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<\/a><\/p>\nWhen I first started taking yoga, one of the first classes I took was from Bikram Choudhury in Beverly Hills in 1973.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t charge me since that was in the 70\u2019s and I couldn\u2019t afford his high price of $10.00 a class. Back then he did not use \u00a0heat, just Bikram strutting his stuff as students were sweating from the inner power of the breath and the natural heat from the body holding strong postures.<\/p>\n
Sometime in the 90\u2019s\u00a0 Bikram\u00a0started\u00a0adding the high heat.<\/p>\n
I can only guess that it started because in India there is just no getting around the depressing heat.\u00a0\u00a0Now, it has become very chic for those in the west to embrace the discomforts that those in the East are running away from.<\/p>\n
Kudos to Bikram for his genius marketing to bring people who are stiff and unfamiliar to yoga to get an instant result\u2026 Sweat!\u00a0 In the exercise world, If you are sweating you must be doing something right.\u00a0 So now here we are in 2000 and something. \u00a0You walk into most yoga classes and within the first 5 minutes the heat is up to 90+ degrees.\u00a0 Dedicated students are breaking out into a deep sweat along with a room packed with other fellow sweating yoga people\u2026 so, of course you must be warmed up\u2026 right? \u00a0You\u2019re hot, You are pouring sweat, you feel that you can move better, deeper and you are believe that all that sweat is getting rid of all the toxins from your body.\u00a0 Students are meant to believe that in order to warm up you have to sweat first, and do a million sun salutations before you can actually do \u201cyoga.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is no compassion in these hot rooms.\u00a0 No window can be cracked; no fresh air can sneak in through the space at the bottom of a door.\u00a0 Heat! It’s all about the heat, the sweat, the deep discomfort<\/p>\n
Welcome to Yoga Hell.<\/p>\n
When I think of my perfect yoga space, I imagine open windows, fresh air, in a clear and clean environment so I can benefit while breathing deeply.\u00a0 Breathing in fresh air.\u00a0 When I breathe in, I am taking in the moment of newness and freshness and I breathe out all that is stale, old and allowing the space for that next new breath..<\/p>\n
So what has this HOT yoga done to the face of yoga in the last 20 years? \u00a0Why are people getting injured practicing yoga of all things?\u00a0 Could it be this false sense of instant flexibility?\u00a0 A good analogy\u00a0 is the vision of a glass blower creating a beautiful shape while the material is hot and malleable.\u00a0 Once it cools the piece is unmovable unless it breaks.<\/p>\n
While hiking in the countryside of Ireland, the weather, as it often does, turned from sunny to almost snowing.\u00a0 In a short time my ears were hurting, my face was stinging.\u00a0 I took a moment to do downward facing dog.\u00a0 I went into the pose slowly as I began to breathe deeply and within one minute I was hot!\u00a0 Wow, no heater, no artificial heat, just from my own body.\u00a0 It was really, really cold outside.\u00a0 I warmed up so fast that my face became flushed with heat as my body began to slowly and patiently stretch and within a minute or two I had to take off my second sweater.<\/p>\n
\u00a0I was at first under the impression that it was unique to the new popularity of Bikram Yoga (which was not popular prior to this), but when I began to take some classes in t Los AngelesI found that the class that I did like also had the heat up.\u00a0 I would stand near a window and quietly sneak to crack it open just a bit.\u00a0 The teacher would come around and close it.\u00a0 Midway through the class I was ready to go to sleep.\u00a0 I would be breathing in everybody’s exhales.\u00a0\u00a0Not only that, but their flatulence, coughing, sneezing and since it was so hot and not a drift of air, all of their garlicky onion and broccoli body odors.\u00a0 How is this healthy?\u00a0 How is this rejuvenating?<\/p>\n
At that point in time I have been doing yoga for about 35 years.\u00a0 I was older but I didn\u2019t think I was that weak,\u00a0 old, or out of shape. I did have a continuous practice of my own.\u00a0 \u00a0Maybe I just couldn\u2019t do classes anymore.\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, I had to walk out of class and told the teacher that I could not do yoga in the time of the so called \u201cSars\u201d outbreak with the windows closed and the heat up\u2026 I didn\u2019t think it was a healthy way to practice, and instead of having more energy, I was exhausted!\u00a0\u00a0She gave in and said I could crack a window\u2026. Hallelujah!<\/p>\n
Breathing is the catalyst that moves all functions of the body\u2019s vital energies.\u00a0 From Breath one creates heat in the body. From Breath, movement is inspired.<\/p>\n
True flexibility is a continuous practice of intelligent movement and awareness.\u00a0 Little by little the body will move towards flexibility that sustained and\u00a0 is real.\u00a0 The false sense of flexibility from outside heat will overstretch and leave a student without the understanding of the inner movement of posture.\u00a0 In my opinion, breathing deeply in a room without fresh air, elevated extreme heat gives a recipe for disease rather than health. Over stretching and strain rather than an organic gradual release of muscle restriction will leave a student with injuries and no understanding why.<\/p>\n
One of my favorite books on Yoga right now is the well-respected book A Matter of Health<\/span> by \u00a0Dr. Krishna Raman. He describes the health giving affects of Asana as producing a \u201cgentle sweat.\u201d<\/p>\n The cardiovascular benefits from practicing yoga with awareness and dedication are undeniable.\u00a0 A practice of standing poses or backbends will produce a gentle working of the heart as well as a \u201cgentle sweat.\u201d<\/p>\n Yoga is Organic.\u00a0 Yoga is freedom.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to depend on an artificial environment in order to be able to practice yoga.<\/p>\n Beginners may find the intense heat helpful to encourage an expedient sense of flexibility.\u00a0\u00a0However, when students discover the internal power and heat from holding poses and breathing deeply, a maturity of practice will prove to be a life long gift of an intelligent, enduring journey of discovery, freedom and joy.<\/p>\n So, chill out and enjoy yoga the cool way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I first started taking yoga, one of the first classes I took was from Bikram Choudhury in Beverly Hills in 1973.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t charge me since that was in the 70\u2019s and I couldn\u2019t afford his high price of $10.00 a class. Back then he did not use \u00a0heat, just Bikram strutting his stuff as students were sweating from… <\/p>\n