Bikram Yoga

   Today I was able to muster up enough verve to get myself to yoga. Just enough, to get my sleepy ass to the the 630 am class. It was nice to see Al again, who was surprised to see me back after ages. The front desk girl, and the usual students-- some still remember me.. Actually one, I forget her name though.. But i know her for sure. When I step into the hot room, she says "Oy, Ina! Bumalik ka!" Which was really nice to hear for some reason. I still see familiar faces from my yoga intensity days.
   The most important thing in the hot room is your breathing. Master it, and you're all set. No more fainting and the need to reach for your water jug. Today I noticed how screwed up i breathe. My mother has called me out on this a number of times when were in silence and she hears the rhythm of my breathing. It seems like at the end of each breath I stop it abruptly and hold it for a bit before i exhale. I was in the verge of fainting inside the hot room, my vision slowly blurring and I was trying to focus on my breathing today that I noticed how I do breathe like that. I don't breathe in the entire way. I don't notice I do this and as I struggled through class, I'd catch myself breathing abruptly like that when my mind would drift away to the pain, the heat and other distractions I had in my head. When I was aware of my breathing, I felt how much better it was to take the full breath in. As much as my lungs could inhale smooth, without hesitations. Comfort.
   Could my breathing be a manifestation of the way I live my life? That I stop short--for reasons unbeknownst to me-- before fully taking in the experience? Perhaps because I'm constantly looking forward to the next breath? And only when I'm paying attention to the moment-- not at whats next-- can I truly take it for all that its worth?

I need to practice my breathing.

I got the picture from Al's Facebook.

:)