Bikram Hot Yoga Houston Blog

Yes, it's true. Bikram Yoga is one of the most therapeutic forms of hatha yoga available today. It's also a very vigorous style of yoga, and that means you need to give your body time to heal internally if you've had major surgery. Please do not rush back into the room! Use common sense along with your doctor's guidance. And make sure your doctor understands just how vigorous Bikram Yoga is before talking him or her into giving you a release....

I know you're anxious to get started again, but be mindful; and be kind to your body. A good rule of thumb regarding surgery is to give yourself at least 8 weeks to heal before taking class. If you've had something like a hip replacement done, give yourself 6 months. And straight from Bikram's mouth, "take it easy, honey" when you come back. Do not push yourself! Remember there are five aspects of mind that Bikram Yoga bestows, not four: They are, "Faith, Self-control, Determination, Concentration, and PATIENCE!" For goodness sake.... Please, practice patience.

 I am in Utah right now, and from my balcony I have the enormous pleasure and blessing of seeing this gorgeous creature at least once a day. So I started thinking about how wise the ancient sages were when they named many of the postures after animals, making them so easy to remember. It's not as if the yogi's of old were able to walk around with a stack of books and photos under their arm. They didn't shclepp a copy of of their favorite yoga tome up to the cave in the mountains.... they needed to have an internal  way to easily remember and access the information they needed, so naming postures after animals was a brilliant idea!

I am also enjoying regular visits from a pair of magpies. I'm sure it is no coincidence that a yoga posture was never named after these guys.... They are the most outgoing, chatty, always in motion wild bird I've ever met! They are my new favorite creature, but I am absolutely certain that silence and stillness come to them only when they sleep. In case you're like me and have never encountered a magpie before here's a picture. Of course without sound affects and video you don't get the complete experience, but use your imagination to add nonstop movement and an unbelievable array of songs, calls and whistles and you too will understand why, thankfully, there's no "magpie" pose in yoga ;-)

Peace of mind, equipoise, steadiness.... these are the mental and emotional benefits of practicing Bikram Yoga.... Like Bikram says, "Let no one steal your peace. Otherwise he is the winner and you are the loser." Peace stealers include the media, the people that you work with, your family, your friends, the environment, other drivers, other yogis, your own inner enemies.... The list is endless.

But you can learn to control your own thoughts, and therefore determine your own level of happiness.... So turn off the TV. Stop talking about negative things. Resist the temptation to judge, gossip or criticize. Meditate instead of dwelling on fearful possibilities. Like Edgar Cayce said many years ago, "the mind is the builder." So focus on the kind of future you want to create for yourself; make different choices, control your thoughts.

Is the glass half full or half empty? Only you can make that determination for yourself, but if you focus on gratitude, practice kindness and generosity, and center your awareness on all things positive, then the glass will always be half full, or even really full! In fact that cup will often overflow.... You decide. You choose.