Monday, April 12, 2010

Intermission 2 = What My Monkey Mind Is Up To During Savasana

In Bikram Yoga, there are 2 breathing exercises and 26 postures. 26 divided into the standing series and the floor series. During the floor series, we go into savasana (Dead Body Pose), initially for 2 minutes after the Toe Stand, then 20 seconds after each floor series posture. Now you might wonder, why call it the Dead Body Pose? Because, one must lie still, like a corpse, but because we are not dead, we breathe in and out through the nose. Pretty simple, right? Not a chance, for those of us who just can't stop twitching, fussing, scratching, and what have you. This is when the monkey mind is at its busiest, because it is trying to dictate what it wants you to do. So, you must overcome this temptation, and try to meditate, try to breathe slowly, calmly.

As much as I'm honest to say that I can stay still like a corpse, my monkey mind sometimes gets the better of me. So what is it up to during savasana? Here's what I am guilty of thinking:

1. Hopping into the shower and lather myself with Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Liquid Soap;
2. Wondering what I should have for breakfast or lunch (depending on whether I'm at the 6:00AM or 9:30AM);
3. Wondering if I could afford that cute yoga top and shorts that I've been eyeing for days;
4. Thinking about that thermos bottle full of water fortified with Emergen-C Super Orange that I had purposely left in the change room (I have stopped taking water during class);
5. Wondering what I should label my new blog post on my 30 Day Challenge;
6. Etc., etc., etc.

I'm only human...that's my excuse...Namaste.

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