By Jennifer Garam

Two and a half years ago, I tried Bikram yoga and I hated it. As I was lying on my back in a pool of my own sweat in Savasana at the end of class, the teacher urged new students to come back the next day because it “gets better,” and my internal dialogue screamed, “NO FREAKIN’ WAY!” Then, as I burst out the front door and into the cool fall air gasping for breath, my inner voice continued, “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya!” As a loyal Vinyasa yoga practitioner, I had given Bikram a shot, felt like I had been beaten up by the class, and never intended on setting foot in a 110 degree Bikram studio again. That is, until a few weeks ago, when I decided to give it a second chance.

There were several reasons why I went crawling back. This winter in New York was exceedingly long, cold, and gray, and I was craving heat to boost me out of my achy lethargy and self-diagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder, which was exacerbated by four straight days of pouring rain and gale force winds. Also, I hurt my hamstring during my foray into pole dancing class two years ago, and ever since then it seizes up when I do Triangle Pose in Vinyasa yoga, and I was hoping that the heat of Bikram might help stretch it out in a non-spasmodic way. But my strongest motivation to go back to Bikram was that I had recently checked my ex’s Twitter which (a) never makes me feel good about myself and (b) always results in a depressive downward spiral. Vinyasa classes were just not working to shake the thoughts of him out of my brain, and I remembered a friend saying years ago, “Bikram yoga is the only thing that turns off my thoughts.” I needed to take drastic yogic measures to elevate my self-esteem and quiet my mind STAT… before I checked his Twitter again!

This time around, the sparks flew right away, and I fell in love with Bikram yoga. At the beginning of class during a Pranayama breathing exercise the teacher said, “Breathe out all your thoughts and worries,” and I eagerly complied, exhaling enthusiastically. Like the last time, I was again dripping in sweat, wheezing for air, and fighting frequent waves of nausea, but looking at my reflection in the mirror during class and seeing my rosy (okay, bright red) cheeks and muscular sweaty body contorting into challenging poses, I felt strong, vital, and powerful, and my self-confidence soared. I had to focus so hard on breathing and not throwing up that my thoughts hardly uttered a peep from the moment I stepped into the sweltering room until the second I left the studio. And when those thoughts eventually did return, they were more languid, sedated, and blissful, instead of racing, anxious, and agonizing about my ex-boyfriend.

After my last attempt at Bikram, I had dragged myself home and passed out for the rest of the day, but after this class, detoxified and energized, I bounded through the streets, walking/dancing home blasting “Carry Out” by Timbaland and Justin Timberlake on my iPod, feeling like one badass hot (and sweaty) yogini. My friend and newly designated Bikram mentor Bridgette, who is known for having converted at least eight people to this style of yoga, texted me multiple times after class with advice and encouragement. She instructed me to drink coconut water to restore my electrolytes, and told me that a consistent Bikram yoga practice would make me calmer and increase my focus and mental clarity. Brain fog is my arch-nemesis, and I often feel like if I just had more mental clarity my life would dramatically improve. That alone was reason enough to return for another Bikram class. And, although not specifically touted as a benefit of Bikram on either the yoga studio’s website or by my friend Bridgette, if the sweaty, vigorous 90 minute classes manage to take my thoughts off my ex, then that’s a worthy bonus.

So this time, when the teacher said at the end of class, “You should come back tomorrow,” my internal dialogue piped in with, “Hell, yeah!” The third time’s a charm, and if it can get me over my ex-boyfriend, Bikram yoga and I just might be soul mates after all.

Suzanne Stephens

Every day, and many times throughout the day, your body and mind are in different places. Perhaps your body feels heavy and drained as your mind is wired and frenzied. Maybe your body feels wired while your mind is heavy and sluggish.

Living with Multiple Sclerosis, I learned to add yoga to my life. Rather than considering success as doing an hour of asana every day, I add my yoga practice throughout each day. There’s no judgment. Just practice.

Yoga is not just asana (physical postures). Asana–what most people recognize as yoga–is done in most group yoga classes. But asana only represents a piece of the whole. Yoga is also breath work (pranayama), meditation, self study, and ritual. You don’t have to be a Buddha-on-the-mountaintop-pretzel-person to practice yoga; all you have to be is yourself.

Here’s how you can add yoga to your day right now.

Begin by asking yourself: How does my body feel right now? How does my mind feel right now? Make no judgment of your answer, just notice. Ask yourself many times throughout the day as your answers will differ.

Adopt the mantra: “Make no judgment! Just notice.” Consider this as a practice in observance. By doing this you become more aware of your body and mind, making it easier to see patterns, trends, and triggers. As a result, it becomes harder to ignore your body’s needs as you pay more attention.

Notice your breath. In our asana practice, we link our breath with our movement. As postures get more difficult, we listen to our breath to bring it back to that smooth, steady place that feels just right in our bodies. Therefore, as each day begins, establish a smooth steady breath speed just like you do at the beginning of your asana practice (How-to: Beginning Yoga Breath Video).

As your day goes on, check in with that breath. Has it become shallow and just in the neck? Is it a complete full torso breath? Is your breath a reflection of your day perhaps? How often can you catch yourself holding your breath? When you’re stressed or anxious, your breath becomes more hurried and shallow. When you’re relaxed the breath tends to lengthen. Treat this as a practice in observance as you “make no judgment” and bring your breath back to that smooth, steady place.

Bring in your asana. Mountain Pose or Tadasana is a pose that we find ourselves in daily when standing up. If you don’t stand, there’s the seated version (Dandasana) for you. If seated isn’t available to you, then there’s always lying on the back. The point is that it’s always available. As you inhale, lift your heart (from standing, seated, or lying). As you do this, you’ll notice your spirits lifting as well.

I practice this many times every day. Especially on days when I’m feeling crummy: I breathe in, lift my heart, and instantly I begin to feel better. Try it. Practice this while brushing your teeth, while doing dishes, while waiting in line, while on the toilet. You get the idea.

Become mindful. Meditation is simply a one-pointed focus. It’s not easy. It takes work and patience to tame your “monkey mind.” Become mindful in all that you do. Notice the way you feel, notice the smells, the sounds, and the very action of whatever you’re doing. Practicing this while eating is a favorite of mine. How often do you find yourself doing five other things while eating? Are you eating now while reading this? Instead, stop and just be mindful of eating. Notice every texture you taste and feel, notice the feeling of vitality that begins with each chew (are you chewing?), and notice the colors of the food on your plate or in your glass. Take the time to notice and be present with whatever you’re doing. Mindfulness can be added and practiced in innumerable ways throughout your day.

Self Study. Pick up the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali or a cookbook with healthy recipes. The goal in yoga is to control the random fluctuations of the mind and to see things as they are, not as we project them or would rather have them be. We must take good care of ourselves and treat our bodies kindly. Study the 8 limbs of Yoga or the Sutras. By looking at ways to better ourselves we begin to become the best version of ourselves. This is different for each of us, as it should be.

I study the Sutras to calm my mind and promote right thinking, rather than focus on the downward spiral of self-doubt that my mind leans towards at times. I study cookbooks and books on nutrition to teach myself about eating well. What can you do to bring yourself to a more balanced and healthy place?

Maybe it’s focusing on nutrition, listening more than you speak, or speaking more kindly to yourself. Yoga is a lifelong practice. You can practice once and feel awesome, but your practice will grow with you if you continue to practice. It’s not called “Got it;” it’s not called “Mastery;” it’s called “Practice” for a reason. Breathing, eating, and resting are all opportunities to practice. Coming to my class doesn’t constitute practice alone; it’s only part of it. The practice resides in each of you. One of my favorite yoga quotes comes from Pattabhi Jois, “Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.” Pay attention. Make no judgment. See how yoga empowers you!

Suzanne Stephens is a Yoga Instructor (500RYT) trained in the Viniyoga lineage and teaches Yoga Empowered for Chronic Illness in Seattle, WA and online via her blog Yoga Empowered Online for Chronic Illness. She’s allergic to eggs, thinks “Shaun of the Dead” is one of the greatest movies of all time and can be found strutting to whatever theme song it is that is playing in her head.