Bikram Yoga

My first planned frolic with my friend Micky didn’t unfold as expected.  First, Micky bailed.  Never mind that she was the one who suggested we try bikram yoga, the truth was it was folly for her to try.  She’d been on a juice fast for a month.  It would be irresponsible and unhealthy for her to put herself into a 90 minute 105 degree heated fitness class.

I debated whether or not to go solo.  I was tired.  I had a million things to do.  Were it not for my commitment to experience (at least) 50 Frolics this year, I’m sure I would’ve passed.

I unearthed my yoga mat and jumped in the car before I could change my mind.

Half way to class, I realized I had no water with me, nor did I have cash for the lesson.  Like a beacon, the Trader Joe’s sign signalled the answer to both problems.  I nipped inside, bought some water and took out money with my debit card.

Arriving at the birkam yoga studio, I was surprised that even the reception area was hot.  I filled out the waiver and handed the form and the cash to the person at the desk.

            “I’ve never done this before,” I said.  “What do I need to know?”

            “What kind of shape are you in,” she asked.

            “The worse shape of my life,” I admitted.

 The twenty-two year old behind the counter looked at my fifty year old visage and my doughy carcass.  She sighed and spoke as if to a child.

            “Okay, go slow.  Don’t try to do everything the first time. When you need to take a break, sit down on your mat.  We don’t want you to drink any water for the first three poses, but after that, you can drink whenever you wish.”         

            “Understood.”

I entered the yoga room.  The first thing that struck me was the smell.  Like a boy’s locker room infested with foot fungus.  The stench emanated from the room’s wall to wall carpet -- which apparently had sopped up all manner of bacteria and bodily fluids. I didn’t so much want to be standing on it with my bare feet, as was required.

The second thing that struck me was how full the room was.  Dozens of scantily clad bodies of all sizes and shapes performed a yoga mat version of a rubiks cube so all could fit inside.

The class itself was not at all what I expected.  For one thing, the instructor turned out to be the twenty-two year old  who checked me in at reception.  For another, she talked non-stop for the ninety minutes. She didn’t demonstrate or do the actions -- she just talked.  It sounds irritating but her patter was actually quite helpful in executing the different moves.  She called participants by their first name as she offered suggestions for improvement or words of encouragement.

The poses were less physically demanding than I expected.  There were a lot of balance poses, at which I sucked, but nothing i couldn’t do, despite my current, diminshed level of fitness.

There were lots more resting time between poses than expected.

The heat wasn’t unbearable as expected.

The time went by much faster than expected.

Although it didn’t seem we’d done much during the session, when it concluded, it felt like I had worked out. The real effects were felt throughout the day -- my skin felt great.  My body felt good -- as if i’d been in the steam room or a sauna.

Of course I headed straight home and scrubbed thoroughly, especially my feet.

However, I took advantage of the ‘new student introductory special’ and returned the next day.  This time, i shoved some perfume up my nose to counteract the stench.  It helped tremendously.

When I returned for my third class on day three day, I encountered the other down side of bikram yoga -- the attitudes of the fellow students.  Despite the crowded room, the waiflike woman in front of me refused to move her mat one inch in any direction to let more of us participate.

The folks in my fourth class (on day four) were nicer, thankfully.

I thought about adding birkram yoga to my weekly schedule -- going once or twice a week would be good for my balance and strength training -- two things that old fogies like me need to address. 

On the down side, the studio is twenty minutes away so any class I attend ends up taking 2 1/2 hours out of my day.   More concerning is that by the fourth class, I could feel my hip issue resurfacing.  My hip ached when i walked the dogs. When i sat too long.  Even sleeping in bed.

I’m going to wait and see how long the pain lasts. I do need to find strength training and balance that will work for me, but I’m not so sure this is the way I’ll do so.

On a brighter note, i did make it through the week without contracting any foot infections, so that was a plus.

How about you?  Have you tried Birkam Yoga?  What fitness activities do you enjoy?  Message me or leave a comment below.