We had a reminder today not to drink water during practice. I guess our teacher, I’ll call her C, caught too many people quenching their thirst a little too often.

C told us early on in beginner’s class not to drink during practice, so this wasn’t news to me. I remember the first time C told us about drinking during practice, I thought it was a little strange back then but now I don’t even raise an eyebrow. It’s interesting how one’s perception changes with time.

The reason to avoid drinking water during practice is that water puts out the internal fire and heat that’s generated during practice, much like throwing water on a campfire. Without the internal fire, the benefits and purification from the practice is lost.

This is a summary of C’s recommendations when drinking water during yoga practice:

1. Avoid drinking during practice.
2. Drink before and after practice.
3. If you must drink during practice, sip the water instead of guzzling it.
4. Drink the least amount of water to quench the majority of your thirst.

I’ve been practicing yoga for about 4 months now, successfully completing Beginner’s Class 1 and Beginner’s Class 2 and now onto guided classes at my shala. From my reading on the internet, I believe it’s also called lead classes. Anyway, I noticed that with more regular practice in guided class, I became aware of good days and bad days.

For example, the class yesterday was an extra good day. I felt strong and flexible while moving from asana to asana. I challenged myself in each asana, pushing to the limits of what my body could do while respecting that my physical condition isn’t like others who have had years of practice. During shavasana, I slipped into that place between thoughts so easily and managed to stay there, in perfect bliss, until class ended.

I’ve been known to get out of shavasana early as on a few occasions. I’ve felt claustrophobic and almost ended up in a panic attack, so I cherish every shavasana where I’m relaxed, comfortable and “floating” in my mind. I’m at a loss as to why this happens, but thankfully it’s occurring less and less.

So what about the bad days? I had a bad day last week where I was stiff and weak. I feel down repeatedly during the balance poses, more than usual, and I had one of those claustrophobic shavasanas and had to get up early. Rather unpleasant, but strangely enough, I still enjoyed the practice overall. There’s a sense of achievement when you complete your practice, even though you feel wrecked at the same time.

I suppose that in the end, the bad days are ultimately good days too.