iPad Winner And An Amazing Thought Process
iPad Winner And An Amazing Thought Process
It’s funny the things that get you really thinking isn’t it!
(Yes yes I’m about to announce the winner of the “Win an iPad” competition but I really want you to read this first!)
The contributions from hot yoginis and yogis all around the world were simply amazing. It’s taken us some time to painstakingly go through the hundreds of entries. There have been many really well considered and super hi-tech submissions!
But one in particular stopped us in our tracks and really made us think about why we do this yoga in the first place.
And if you’ve been practicing Hot Yoga regularly then you know well that feeling of deep bliss, contentment and satisfaction that it brings.
Somehow the endless “busy-ness” of life; stresses and trivia that seem to get other people so “plugged in” just wash right over us don’t they?
Well this is exactly what I mean - why DO we practice this yoga?
Stick with me as I expand on my thinking as I think you’ll value where I’m heading with it!
Though we love our technology, one of the things that Robert and I find concerning is how it contributes to the continued “disassociation” from real life.
Especially when it comes to making real connections with people and feeling deeply content.
No device will ever supply that - and when we see people in a hurry, rushing around, texting on the move, more connected to their gadget than the world, we wonder if this is a “good thing”! Ever seen a group of friends at a cafe, heads down, playing with their phones? Who hasn’t?
Which brings me right back to where I started out and my invitation to submit your ideas for an iPhone / iPad app ...
I really don’t want to ADD to the fragmented mess of information overload, I want our resources at the Hot Yoga Doctor to add to YOUR deep satisfaction and enjoyment you gain in your life as a result of your yoga.
Don’t get me wrong… you will have the classes, the information and the learning tools… The Hot Yoga Doctor app already has many of the most popular features that you asked for plus some cool surprises.
However there was one contribution which was not hi-tech, nor even spelled out exactly what it would “do” but it goes straight to the heart of why we do this yoga in the first place.
Here’s why.
Imagine you are a very busy nurse in an Intensive Care Unit.
Imagine you’ve been doing this for 20 years.
Think about the often chaotic, fast-paced environment in this workplace.
And consider how difficult it must be to maintain. A sense of reality both for yourself and for your patients.
To stay “connected and present” and have some sense of balance.
Now imagine, as that nurse, that you have just started practicing Hot Yoga ... And it is a revelation ... A whole new life opening up for you.
Most of us can remember that feeling when we started our practice and it shouldn’t be taken for granted ... It is truly powerful.
Not only that, it changes how we connect with others, how we handle stress and how present and alive we feel at any given moment.
It is for this reason that I am delighted to award the prize for the most powerful idea to Katie (not her real name) whose idea I will reproduce for you below in full so you too can get a sense of why this really made me think!
I’m not certain yet exactly how we’ll conjure this up in an app but I’m taking it very seriously and we have already had some wonderful brainstorms. You can read more about our soon-to-be-released app after Katie’s idea.
After all, what you and I really want is more of that yummy hot yoga glow, not just “more things to do”.
And thank you Katie for bringing us back to what such devices should REALLY enable for us!
Katie’s submission:
I am brand new to hot yoga at the age of 47 - I run at a constant fast pace every day and have for the last 30 years- I am an ICU nurse working 12-16 hrs per shift for 20 years - and like many believed multitasking ,constant noise and being busy was a sign of how well balanced I was!!
After only a few weeks of hot yoga - it is beginning to change even a health care professional’s definition of well-being.
The stillness and the quiet is equivalent to a different planet for me - the complete discipline I am learning in simply not talking, texting, checking on someone else etc..
Feels like a gift I never knew I was entitled to purchase.
With all of that in mind the hot yoga app I would love is one that would alert me to breathe - remember my daily mission to include stillness even in chaos - alert me to a daily meditation - and to practice a position or posture even though a class may not be incorporated that day - if I am learning hot yoga correctly then whether a beginner a long time practitioner - it is the transition into stillness and inner peace that we strive for.
Having an app to help me daily with my life change , well would indeed not only be purchased it would be priceless.
For that beautiful response Katie, one brand new iPad will be coming your way ... 
Update: While we work on incorporating and developing all the ideas submitted, I can tell you that the most demanded functions in an app WILL be in our first release and it is hopefully no more than a couple of weeks away.
One crucial thing that I wanted to let you know now is that after the initial download, our app will not require an Internet connection, Wi-Fi or 3G to work. For me this is a vitally important factor because you want to be able to take this app anywhere (planes, trains, automobiles, home and so on).
More info coming soon ... Stay tuned!
And if you’d like to add anything to “Katie’s” idea or contribute your thoughts about the spirit of what I’ve been talking about - just use the “Comments” box below!
Namaste,
Gabrielle
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