about
Bikram for Body, Bikram for Life
Equal
and Spontaneous
By Barbara Edelston Peterson
There may
not be a stiffer person than I at Funky Door Yoga in Berkeley, California.
I used to do yoga back east when I was 16 years old. Back then, the class
met each morning in the center of a green pasture. I vividly remember
meditating upon a yellow dandelion before Salute to the Sun, and the immense
pleasure I received that summer from my limber body. Now, many years later,
I have returned to yoga. This time I can be found two to three times a
week in a steaming hot, brightly lit and fully mirrored Bikram yoga studio.
However supple I was as a teenager, all signs of human elasticity vanished
after my twenties. By the time I turned 45, my inflexibility was in fact
a source of concern for my husband and daughters. They felt sorry when
they saw what a severe challenge it was for me to bend forward and only
reach my knees while aiming for the toes. Even though we have teased and
laughed about it for years, I have always felt slightly embarrassed and
defended myself with the excuse that ‘I was born one of those people
who couldn’t bend or stretch.’
As a pre-teen, I was a serious springboard diver. As the #1 competitor
on the team, I was, ironically, the only one unable to touch my hands
to the ground. For a diver, stretching is absolutely basic. This inadequacy
drove the coaches crazy for fear of injury, and they actually discouraged
me from continuing on to higher level competition. Throughout high school,
college, the twenties and thirties, I continued to be extremely athletic
as well as negligent about stretching. For twenty years I raced mountain
bikes and never once got off the bike to stretch. The last four years
have been dedicated to Xterra triathlons and with hundreds of miles of
cross country cycling, rugged trail running, and aging into the late forties,
the flexibility issue became acute. I still believe that bending, stretching
and twisting is easier for some people than others. Nonetheless, just
after my 45th birthday, I made a vow that I would find a way to elasticity,
physical balance and wholeness. The journey began on the island of Kauai
in April, 2002, in my first Bikram yoga class.
Attending yoga class two to three times a week is for me a major physical
challenge and emotional triumph. When each class begins, I summon every
ounce of will to endure posture #1. I position my arms accordingly and
point my elbows upward. With everyone, I begin breathing deeply for six
counts. All around me, focused yogis stretch their pointed elbows high
toward the ceiling while their entwined hands press the chin for steady
deep breathing. I reach my elbows high but they marginally stretch above
the ears. My arms feel heavy and extend just slightly higher than parallel
to the floor. My tightly clasped hands shake while I try to stabilize
the posture and my breath. When each class ends, and my stamina survived
the 90-minute Bikram challenge, I am spiritually charged from knowing
this is good. I am finally taking care of my whole being.
Now, at 48 years old, I cannot live without yoga as part of my commitment
towards competitive endurance athletics. I just completed my fourth Xterra
season (18 Xterras), accomplishing the best results of my athletic career.
I competed in 8 Xterra triathlons this last season, winning champion titles
in the Masters Women’s Division at the USA, Canada, Euro and World
Championships. On the morning of the Xterra World Championships, an island
phenomenon known as the "Kona Wind" swept over Maui creating
an unprecedented heat wave with ironically no wind. That day, over 20%
of the competitors including the best pros, dropped like flies and the
medical tent experienced an oppressive overflow of serious heat related
problems. My day was different. Sweat poured from my brow climbing the
flanks of Haleakala, passing people I never usually see because they are
miles ahead. When my pace quickened on the soft deep sand of Makenna Beach,
and my legs churned quickly passing others to the final stretch of this
epic race, I smiled and turned my thoughts to Bikram at Funky Door Yoga
in Berkeley. I knew right then the powerful source at the heart of my
advantage. Bikram prepared me to dig deep to endure, to breath into discipline,
to finish strong despite the intensity of the heat.
The respect I have for Bikram Yoga grows each time I practice. It is a
well-designed discipline that indeed delivers an attractive promise: to
invigorate my internal organs, support my skeletal structure, and enliven
my spirit. I love Bikram for sport, spirit and life.
Barbara Peterson is an endurance athlete, wife, mother, writer and artist. She is the author of a new books series entitled "The Power of Exercise." Barbara can be reached through e-mail at barbara@california.com.