I was terrified before my first Bikram yoga class. What if I passed out? What if I felt fat? What if I looked gross as a sweaty person? Will everyone else be awesome and flexible and judge me? I am telling you, with no exaggeration, all of these anxieties became sweat evaporating from my body not three minutes into the class. To be honest, I still feel this way, but these, like all worries I have, become evaporated sweat. I think this is the most profound thing about yoga for me; the ability to be in control by losing all control. There is no option to dwell on the negative stresses in my life because in order for my practice to be a true moving meditation, I need to completely let go of my thoughts. Outside of the class, I carry this perspective with me. I find myself able to “let go” in just about any scenario that would have caused me great anxiety before. I can handle bouts of sadness and stress knowing that at some point in that day, or some point in the week, I have 90 glorious minutes to mentally escape and show the love and appreciation I have for my mind and my body.
I was terrified before my first Bikram yoga class. What if I passed out? What if I felt fat? What if I looked gross as a sweaty person? Will everyone else be awesome and flexible and judge me? I am...
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