Awareness: When you see what's happening

After a 2 month hiatus, today I finally went to class.  That took long enough to do, but you know what?  I feel so refreshed and so happy that I went!  I can go as far as saying I feel pretty "zen" (I know, what?).  Even 4 hours later, I feel pretty bombastic (yes, Shaggy, I'm bringing that back).  As my instructor today said "The hardest part is right before you begin [the posture], once you've started you've got it".  Word.

I'm always a little nervous the first time I go to a new studio bc I'm always rushing and I always fret about where to put my stuff.  I find Bikram yogis to be super serious about the practice, so I never want to disrupt their flow by coming in late and making ppl move their mats for me once the room gets full.  You'd think I'd leave from home earlier, but I guess that's the reason I need a safe mental place to go like yoga.  Luckily, it was easy at the Locust Point studio and I got the last spot in front of the mirror, so I had a really nice start to class.  Seriously, the mirror spots are the best because you can really focus on your form without distraction.  When it's hot as Hades, you only have the energy to visually focus on whats in front of you.  So if all you can see is yourself, then you can't get distracted by the hot guy bending in front of you or your wobbly neighbor who makes you magically start wobbling too.  Also if you are narcissistic and myopic like me, it is awesome.

"When what you see matches what you feel, then that becomes what is happening".  Ohhh, applicable to so many parts of life, Emily...so much of life.  My instructor Emily was an amazing teacher tonight and what she did for my practice she has no idea!  Maybe it was because I wasn't profusely sweating, or maybe I'm at a low-stress time in my year. Maybe bc the Sun entered Pisces today, or mostly I maybe read too far into things, but Emily's words really helped me to focus that much more on my poses tonight.  My mirror spot also brought her words to fruition.

Awareness of something as simple as breathing can greatly control how ones body reacts to the heat and how difficult the movement can be.  If I am panting (what I see) and I feel tired and lightheaded (how I feel), I will probably start shaking and sit down (look what happened).  But if I control my breaths by watching my reflection (see), then that slows my heart rate and relaxes my shoulders (feel), and it may make the slightest adjustment of my arms to the left less sloppy and spastic; I'm less likely to fall over (what becomes).  If I stare the shit out of my right knee cap in the mirror (see), it forces my mind to make my thigh muscles tighten (feel) so my knees stay locked and somehow I can balance when I extend my other leg (becomes).  

As Emily says, if I stare at my muffin top long enough and then suck it in to tighten my abs inside, then in a few weeks it won't even exist anymore.  See how she's funny, too?

The longer you stare at something, the more attention it gathers, and more improvements can be made.  As applicable to Bikram as it is, its also applicable to work, finances, and noticing things in life that need to be changed in order to reach personal goals.  Such realization today.  Thank you, Bikram.