Bikram Yoga El Paseo

YEARS   ago I heard a really neat phrase,   “If I ALWAYS DO WHAT I’VE ALWAYS DONE,   THEN I’LL ALWAYS GET WHAT I’VE ALWAYS GOT!!!”

“IN OTHER WORDS”   (as Bikram would say)    if you always repeat the SAME behavior,  you will  ALWAYS get the SAME RESULT.  If  you are looking  for   a  DIFFERENT result than  you must    CHANGE   YOUR   BEHAVIOR !!!!!!

This is the time of year that peeps make their New Year’s resolutions.  I find it interesting that some consistently make the  SAME resolutions year after year after year.  They fall back into their old ways so that the following year they are right back into the same boat with the SAME  New Year’s resolutions.

In Bikram Yoga we  REPEAT the  SAME SERIES over and over again  in  which   the   naysayers have criticized  over the years.  THIS REPETITION  is not  a bad thing but actually a very good practice.  It’s construction is such that because of the particular postures that were  SPECIFICALLY CHOSEN  out of the plethora of  yoga poses   AND   their  STRATEGIC ORDER,  they afford the students the greatest  therepeutic  benefit time and time again!!  Moreover,  it allows the student the opportunity to WORK on fine tuning their postures and  SEEING their progression.

THERE IS A CATCH THOUGH!!!

If you REPEAT your postures over and over at the SAME  LEVEL OF  effort without challenging yourself you become complacent in your practice.  If you consistently REPEAT the same bad habit’s that you formed early in your practice and don’t attempt to break out of them you will simply be mindlessly going through the motions during your practice.

Do you constantly pick up your towel during the same postures to wipe sweat off your face or body??  Do you always drink water at the exact same time and  in the exact same amount whether you need that hydration or not ???  May be you always skip a certain posture?? How about the point at which you may ALWAYS  fall out of the same postures, never challenging yourself  to push a little further??  EVEN IN REPETITION we can challenge ourselves!!!

Think about that  the  next time you are in the hot room in the midst of your Bikram Yoga Practice.   Some bad habits are hard to break.  IDENTIFYING the bad habit is essential so that one can then stay present and mindful and push themselves to the next level.

This brings me to a story Bikram told while we were in training.  It goes something like this:

There was a head GURU who knew EVERYTHING there was to know about Yoga.  Peeps from all over came to study with this master. One day a brand new student who knew NOTHING about Yoga approached this master  and asked for a yoga lesson. The master said come to my  9 am class tomorrow,  cost is  $10.   About an hour later a very advanced student approached this master requesting a yoga lesson as well.  The master stated,  come to my 9 am class tomorrow,   cost is  $100.

Both students arrived the next day at 8:45am and began a conversation before  the head master arrived.  When the head master arrived the advanced student questioned why the cost for him was so much greater than the beginner and felt that it should be the opposite.   The head master replied that it is much simpler to train someone fresh who has not developed any bad habits then someone who has developed  bad habits.    He told the advanced student it will take much more work  to undo all the bad habits that he had acquired  and then re- teach him proper form.

As teachers,  we  often see our  “advanced” students going through the motions  of their  practice  mindlessly and  effortlessly.

Challenge yourself to change this behavior!!!     If   you   “always do what you always did then you’ll always get what you always got!!”  The result of this repetitive behavior may not be what you are truly seeking.

Hope to see you in the hot room soon!!!  In the mean time stay present,  set some intentions  and  let this years New Years resolutions stick!!!!!!

NAMASTE`