I think part of the reason I loved it so much was just because I haven’t really spoken to anyone outside of my coworkers, customers and my boyfriend for a LONG while now. It has been so hard on me to not really have any friends in Memphis. Whatever the reason, I’m hooked. I’m only going to be in Memphis for two more weeks but I bought a new student unlimited pass for way cheap and I’m going to go as many times as possible. Luckily, there is a studio in Oxford that offers Ashtanga AND Bikram classes, so this is definitely something I’m going to continue to pursue when I move. I love doing my Ashtanga primary with Kino, but I know if I plan on seriously going forward with Ashtanga I need an instructor’s guidance.
Anyway, back to the class. It was hot. I was so unprepared for how hot that room was. It reminds me of hot Mississippi summers when you just walk outside and start sweating. I was sweating on parts of my body I didn’t think possible. There were a few points that I had to just stand and take a few deep breaths, but I would say I kept up with the class pretty spectacularly for it being my first time. For a while during the class I wasn’t completely sold on it, but after we finished I knew 100% I would be going back. In fact, I’m going back tonight.
I recently read an article (that I absolutely cannot find right now) about being comfortable with whatever “is” at the present moment. Not expecting anything one way or the other, just noticing what is happening and accepting it as it is. That article stuck with me when I read it, but I don’t think I really understood until last night in class. I mean, it was HOT. Incredibly, uncomfortably hot. I spent the first twenty minutes just thinking about how hot it was. But at some point, I said to myself that yes, it was hot, it was going to stay hot and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it except leave, which I had decided not to do. That meant that I had to stop fighting against the heat and just let it be. I had to let myself just be. And I did. And it was awesome.
Tales of an Ashtangi 