Yesterday I had the privilege and opportunity to meet Mr. Bikram himself. I was really unsure of what to expect since I had heard so many stories about him from my yogi friends and had read one of his books. When he walked out onto the stage at the beautiful Rice Campus auditorium I wondered....What am I getting into? You can see from above he walked out in a white SATIN suit! Who does that? Bikram does!
A little background on this boisterous man: He was born in India and has practiced yoga since he was 3 years old. At age 5 he began studying with Bishnu Ghosh and with his guru created his 26 postures which restored his health. In 1972 he opened his first school in San Francisco and celebrities, athletes and others began to flock to him and this wonderful yoga practice. In the 1990's he started offering a 9 week teacher certification course and now has thousands of instructors with Bikram Yoga studios all over the world.
Now, where to start. Bikram is a very passionate man and will pretty much say whatever he thinks or feels. And will flat out say, "If you don't like what I say, leave." Which was fine by me because I absolutely dislike people who sugar-coat things or are dishonest about their intentions. He cusses often, I believe he does this to get a rise out of people personally, but I found it quite entertaining! His lecture was a brief (yes, 3 hours is brief for all that is covered) summary of his book that I had already read.
He explained: Four Steps of Life: (Brahmacharya, Garahasthya, Banaprasthya, Sanyas), The Eight Kinds of Yoga (Karma, Hatha, Raja, Vendata, Bhakti, Mantra, Laya, and Jnana), Human Concepts (Mind, Body and Soul), and the The Eight Characteristics of Yoga: (Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dhana, Dharana, Samadhi.)
All of this I found interesting and loved hearing it from him and reinforcing what I had read in the book. There is really nothing like learning from a man with such vast knowledge on the subject with a fabulous Indian accent! His teachings of yoga are from 1,000's of years of research and I wholeheartedly suggest you look into his book if this peaks your interest at all, as I would have a book by the time I explained what it all means!
Some notes I took throughout the lecture that I would like to share from this very insightful man:
What is the most important thing in my life? ME! Without me, there is nothing.
Hatred is the BIGGEST disease.
He called regular exercise (ex: sports, gyms, etc) "Mental Masturbation" and not exercise because you are not working your entire body and mind.
Your mind has 5 parts:
Faith in yourself
Discipline (self control/ control of mind)
Willpower ("English Bulldog" determination)
Meditation (Keeping your mind still: your conscious and unconscious) *The hardest thing in life
Patience
Never has anyone been created will all 5. We must work to regain all of them and then, and only then are you in control of your own mind.
All 26 postures use 100% of our bodies and use all 5 major systems (Digestive, Respiratory, Circulatory, Excretory and Nervous) Each system has around 100 organs, so 500 internal organs are worked each class to keep you healthy.
I have pages and pages more of notes, but I will stop here. In a nutshell, it was INCREDIBLE! I feel in love with Bikram Yoga from the first class, but now have a new found love and understanding for my practice. The man knows what he is doing and wants everyone on this planet to live a happier and healthier life. I guess this is why I love it so much, it mirrors what my company wants as well :) I would like to end this blog in saying that I will meet Bikram again at the 9 week teacher training someday, but am still undecided if I want to make that a goal of mine. If I think the 60 day challenge is hardcore, it doesn't even compare to the teacher certification where you have lectures to learn about a range of topics regarding yoga and the body AND Bikram yoga TWICE a day everyday (except Sundays), for 9 weeks!! Time will tell......
Good News for my curious readers: Today I picked up some free class cards today if anyone wants to meet me in "The Hot Room" soon!
I will leave you with my favorite quote from yesterday and bid you farewell my friends!
"Yoga makes you fall in love with yourself, then you can love and take care of others."
