1) Water breaks: Hydration is extremely important when practicing Bikram. I drink about 120 ounces of water throughout the day before class. But during class, you cannot drink freely. You cannot take your first sip of water until after eagle pose, then it is "party time." Sandra says after "party time" that you can drink as you wish throughout the rest of class, just not during postures- only between postures. In the beginning, I was taking a sip after each posture- I was dying for some H2O. As time went on, I began taking less and less breaks, averaging about 5 or 6 a session. However, truth be told, only 2 or 3 water breaks are allowed during class: after eagle, before fixed firm, and at the end. So I gave this a try yesterday. I did fine! Only 3 water breaks in 90 minutes! I think my success with this new discipline is due to my comfort with calm correct breathing. I dont open my mouth at all the entire class (except for pranayama breathing in the beginning, pictured below). When you breathe through your mouth, you loose moisture, thus trying your mouth and body out, and making you crave/need water. Since my breathing been spot-on, my need for water has decreased. Right on.
(Pranayama breathing: Hands together, under your chin. Breathe in through your nose and bring your elbows up to your ears. Deep breath, 6 seconds. Then exhale through your mouth, with a nice hhhhhaaaaaa sound, for 6 seconds. While exhaling, bring your elbows together, and lean your head back, keeping your back straight. Repeat this several times. Give it a try. It is extremely calming- and makes you realize how little of your lung capacity you actually use.)2) Movement between postures: I am a sweat wiper. I cant stand the feeling of sweat dripping down my face or back or arms. I cant stand when sweat goes in my eyes, ears, or nose. I constantly wipe sweat from my face after each posture set. However, this is poor technique. You are supposed to stay completely still when not in postures. No sweat wipe. Not at all. Yikes. So I gave this a go yesterday and was moderately successful. I tried my absolute hardest to not move between postures, and to not wipe sweat. There were about 5 or 6 times when I was about to go insane and had to wipe my face, but I believe I did quite well. You try to work out for 90 minutes in 105* heat and not be bothered by sweat. But you know I like my metaphors, symbols, and signs: the little things always bother me! I need to let go, focus on the bigger goal, and overlook such insignificant speed bumps. Overcoming these little things can increase your discipline tremendously.
3) 3...2...1... Savasana: After each posture during the floor series (there are 12 standing/balancing postures, then the rest are on the floor), we lay in savasana. I have mentioned this posture before, but never really explained it. It is also called dead body pose, and very rightly so. You lay on your back, heels together, feet apart, arms by your side, hands up, throat choaked, and you do... not... move! We do this restorative resting posture for about 10-15 seconds between each posture in the floor series- it sounds easy, but it can be a challenge. Sitting absolutely still (kinda like the previous battle with sweat wiping) and relaxing your entire body is tough for a busy-body like me. Now, at my studio, we are allowed to take as long as we need to get into savasana. However, the accurate transition from posture to savasana is 3 seconds. This allows adequate time for your body to rest and return your blood flow to normal. So I gave this a try yesterday. I did fine. It isnt really a challenge to do it, and it isnt that I was taking ages to get into savasana before- but having this strict guideline just increased my discipline and made me more aware of my movements. I actually really liked including this guideline into my practice.
So there ya go- 3 new guidelines to improve my discipline. It just goes to show- Bikram is all about learning as you go, improving on what you have done so far, and focusing. Wait, isnt that what LIFE is all about?
