I tried Bikram Yoga for the first time last night. It was a fail, I was in corpse pose for half the class. But I am not giving up on in completely. My class was 90 minutes in a 105 degree room. I love the heat but as soon as I walked in to the 105 degree room (with 40% humidity) I knew I was in for it. To put it nicely, it smelled like a hockey bag which is basically one of the worst smells ever.
I was also starving because I read that you should not eat 3-4 hours before class. I am a huge on snacks and having a completely empty stomach made me really nauseous in the extreme heat. Lesson learn – my body can’t handle not eating for 4 hours then going to Bikram.
The class consisted of 26 postures that were all repeated twice and there were to breathing exercises, one to open the class and the other before the final shavasana. The Bikram series is said to work the spine in every direction which helps to alleviate back pain associated with sitting at a desk all day (hello…like me ALL day). These postures all felt great and I could tell I was in serious need of this class.
If this had been a normal heat yoga class I don’t think I would have felt as bad but the heat at Bikram is there for a reason. Heat opens pores (leading to me pouring out sweat <— love puns!) which detoxifies the body and warms muscle tissues to increase flexibility. I am a fairly flexible person already but I find I can whip out some crazy poses in warmer classes like this one.
Intense heat also promotes a more intense cardiovascular workout and can assist in improving stamina and fat burning! Boom…now I can justify my breakfast sandwich!
All and all I liked this class, even though I was in corpse pose for half of it and would definitely give it another shot!
Emily's Full Plate 