I have been doing yoga on and off for the past 7 years now, and only in the last two months have I been the most consistent by taking 3-4 yoga classes a week. I have always heard about Bikram yoga where you do a series of 26 poses, two times each, but the kicker is you are sweating it up in a heated room of about 105-115 degrees. The gnarly temperature and possibility of passing out while exercising has been putting me off for years, until now.
Last Saturday I took my first Bikram yoga class and I did not lose consciousness or have heat stroke - thank god! I actually enjoyed the sweating aspect of it, which was the part I feared the most. Plus the thought of an unclean facility where hundreds of people sweat it out each week gave me the creeps. Fortunately for me there are many Bikram yoga studios in southern California, and one very brand spanking new and very clean studio for me to pop my Bikram cherry at called Bikram Yoga Irvine.
The postures are not too difficult, depending on your flexibility and balance. There are no super strenuous poses like down dog or yoga push ups. I’m really not sure those would be conducive in such a hot environment, anyhow. So a first timer would be fine with taking a Bikram class. There were definitely some newbies in my first class. You do what you can and sit it out if you can’t. No biggie. Yoga is non-competitive, or at least it should be.
Bikram yoga is sometimes called hot yoga or fire yoga and lasts about 90 minutes. It was developed by Bikram Choudhury and a Los Angeles, California based company to help restore the body and stimulate the organs. The profuse sweating helps to rid the body of toxins. Bikram yoga also helps blood circulation and improve lung capacity. When I left the class I certainly felt rejuvenated and high on life.
For the class you will need:
- Your own mat
- An extra towel (in addition to the one provided by the studio)
- One liter of water, minimum
- Comfortable clothes made of wicking fabric
- Your hair neatly tied back, for the girls
- A change of clothes and shower stuff, if not going immediately home afterwards
Since it is so darn hot in there many girls wear shorts and cropped tops and some men only wear shorts, no shirts, but you can certainly wear whatever is comfortable to you. Just know you are going to sweat buckets!
While the poses and sequence of the class never changes it may become a bit repetitive to some people, like myself, but Bikram practitioners are hardcore. I will most likely incorporate Bikram yoga once or twice a month to get a good sweat and release of toxins while I continue with my regular yoga classes during the week.
Try Bikram yoga if you are curious. It is certainly an experience like no other and don’t be scared. A wise yoga teacher once told me that yoga is all about getting over your fears and he is absolutely right!
Here is what the series of Bikram poses look like.
If you are looking for an awesome Bikram yoga studio in the southern California area I highly recommend Bikram Yoga Irvine. The studio is clean, bright and airy and Jeffrey, the director and a Bikram teacher, is amazing!
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