The vagaries of life kept me away from the studio for six days recently. I practiced the series several times during that time, so I did not loose all flexibility. And I did enjoy that tranquil feeling I always feel during practice. What I missed was the cleansing of the sweat.

By the last of those six days, I felt like a toxic waste dump. My pores filled up with grey matter. When I brushed my teeth in the morning, my breath was foul. Even my ear wax was more pungent.

Now, I admit to a sensitive nose; I guess I inherited it from my dog. I could probably work making perfumes. This ear wax thing actually drives me crazy. I was at a lecture a few months ago and a man in the next seat starting coming on to me, but as he leaned in, I caught a whiff of his ear wax. It smelled like dirty laundry. Reader, I did not date him.

I have heard other yoginis complain that if they indulge in garlic on Friday, they smell it in their sweat during Saturday’s practice. Same for onions. I have eaten french-fried potatoes one day, and smelled the oil in my sweat the next. Same goes for feta cheese.

So when I finally got back to the studio, for two days, my sweat smelled swampy and felt greasy. I couldn’t distinguish any particular smell though. And I realized that the reason we Bikramginis can smell the onion and the garlic is that those are the only odors leaving the body.

People who try Bikram yoga once and run away often cite the smell in the studio. But for all my nasal sensitivity, I don’t mind it. It’s like a yucky medicine that you come to like because it makes you feel better. Cleansing my innards is just more important.

Namaste,
Yoga Lily