Friday, April 1, 2011

Blooming Lotus


Hello all, 

I did a 90 minute yoga practice today, that in all honesty was one of the roughest practices I have. I am convinced that Bikram yoga messed with me yesterday. I am going to give it another shot still and try to not be close-minded, but Bikram yoga and I are not friends right now. But we are not enemies yet and I will explain why.

The first...oh maybe 50 minutes of my practice my mind felt weird. I am going to put it into words as best I can. During forward bends my mind felt frazzled. It felt overwhelmed like it had something to shake but just couldn't. My poses weren't painful, but for some reason my mind was all jumbled up. I finally seemed to calm down with the beginning of hip openers, and I was able to find serenity in my practice. Is it possible that Bikram yoga had pulled up all sorts of toxins that were leaving me feeling edgy and mumble-jumbled? And it took a little extra twisting and exhaling to rid myself of these conflicts and unstable emotions? This is why I say Bikram yoga and I are not quite friends yet, nor are we enemies. I may give it another shot.

The second half of my practice I had a very exciting achievement: full lotus! It was a very exciting moment for me, and I would like to share a little background on the symbolic meaning behind the pose. The lotus pose is named for its resemblance to the petal of the lotus blossom. The lotus blossom is a symbol of breaking from the physical body to the spiritual world. It rises up from the mud, and lifts towards the sky and the heavens, as it seeks the light of the sun. It blossoms into a pure white flower, and symbolizes the four virtues: true self, eternity, contentment, and purity. Through the achievement of these virtues it overcomes selflessness, impermanence, suffering, and impurity. I hope that I can one day achieve the virtues associated with yoga.

On that note, have a great weekend!

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