When was the last time you had absolutely no worries occupying your mind? Do you know what it feels like to have a calm mind, free of worries or concerns, and to truly be at ease and feel peaceful?
Peace is not an intellectual concept. Peace is a state of being that comes from deep within. No one can truly understand peace or know what it feels like until they have personally experienced it.
The biggest gift from practicing Bikram Yoga is quieting the mind. Our minds are constantly thinking, analyzing and critiquing everything we do and see, and rarely does this happen in a positive fashion. It’s so easy and natural to find all the faults in ourselves, in others and situations all around us. All of these negative thoughts that we allow our mind to focus on, if unchecked, create stress in our lives and eventually disease in our bodies.
Bikram Yoga is an amazing formula of heat, carpet, mirrors, a specific sequence of postures done two times each and a teacher standing on a podium at the front of the room giving very clear and concise instructions. The formula challenges practitioners in many ways but most importantly by forcing them to stop thinking and instead listen and follow along.
People first come to Bikram Yoga for many reasons. They’ve heard its good for easing back pain, healing knees and other injuries, improving runners’, cyclists’ and other athletes’ performance, weight loss, relief from addictions, building strength and flexibility or because this person they’ve known for a long time has suddenly begun to radiate a very amazing vitality and can’t stop raving about the yoga. After they’ve done their first class, maybe hours later or the next day when they wake up feeling great, the student realizes that their mind is quiet and they have a peaceful yet energized feeling.
Bikram Yoga is a physical exercise that, true to Hatha Yoga’s roots, is all about healing the body, getting it healthy and keeping it healthy. But the physical benefits cannot be separated from the mental benefits. They work hand in hand to bring peace and well-being.