Coffee With a Veteran Yogi

Ida and I had coffee today with a veteran yoga teacher. She studied with Bikram back in the day, before Bikram yoga became what it is. We talked about Tony's training and about the yoga - what has changed, how to teach, etc.

A really lovely moment occurred when she asked how hot it was at Tony's training. "Room temperature," I said. "70-80 degrees" (we were in Mexico after all). "It was never hot when we used to practice," she said. "That's what Tony said! That it never used to be hot!" I said. And the look of relief that came to her face was so moving. Like she had wondered for years if she had gone crazy, what with everyone these days insisting on "105 degrees or hotter!" As if the yoga simply doesn't exist without the heat. 

But the heat is a recent addition. One that is simply not necessary to do yoga.