From De-tox To Re-tox

When I woke up this morning, and got out of bed, I looked in the mirror and I shook my stuffy head!

I am finally accepting the notion that I have seasonal allergies. I may have had them in the past few years, but have passed them off as a Spring cold. This year, it is quite obvious that my congestion, drainage, and inflamed throat are the direct result of pollen and such. These minuscule members of the circle of life have never been an issue for me, but there was no denying it this morning. I had to pull out the neti pot!

*sniff, sniff* Much better. I can breathe again, like Toni Braxton. This is good, though and acutally quite relevant to the challenge. Number 1- I have to breathe through my nose only for 24 out of 26 postures and I cannot use pollen as an excuse to mouth breathe. Number 2- Yogis in India have been using neti pots as a part of their practices for over 5 thousand years and during last years challenge, I said that I would use mine daily during my next challenge. The air quality in Atlanta has made me a woman of my word.


Ceramic Neti Pot... not a gravy boat or dairy creamer

In many Eastern cultures, neti pots are a personal grooming staple, much like tooth brushes to Americans. Neti pots were introduced in the United States in the 1970s and have been used in the alternative wellness community, but didn’t go main-stream until they were featured in a Dr. Oz segment on The Oprah Winfrey Show in spring 2007. Since then, millions have adopted neti pots as an alternative method of relieving nasal congestion from allergies, common colds and sinus infections. Sign me up! This will make my yoga detox even more powerful.

Dr. Oz to Oprah, "It's a nose bidet."

Speaking of detox, during this quest, I keep getting asked why and how can yoga be considered detoxifying. To detox means to cleanse the body of impurities (chemicals, fumes, processed or pesticide treated foods) that may be harming any of the systems in or on the body. A toxic body leads to a weakened immune system. One great way to detox is to simply take deep cleansing, diaphragmatic breaths. This kind of breathing is the foundation of yoga. Additionally, the pairing of compression postures with stretching postures creates a pumping effect in the circulatory system that helps to rush new fresh blood (i.e. nutrients) to targeted areas of the body including joints and organs. Over time, the open joints and malleable muscles allow that flow to continue even outside of class. The ubiquitous sweat in Bikram just kicks the detox up a notch. BAM!

Chef Emeril

If you can't stand the heat...

Yoga also circulates positive thinking, which is so crucial in healing and overall wellness, since all activity begins in the mind. Eliminating toxic thoughts and incorporating daily affirmations are essential parts of any detox- and life.

The Mind-Body Connection illustrated through the Seven Energy Chakras

Day 5, Class 6

6:30 with Eric

In spite of all of that babbling, I did actually take a class today. Once again, I missed the 4:30 class by a few minutes, so I just relaxed in my car until it was time to go inside, as the doors remain locked during class. I was one of the first students in the class and I intentionally chose to set-up on a different side from where I usually settle. As I lay there, I realized that no matter how rested or how hydrated I am, anything can happen in a Bikram class. I began to think about the kind of class that I wanted to have and I let the rest happen.

Meditation for Busy People

There was a lot going on in class. There were several new or fairly new students, right in my area and there was even a pregnant woman right behind me. Since I work with pregnant women, this was especially interesting to me. In fact, I was so intrigued that I can probably speak more on her practice than I can on my own. She was quite far along- third trimester, for sure, but was not a Bikram novice. I don't know that Bikram is the kind of yoga that one would want to start during pregnancy, but as a seasoned practitioner, it seems to be safe. This woman listened to her body by taking rest breaks and making modifications as necessary. It was beautiful.
Yoga- Even Hot Yoga in Pregnancy

Now where am I... who am I? I blew my nose a few times just before class and was ready to go. Again, I pressed and prayed my way through the balancing series, kicking out my leg in 3 out of 4 Standing Head to Knee postures and holding Standing Bow Pulling longer than I had in the past week. Progress.

The Standing Bow Pulling Pose:

Stimulates cardiovascular system
Increases circulation to heart and lungs
Opens diaphragm
Opens shoulder joint
Helps frozen shoulder conditions
Improves spine elasticity
Improves strength and balance
Reduces abdominal fat
Helps regulate ovaries and prostate gland

Dandayamana Dhanurasana

Standing Bow Pulling Pose- In it's full expression, not how I look when I do it

Everything else was decent. I was focusing on really using my breath to help me through the postures... novel idea in yoga, right? I'm getting there. I think that I am finally opening and sitting down in my hips during Triangle. This is good. My instructor said that if we can do two (full effort) sets of triangle, we can do anything. I love it! My hair came out of the ponytail during Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee. That's cool and Eric will be happy that my head is not 6 inches of the floor during Savasana, I thought. Not so fast Twisted Sister! There's an entire spine strengthening series that cannot be burdened with 200+ wet locs sticking to and weighing on the back. Back up into the big bun it goes.

Just as I am settling into my 2 minute Savasana, Eric says, "Jada, we have to talk about your hair after class". Tee Hee! I knew it was coming! I just knew it. The hair is a a different part of my Bikram challenge and has been a source of ponderance and discussion at my studio and at several other Bikram studios throughout the country. This is serious. The issue is that there is no where for 2.5 feet of hair to go during class that's not going to overheat me or annoy the mess out of me, except in a bun in the back. My Savasana suffers... I remembered that a technique that I used last year was to take take the hair down after Fixed Firm. So this is what I did today. There was hair everywhere, but I did appreciate the increased forward flexion in my neck. We can work with it.

Good for Savasana, Bad for Rabbit...

After class, I encouraged a few new students into returning and I wanted to talk with the pregnant student, but I missed her. Hopefully, I will see her again. I showered, put on a short dress, hot shoes and then turned my focus to the re-tox! I was off to celebrate my good friend reclaiming her freedom! Yeah! I wasn't bad. I had one... nope, two Jamaican Martinis (they were free- I couldn't be rude) and half of a "Fruit Loop" shot... Patron and something fruity... don't know. I was soooo tired, but I made it home and was glad that I confirmed that I didn't have any patients until 10:00... meaning sleeping in... til 6. I try!

Jill Scott, Michele and me... Living Life Like It's Golden (Golden)