Hell-Bent
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I did read it - interesting look into the world of Bikram yoga.0
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I'm about 3/4ths of the way through it for the second time. I've really enjoyed it. I just posted my review:
A Descent into Hell-(Bent)
In ancient mythology, a common theme is a dying and resurrecting Godman, who often descends into Hell to save the souls trapped there, before emerging from the bowels of the earth stronger than ever.
In modern times, a person pays eleven-thousand dollars to descend into Hell. This is the route that Benjamin Lorr took, and descend into Hell he did. It was inhumanely hot and crowded, where the poor trapped souls vomit and defecate on themselves, where seeing a woman shove ice cubes down her bikini bottoms seemed nothing out of the ordinary. And true to mythology, Lorr redeemed many people while there. From Ms. Boobs, to a whole host of lost souls who by all rights, really shouldn't have been there.
Franciscan priest Richard Rohr says that before you can fall up, you must fall down. To use the word transform here seems trite and clichéd. I have studied various healing methods for many years, from Christian prayer to Reiki, from alternative medicine to placebos. The healings in Hell-Bent are some of the most gritty, personal, believable healings and transformations that I have ever come across.
In fact, while the universe doesn't work on fairness or unfairness, it struck me as unfair that people can get healed with the laying on of hands or taking sugar pills, when these people had to work through their pain on a level that most Americans will never know. No, if there is one thing in America don't do well, it's pain. There is a pill for that, after all.
And Bikram, where does he fit in? I'm not sure it would be right to place him in the role of a very charismatic Devil. I don't know. Maybe we should ask the women he molested along the way? To be fair, Bikram helped thousands of people in his role of teacher and guru. From the lowly peasant, to sports and movie stars, it seems it made no difference to him. A true equal opportunity helper. Perhaps he helped hundreds of thousands or even millions of people. How do we balance the remarkable things he has accomplished with his dark side? My cognitive dissonance whispers, "maybe those women really did know what they were doing when they went into his room." Who is to say they didn't?
The modern concept of creating your own reality actually emerged from ancient yoga. I think Hell-Bent embodies this meme. There is Bikram, who should be a poster child for creating his own reality. Indeed, he just makes it up as he goes along. There are the yogis, who created a western fiction called yoga that is really pretty much a fantasy compared to ancient yoga. If anyone doubts that they play a large part in creating their reality, they should read this book. Here are people that believed something very strongly that really had little factual basis in reality or truth, yet they were able to transform and heal themselves using this fiction in their heads. Truly remarkable.
I think my favorite line in the book was when Bikram collapsed on the floor and someone leaned over and told the master to "just breathe." To me, that is yoga reduced to two words: just breathe.
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That is a very eloquent review. Almost makes me want to reread the book with the idea of redemption in mind. Have you read "Waking" my Matthew Sanford? It's also about redemption through yoga but a very different path.
Now for a rant:
I don't have much of an issue with Bikram yoga per se. It's not my thing - although I will freely admit to never trying it. I can't stand Bikram himself though - beyond the sexual misconduct - he's a complete *kitten*. He is Hollywood yoga - branding, money loving, competitive, etc.
Compare that to Pattabhi Jois or BKS Iyengar or Desikachar- people who could have made a ton of money by branding their yoga - none of them did - they just called their style "yoga". Iyengar never patented the "props", he said they are for all people. He could have made millions by patenting the yoga block or strap, etc.
For those that who are uninformed about Bikram himself, I think this funny quiz says it all:
http://yogadawg.blogspot.com/2011/03/yogadawg-quiz-who-said-it-bikram.html
The author fully admits Bikram is a slime ball, and that competitive yoga isn't good for you.
I think people can find redemption in spite of him, not because of him (or doing 32 postures in a heated room). I think mindfulness is that powerful. Whether you achieve that through meditation on your breath, your big toe, or your sweat - it will transform you.
I think the question everyone must ask is whether you can continue to transform once you've started. Will you be going to that sweaty room when you are in your 70s? What about if you got injured or moved away from your studio?
I would love to further this discussion. Does anyone disagree with me? Please let me know your side.0 -
I haven't read that one. The last good yoga book I really enjoyed was "A Life Worth Breathing," by Max Strom. "Fierce Medicine," by Ana Forrest was sort of a train wreck, but a page turner in parts. "Light On Life," I made it through it but I couldn't hardly tell you a single thing from it. Maybe I need to go through that one again.
Mainly, I walk one to two miles a day and listen to audiobooks while doing so. I usually knock out 2 - 3 books a month. I should hit 2000 miles by mid year this year.
I have toyed around with getting this: The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali: A Biogrpahy
I've contemplated this one, too: The Mirror of Yoga: Awakening the Intelligence of Body and Mind
Always open to suggestions...0 -
I haven't read any of those, other than "Light on Life". I like Patricia Walden, but her reading of that book is a little flat - and I can understand how you made it through the audio and don't remember anything.
I'm somewhat interested in the Richard Freeman book. Let me know how it is.
Does anyone else have book recommendations? I would like to read more stories. There was a book I read called Yogi Bare, which was good light reading.
http://www.amazon.com/Yogi-Bare-Americas-Leading-Teachers/dp/0966689402/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423610709&sr=8-1&keywords=yogi+bare
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Forgot this one. It's one of my favorites. I think I listened to it 3 times already:
Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners
Right now, I just started: The Transpersonal Vision, by Stanislav Grof. It seems good so far...
And for diet info, I really enjoyed the Bulletproof Diet. I lost 65 pounds in 2014, and I used a very similar diet (though not exactly like it).0
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