Sleeping + Snoring

After a long two weeks of working on Lake Erie for the Canadian Coast Guard, I decided I needed to attend Bikram Yoga. I am always pretty tired after my two week shift and this time it was no different.

I arrived twenty minutes early for Yoga class. I quickly put my belongings in the change room and took a Svasana in the hot Yoga room. Bikram is a really great place to enjoy a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. You can barely hear the hum of the heaters and the lights are off when you first arrive.  It is the perfect place for a nap after a long shift at work.

I instantly relaxed into Svasana before class. I was so calm that I guess I fell asleep. Just before class was about to begin, I woke myself up with my snoring. Sleeping on your back always causes snoring. My heart beat began to race and I was embarrassed. There are numerous embarrassing noises, sounds and sites that can occur in a Yoga room. You can let your mind reflect on those special effects. Flatulence is probably the number one contender in a yoga room. Silent or loud. The body is moving and twisting all over the place, so it can only be expect.

The rest of the yogis might not have noticed but I could not believe that I had started sleeping loudly. From a first aiders perspective, heat makes you tired and can cause you to faint. If you are already tired than it would be easy for heat to have a larger impact on your system.

I have even noticed students laying longer in svasana because they had fallen asleep, too. It is hard to find meditation in a horizontal position when you are used to it being the position of sleep. We train ourselves to go to sleep by laying down and closing our eyes. When you are laying down in a hot room it is hard to resist entering a the sleeping zone. Hour long Yoga nidras have even put me to sleep. Even while sleeping I have noticed a calmness after the guided meditation because I was still listening to the guide.

Svasana is an area of my practice I would like to deepen. Finding stillness of the mind and body but avoiding the temptation to sleep will be a challenge. I am sure many people have fallen asleep to the calm voice of heir instructor. Please share some of your funny stories!

BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUTS to Cooper, Audrey, and Rachel!!!!!!

yours gingerly,

W h i t n e y