What Was I Thinking?

I have been hearing a lot of buzz lately about Bikram yoga and decided it sounded worth a try. I was somehow able to convince two of my friends from school to come with me and try it out. One had already gone and was excited to return and the other was a bit nervous, as was I. Now, if you are not familiar with Bikram yoga it is a series of 26 poses done in silence in an extremely hot room. 106 degrees to be exact. Seriously, I am not making that up. I read the thermostat.

You are encouraged to drink a gallon or more of water prior to beginning class. Also, not to eat at least 2 hours beforehand. I now know this is to prevent you from vomiting all over the studio and interrupting the flow of the poses. Tight fitting clothing should be worn and absolutely no jewelry, makeup, or shoes allowed! There are very strict rules at this center and don't even try to mess with the front desk woman (who also happens to be the owner and teacher). This woman is fierce! She also locks the door at exactly 5:30. This was rather unfortunate as my friend arrived at 5:31 and was locked out of class. She had to turn around and drive an hour home. A- If I had seen you I would have unlocked the door for you. Even if the teacher would have killed me in front of everyone!

All of these things should have clued me in that this was unlike any yoga class I had ever tried. As soon as we opened the doors we were hit with a wave of heat. There are literally heaters blasting hot air in every corner of the room. We started sweating instantly and tried to follow along as best we could. Being that the room is 106 degrees you can't help but sweat just a bit but the one time I made the mistake of reaching for my towel I was immediately yelled at in front of the class-- no fidgeting, no moving, don't touch anything. I wanted to ask if throwing up was allowed since some of the moves made me incredibly nauseous. There were a few times I had to sit on my legs Japanese style and focus on my breathing. And thank goodness the teacher didn't see me the times I was looking around the room because she yelled at someone else to lock eyes with themselves in the mirror-- no turning, no looking at other people.

After the class (1.5 hours to be exact) fans are turned on and you stay in resting pose for as long as it takes for your heart beat to slow down. I probably could have stayed there all night long. I left class absolutely dripping wet and totally disgusting. When I got home my neighbors actually asked me if I went swimming! I have mixed reviews about this sauna yoga. I think I liked it, minus the wanting to puke part, and I do feel really good now typing away on the computer. So maybe the second time is the clincher and why some people go every single day and can do moves I have only seen in the circus! I guess we shall see...