8 asaNa Magazine | April 2017
microcosm of what happens in
your life. Bikram Yoga taught me
this with immaculate clarity. I use
the expression, “Learn it on your
mat to use it in your life,” because
the consciousness with which we
conduct our practice is the same as
the consciousness with which we
conduct our lives. Concentration
facilitates meditation, and meditation
facilitates transformation. I would
say this is the basis of the teaching.
Bikram Yoga is frequently referred to
as, “a 90-minute open-eyed moving
meditation; a 90-minute breathing
exercise, a 90-minute series of
choices you make on your mat.”
And I can confirm that for those
who dedicate themselves to a dailystep by step, and in ways both seen
and felt. This approach seems to
be a powerful formula for physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual
health.4
When people say you
are born flexible or
naturally flexible,
what is your view on this?
(Hahahah, Oh Lordy!) Great
question! This is exactly my point:
First and foremost, yoga is not “a
flexibility contest,” and you need
not be flexible to practice, but likely
you will become so if you do. When
stillness in posture is held against
gravity, practitioners become as
strong as they are flexible, and
flexible as they are strong, and both
will continue to increase together...
(You could say I took this to the next
level.) NO, I was not “born this way;”
and No, I am not “double jointed.”
I am not in my 20’s... I was not a
gymnast or ballerina, and this is not
contortion; and I did not take my
first yoga class until I was 36 years
old, with three children! This has
become one of my favorite questions,
because I am uniquely qualified to
clarify many of the misperceptions
out there, and speak to an audience
who might benefit the most from my
experience.
When people say to me, as they
often do, “WOW! You’re SO flexible!”
My first thought is always that the
primary essence of my being is
strength. In fact, I used my strength
to create flexibility, and by doing so,
became Stronger. On the subject of
technique, and yes, I am a huge fan
of bio-mechanics and technique, I
seem to have cracked the code on the
formula for virtually any posture that
exists. I have spent quite literally
thousands of hours in practice, doing
the work to open my body and mind,
tuning out the outside world, tuning
in to my inner-teacher, in what Ipractice, it can be all of this and so
much more.
The practice is progress based, as
the same 26 postures are performed
in the same order, two times each.
Each posture prepares you for the
next, and the next, and by the time
you have completed the series you
have affected every single cell of your
body, every time you practice. Each
posture in the sequence is broken
into steps, with the instructions of
“start where you’re at, do what you
can, always and only with breath and
with form.” This daily prescription
creates foundational strength while
developing neural-pathways and
increased ability to concentrate and
connect to breath. Progress comes