God is the sweat running down your back

There's a PJ Harvey lyric that goes something like this: "God is the sweat running down his back." Tonight, in hot power vinyasa class, I finally got that notion. Overall, I was super focused today, despite not getting a lot of sleep and indulging in a little Halloween candy instead of lunch. The instructor paced everything just right. I felt focused and strong.

Doing a crescent lunge with mini backbend, something in me connected to a larger energy. I felt the element of worship stronger than I ever have in yoga class before. Worship of... the universal, the grand design, whatever you want to call it. Looking up past my fingertips, I felt sweat run down my back (and off the end of my nose, and down my arms, and down my chest, etc) and for one divine moment, it all connected: feet to earth, muscle to bone, arms to sky, heart to stars.

On the varieties of hot yoga

I definitely enjoy the fast-paced rhythm of hot power Vinyasa class, and adding weights to give it a sculpting element is also fun. Hot Yin yoga classes, which emphasize stillness and deepening postures, are a nice alternative as well. It's good to have options and change things up a bit in the "torture chamber" aka hot room. However, after Bikram class last night, I was struck by how healthy and whole I felt. I hadn't done the Bikram series in awhile, but it felt like coming home, one pose at a time. The familiarity of the sequence, the quietly intelligent progression of poses and their sum total effect on the body... it was all so clear. I felt tingly, clear-headed, and perfectly aligned post-class. It is the cure for all that ails me... very strong medicine. Thus, Bikram remains the gold standard of my yoga practice.

Mantra

Mantra, a photo by ifshewouldspeak on Flickr.