Amber - Who knew Bikram and Faith Hill went so well together?

Good morning! This blog is really going to be focused on those that are new to the practice. It is not that I am not new... because I am. Those of you just starting out are going to find that every class you learn and identify something new. You figure out that if you just hold your hand a little differently, you can do it. You learn that if you truly focus in your own eyes it is not about vanity but true meditation and balance. Today I had a new level of awareness. It is something I have heard since the first day I walked into the class. Today was my 29th class. It took nearly 30 classes for the most important and most simple message to sink in. Focus on your breathing.

I got the breathing exercises at the beginning and end quickly. I figured out in the back bend at the beginning that when I breath through it I don't struggle as much in it. I learned what 80/20 breathing meant only last week. I am going to take this blog and explain breathing.

Always, always, always... breath in and out through your nose with a relaxed face throughout your yoga practice with the exception of the breathing exercises that have very specific breathing techniques. This allows for very controlled focused breathing. I am sure there are more reasons, but we'll stick with the most obvious. Having a relaxed face doesn't mean you aren't practicing to your maximum potential. I think the relaxed face turns into a mind game. If you look like it's easy - it will become easy. If you look like your are constipated - you will always feel the difficulty. Think about when you are sick. You look sick, you feel sicker. Now, think back to a time you were sick and you put on makeup, you got dressed up, and instantly you felt better. You are looking at yourself nearly the entire 90 minutes. It is OK to lie to yourself for those 90 minutes and make it look easy! Holding your breath in a posture does your body a huge injustice. You need to maintain the breath to allow for the healing. If you don't breath - you don't oxygenate your blood and you don't gain the benefits. Let me define 80/20 breathing. At the beginning of the asana, take a full breath in. While you are holding and working through the position only use the top 20% of your lung capacity and breath in and out. Try it now - while you are reading this. It is best to practice while you are not in the "heat" of the moment. Empty your lungs. Now breath in for a slow count of 5. Hold it. Now breath out for 1 and breath back in for 1. That is 80/20 breathing. Simple concept - but hard to focus on.

OK - now when I say breath through it, I really mean breath through it. When you get dizzy or nauseous, change your focus. Just focus on breathing in and out. Slowly you'll forget you were dizzy. You won't notice you were nauseous. You will be in your posture. You won't even notice the uncomfortable zone. If you recall, I spoke frequently of not being able to do the Camel pose. The Camel pose is the pose you work the entire 90 minutes to do. It is the deepest back bend and the most beneficial to your spine and overall health. I always felt like I had deep cramps. It's the only way I know how to describe the feeling I had. I always went into it saying this was the time I was going to do it. Every time I failed. Today I said I was going to breath through it. So, I took a lung filling breath in. I used the top 20% of my lung capacity and that is all I focused on. I ended up seeing the back wall. Before I knew it, I heard "change."

After 29 classes, I am still learning the fundamentals of Bikram. I think in a year, I will pick up something that is so basic and so important that just didn't matter to me until then. They say when you get angry to count to ten. When you do that, you are just re-focusing. When you lose balance in a posture, it is often because you lost focus. When you need to re-focus, just breath. Look deep into your own eyes and breath. What you will learn about yourself in the process is only yours to discover. I will make this promise - you will be pleased with what you learn. Focus, Determination, Endurance, Commitment, Passion - But like Faith Hill says... "Just Breath"