How To Clean Yoga Mats & Clothes After Bikram.
Someone asked a good question on Twitter earlier today:
How do you clean your mat and towels after a Bikram class?
Well, I store my mat at the Bikram studio where I practice. They clean it for me. But when I do take it home with me I have specific method for cleaning it. One that gets it super clean:
I use shampoo and hot water, and give the clothes a nice soak in the sink. It's not a thorough clean, but it gets the smell out. But when I am at home and washing my Yogitoes towels and practice clothes, I use the following:
How do you clean your mat and towels after a Bikram class?
Well, I store my mat at the Bikram studio where I practice. They clean it for me. But when I do take it home with me I have specific method for cleaning it. One that gets it super clean:
- Fill bathtub with baking soda and hot water.
- Throw yoga mat in and swish around.
- Drain water and rinse off mat.
- Hang mat on a drying rack, set up in the tub.
- Spray with a tea tree oil and water mixture.
- Let air dry.
I use shampoo and hot water, and give the clothes a nice soak in the sink. It's not a thorough clean, but it gets the smell out. But when I am at home and washing my Yogitoes towels and practice clothes, I use the following:
- Two tablespoons Baking Soda
- Heavy duty "soiled clothing" detergent
- HOT cycle on the washer
Comments
I have NEVER done yoga before, i ever but Bikram intrigues me because a) it is the closest yoga to me (i have to travel farther for "regular" yoga and frankly i am lazy) and b) the calorie burn.
Can a total newbie start it?
Do you really burn a ton of calories?
Would I be better off travelling a little farther and doing a beginnger yoga class?
I was JUST LIKE YOU five years ago, April Elizabeth!
In addition to not having done yoga before, I had weak wrists... So poses like "Downward Dog" - where you put pressure on your wrists - were out of the question for me.
So I initially chose Bikram because the 26 poses were ones that were "wrist-friendly" for me.
So, yes, a newbie can TOTALLY do it. It's called "Bikram's Beginning Yoga"... All classes are "Beginner." Advanced Bikram classes are by invite only, and aren't even posted on the public schedule, usually.
I burn,on average, about 600 calories in a Bikram class. Some people burn slightly less... Some people burn slightly more.
I say, "Give it a shot!" But make sure you drink PLENTY of water before you take the class. And make sure you take it easy.