DAY 64: Just BREATHE

Author: thedancingj /

Listen...

There is really only one rule for Bikram yoga: breathe.

Forget all those other rules.

You've heard those rules, right?  Don't drink your water now.  Drink your water now.  No, not now!  Don't touch the door.  Ok, touch the door if you have to, but only at this one time.  Don't scratch.  Don't fidget.  Don't flail around.  Don't touch your towel.  Don't lie down like that when you think you're about to die, lie down the other way.  Don't look at anything else in the room.  Don't talk.  Don't leave the room!!

Yeah, those.  Forget about those.

(Obedience school is for dogs.)

Just breathe.

The goal is not to have a picture-perfect practice.  The goal is not even to stay in the room for 90 minutes, not in every case, not necessarily.  The goal is to get the most benefit from the class, by listening, by trying the right way, by always breathing.

And all those other things?  The stillness, the control, the etiquette, "discipline"?  They can and will happen on their own over time, naturally and organically.  And then eventually, in the future, you stay still because you've learned to focus.  You avoid gulping your water because you've learned that it doesn't help you very much.  You stay in the room because you want to be there.


Forget the rules.

Breathe, and don't worry.

Everything that you seek is coming.

5 comments:

Prodigal Yogini said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE this! Thanks Juliana!!

Lady Yogaga said...

"And then eventually, in the future..." dialogue on the brain much J?! :)

P.S. lovely post! it's great encouragement for those just starting out, and an awesome reminder for those with experience.

Johan said...

J, you seem to be one step ahead of me. I've boiled down my beginners advice to just:
Stay in the room and
Breath through the nose the whole time, if you find yourself breathing through the mouth or feeling like you have to then sit out the posture and the next one.

So yes, just breath and everything else will come.

thedancingj said...

Prodigal Yogini - You're very welcome! :)

Lady Yogaga - Oh yes, some of these dialogue phrases have been part of my vocabulary for YEARS now. That one is one of my favorites.

Johan - Yep, pretty much!! And quite honestly, some folks are NOT even going to be able to breathe thru the nose the WHOLE time at first, so I think I'd just want to see them breathing any way they can!! But that's a whole long discussion for a rainy day. (It's raining here right now, and I wish I could just drink a glass of wine and talk about yoga all night...)

Johan said...

J, thanks for the comment. I now realise my comment made no sense. It was supposed to be:
Breath through the nose the whole time, if you find yourself breathing through the mouth or feeling like you have to breath through the mouth you are already working to hard. So sit out the posture and the next one.

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