Saturday, September 25, 2010

When things fall apart...

My yoga practice has gotten sporadic. I got back on my mat today and it was quite possibly my worst ever class. But I think that also makes it my best ever class. I felt AWFUL. There are some classes that feel like exercise or a work out of some sort - classes where you feel like you're stretching and strengthening and working your physical body. This was not one of those classes. The stress and angst of the past few weeks just seemed to be bubbling to the surface, making me hot, tired, dizzy, weak. I had no choice but to deal with the discomfort for 90 minutes... and then it passed. I picked up a book today called "When Things Fall Apart - Heart Advice for Difficult Times" by an American Buddhist nun named Pema Chodron. Just like Bikram, she recommends embracing the difficult times. I think my Bikram practice will be a great complement to this reading on Buddhism.

2 comments:

Charlane said...

My practice has been sporadic for a while now ( I need to do something about that) and I just practiced today... my class was just as you described. :)

I love When Things Fall Apart and all by Pema.

Bikram and Pema certainly help me. :)

hiena said...

I love the chapter on "Turn all things into Juan" (I think it's called). I read this book when I have a hard time at work - it helps me deal really well.