Welcome to My World

After being inspired by many other blogs I've read, I figured I'd start my own. I always have a lot on my mind, and I love to write, so this seems like a perfect forum. This won't just be a blog about one thing, although I'll talk about yoga quite a bit, and some sports, music and other interesting things that catch my attention.

So without further delay, let's get to my first posting. And yes, I'll be talking about Bikram Yoga to start off with. It's a recurring theme in my life, and the classes I take everyday shape my viewpoints on everything else. And I love to talk about it.

For the uninformed, Bikram Yoga is a specific form of yoga which involves two breathing exercises and 26 postures in a specific order, put into a 90 minute class. And oh yeah, it's hot. Like at least 100 degrees and 40 percent humidity hot. And you're constantly in motion, except for a few brief breaks.

I had no idea what to think when my dear friend Shannon convinced me to finally show up for a class. For all I knew, it was a bunch of silly meditation and chanting. Far from it. Take the most intensive workout you can imagine, and multiply it by 100. You work every part of the body and you feel unbelievable afterwards.

So Shannon had been talking to me about this for months, and then something finally happened which made me go. But what's interesting is that what got me to go the first time has nothing to do with why I continue to go, day after day. I've now done 81 classes in 77 days since I started but who's counting.

About a week before my first class, I had some major issues with my back. It got so bad that I couldn't even sit down without major pain. Three days before my first class I was in agony and taking medicine to numb the pain. After about a week of classes, the pain was utterly and totally gone, and has most definitely not returned. Now, the only pain I feel in my back (or anywhere else) is in class.

So after my back pain was totally handled, why did I keep coming every day? To keep the pain away? Not really. I imagine I could come 3-4 times per week and would remain in good health. So why, then? To lose weight? I've never been considered fat, so that's not a reason. To look better? Sure, but that's a small part of it. No, the real reason can be summed up with one word: ART.

Bikram Yoga is simply one of the most beautiful forms of art I've ever seen. There is something magical about seeing and doing the postures. It's expressive, awe inspiring and aesthetic. So I go every day to perfect my art. I've been a musician most of my life, and I've always appreciated various art forms. So now I've fallen in love with another one. All the other benefits from the practice just happen, but I always keep my purpose on perfecting the art form.

Greg