As part of my
healthy & natural living theme, I was convinced to try Bikram Yoga by a
couple of friends who recently started going themselves.
Bikram Yoga is a
kind of Hot Yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury in the 70s, which seems to be
spreading fast. It's made up of 26 postures or Asanas
done in a room at 40°C (104°F).
"It's really
great," enthused Michelle, "you'll love it, it's hard but you'll feel
amazing afterwards!"
Bikram Yoga is
reputedly excellent for detoxifying the body, strengthening muscle tone &
improving flexibility and general health, with the added bonus that the heat helps minimise the
risk of injury and allows you to go deeper into the postures.
As with all Yoga
practise it also has a spiritual side. More than just a set of stretching
exercises, Yoga is a spiritual practise which brings spiritual insight, inner
peace and tranquility to the practitioner or Yogi.
Having practised
Hatha Yoga for the past year and a half, I was interested, but admittedly a bit
scared at the prospect of doing Yoga in a 40 degree room. At the same time, as
someone who tends to suffer from cramp in my toes at the slightest hint of cold,
the idea of a nice warm room was also rather appealing.
Getting cramp in
your feet during Yoga is very frustrating, not to mention painful, and you have
to sit out until it passes.
I have to admit that
I was more than a little concerned at how hot the room would be, whether I'd be
able to breathe and whether I'd cope.
I'm not a fan of
saunas or steam rooms, so the idea of a hot room was a little unnerving. The
first and last time I went in a sauna, I had a panic attack, started
hyperventilating and raced out the door back to the pool within about 30
seconds of the door being closed.
I decided it would
be prudent to research Bikram Yoga thoroughly on the Internet to reassure and
prepare myself for my first class.
Reassuring it was
not - the more testimonials I read, the more nervous I got. Apparently I was
going to feel faint, dizzy, sick and probably throw up at some point. I should
also drink a couple of litres of water before and afterwards to make sure I
didn't dehydrate.
What was I letting
myself in for?
I arrived at the
Bikram Yoga Bournemouth, mat, towel and water in hand, filled out my forms and
sat waiting for the teacher to arrive. I
couldn't help noticing the other students were scantily clad to say in the least
- tiny shorts and cropped tops appeared to be the order of the day, and I began
to feel a little overdressed in my regular Yoga leggings and top.
While waiting for
the beginning of class, I popped into the room and laid down my mat and towel
to secure my place - right at the back with the beginners. Flanked by second-timers Michelle & Sam,
I was starting to feel a little better.
The room wasn't as hot as I was expecting, which was a relief. It
reminded me of the sensation of stepping off the plan in the Dominican
Republic, the heat wraps itself around you and you can't escape. It's strangely
soothing.
The class finally
started, and the newcomers were warmly welcomed by the teacher and owner of
Bikram Yoga Bournemouth, Amber Fidler.
She explained to us
that as it was our first time, the challenge was simply to stay in the room for
the whole 90 minutes, and that we shouldn't worry whether we could do the
postures or not.
I started OK, the
first section went pretty well. During the harder middle section, I started to
feel sick, and found myself fighting the
unexpected urge to run screaming out of the room.
I paused, sat down
and sipped some water. Once I felt ready again I stood up and joined in again.
I lost count of the
number of times I had to sit down and wait for feelings of faintness and nausea
to subside, but I quickly learned that they were only temporary, and would pass
each time I sat, breathed and sipped some more water.
The class around me
were pouring with sweat - literally. I've never seen anything like it!
It became clear very
quickly why it's compulsory to have a large towel covering your Yoga mat during
class.
I was expecting to
hate the sweaty part, but it was OK. You sweat so much that it just runs off,
and the high tech fabric of my sports gear was doing an excellent job of
wicking the moisture away from my skin. I concluded that the long leggings were
a good idea after all.
It's an unusual
sensation being soaked with sweat all over, but it's not unpleasant.
I was able to join
in again properly for the final section of floor work, which I actually
enjoyed.
I'm not sure if it
was the relief at the class was finally over, and that I'd made it through the
class alive, or simply some deep emotions coming up, stimulated by the Yoga,
but at the end as we lay in Savasana, the dead body pose looking up at the ceiling,
I felt a rush of emotion and tears starting to pour down the sides of my face.
I've experienced this kind of emotional release during Yoga before, so I just
let the tears flow, landing on my soggy, sweat-soaked towel.
It was all over -
the class slowly made their way out of the room, and most sat looking dazed and
bedraggled in the corridor outside, resting and rehydrating with water and
coconut water sold at the reception desk. There was a real feeling of
achievement and camaraderie, and my fellow yogis appeared happy although
clearly exhausted.
Rehydration is
absolutely vital after Bikram Yoga. Staying on the natural theme, I bought
myself a carton of coconut water which is a natural isotonic - drinking chemical-laden Lucosade just
wouldn't have felt right under the circumstances!
It was a very
strange feeling coming out of the hot room back to normality. Physically, I
felt exhausted and weak, but mentally I felt excited, pumped and a little
crazy!
After resting and
rehydrating, I drove home and parked up outside my house. I sat in my car and
burst out laughing. It all felt so
surreal!
Today, day one after
my first ever Bikram Yoga class, I'm really feeling the benefits. The more I
move, the more muscles I find that have worked out and are aching as a
result. At the end of class Amber told
us we'd worked every muscle group - she wasn't exaggerating!
Apparently, to
achieve the best results, it's best to go back to Bikram Yoga within 48 hours
so I've agreed to go back tomorrow for my second go.
It's very hard to
describe how Bikram Yoga makes you feel, but I think I'm starting to understand
why people get so hooked. It was difficult, challenging and awful, feeling sick
and faint wasn't pleasant, but it was an amazing experience at the same time,
my body had a great workout and I felt incredible afterwards, really positive
and uplifted.
All I can say is try
it - it's definitely worth a go!
If
you'd like more information about the class I attended, please visit www.bikramyogabournemouth.com
