First, I should explain what the oompha loompah is. Every week when I did regular yoga, when I would try to bend forward, these two rolls of stomach interfered and cut off my breath and prevented forward movement. Hence, I dubbed them oompha loomphas.
It was no different when I started hot yoga. In fact, these oompha loomphas contributed to the breathing trouble I had day 3. Today when I went to bend forward in my first pose I was pleasantly surprised! The oompha loomphas were gone! I don't know where they went – it just felt like they got sucked in and presto – my forehead hit my knees without effort!
And that wasn't the only new surprise! My breathing changed. In hot yoga you are supposed to breathe only through your nose. I couldn't. I had to do the "going into shock" breathing – in through the nose, out through the mouth rapidly to keep from passing out. (in fact doing the nose breathing was what I was trying the day I had to leave the room) I had decided not to try that idea anymore, but today it happened NATURALLY. All of a sudden I found myself breathing normally during poses and rest periods and I didn't sound like I was giving birth. (the guy next to me probably appreciated that) This was not only calming, but illuminating. Showed me to just relax and trust the instructor – her training cost $10,000 (you can only go to one place and be trained by Mr. Bikram himself) so she knows what she's doing. And that, when your body is undergoing extreme duress, is very comforting.
And so, the oompha loomphas are gone, another day goes by, and…I have written.
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