Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Yoga in the Olympics?

As you guys know, I am a big Bikram Yoga fan...but I recently read an article on CNN.com about how Bikram Choudry (the fine lad who "created" Bikram Yoga), is pushing to get make Yoga to be a part of the Olympics!

Now, I am not too sure how I feel about this. I know that if Yoga was in the Olympics, I would be glued to the TV - I like watching incredible bendiness as much as the next person. But as far as the competitiveness goes, I don't agree with it. Perhaps instead of calling it Yoga, they should call it "Competitive Contortion" or "Extreme Gymnastics" or something like that. Just the postures without anything else, to me, is not Yoga.

What do you think?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Should You Practice Yoga When You are Sick?

One of my friends on Facebook asked me a very good question the other day: Should you exercise when you are sick?

I posted the question on my account to see if anyone else had any ideas & got some good responses:

"No cardio if its upper respiratory crud and no heavy lifting if you've got a fever, but, regardless of what you've got, a slow restorative yoga practice may feel relaxing, healing, and calming. :)"
-Joanne C.

"Doesn't it depend? A good sweat can help release what is in your body and especially help with congestion. Not a good idea if symptoms include fever or weakness. Also depends on exercise. Swimming, yoga, tai chai I think would all be ok if just a little under the weather. Curious to see what other and the experts say."
-Alicia M. A.

I know that in Bikram class if I have a runny or stuffed nose, I cannot breathe in certain postures, but I think that if i was REALLY sick, not only would I want to stay home to rest, but I wouldn't want to pass on my germs to others in class.

What are your thoughts about practicing Yoga when you are sick?

Monday, February 1, 2010

Dreams About Being Scared...

I usually can't remember my dreams, but this morning I remembered every detail of the dream I had last night, and I am wondering if it was one of those dreams I am supposed to ponder about.

I was at this place where you and your friends would ride in this flume-type water ride, but it was more complex than a regular flume ride because it had all sorts of buttons & knobs as if it was some sort of aircraft carrier. And the flume was on top of this HUGE hill.

I had gone down the flume a few times with friends, as some of them sat up to 3 people at a time, but I had never taken on the controls and let the other people in my craft decide the speed, settings, etc. of the ride.

However, this last time, the conductor chose me to go in a single rider. I looked at him and said, "No, I don't think I am ready to go alone. I need one more time down with friends. There are too many controls and I feel overwhelmed."

The conductor looked at me and said, "No, there's no time," and scooped me up to fasten me in the one seated ride. I looked down the hill at the trail I was about to face...and woke up.

While I will never know how I made it down that hill, I do remember feeling extreme anxiety in my dream! I wonder if it's a metaphor for something going on in my life right now. Perhaps I am letting other take over my life...am I living on co-pilot? What a crazy way to start the week!

Have any of you had any prophetic dreams like that? Or can you shed some light on my dream if you know what it could mean? Thanks!