Tips For Bikram Yoga Beginners.
I've posted about tips for people looking to try out a Bikram yoga class for the first time... And I feel like it is time to post them again, as it seems that more and more new people are trying it out each time I go to class.
In yesterday's, I saw a newbie have a really tough class. REALLY tough. I wanted to go up to her and tell her, "Hey! I've been there too! I've practiced for over four years now, and I still get sick and have problems with poses. Just take it easy!" But, you can't really talk in a Bikram yoga class. And I am not the teacher, so I didn't think it was my place to try to console her. The teacher was doing a good job at that already. It did get me thinking, though, that people need to be more realistic about what to expect when they go to a Bikram class...
I have seen many new people do the following in recent weeks:
Bikram Yoga Tips for Beginners:
1. Arrive early to your first few classes. The first time you go, you will have paper work to fill out. The next few times after, you want to get there about 15 minutes before class starts (at least) to acclimate to the heat in the room. Be careful though, it easy to doze off if you lay down on your back.
2. Where as little clothing as possible, but still be appropriate. A lot of girls tend to wear long yoga pants. I did that for over two years. I should have switched to shorts a lot sooner. I recommend yoga shorts for girls, and a yoga tank top or sports bra. Guys seem to be a little shy in their first few classes and don't want to take off their shirts. Big mistake. A loose t-shirt gets in the way. And to be quite honest, even if you are the hottest guy we've ever seen, chances are, the other people around you probably won't be checking you out during class. You get so focused on your practice that you don't often see the details on another person.
3. Remember to drink water; but only between postures. My sister (Red) and I had a similar experience in our first classes. We both felt so nauseated that we were afraid to drink water. We thought if we did, we would puke. But you NEED to sip water during the class. But SIP it. Don't CHUG it. And remember to drink only between postures, as it is less distracting to other people around you.
4. If you feel like you are going to pass out, sit down on your knees. I've been so tired lately, I have had to sit down during a few poses myself yesterday. We almost had a girl faint in class a few Fridays back. The teacher gave her some coconut water. She was back in action a few minutes later. (Coconut water helps!)
5. Don't talk during class. Seriously, this one annoys me greatly. New people, especially if they come with friends the first time, tend to want to talk. But don't do it. You will get evil stares for breaking the silence of the meditation.
6. Don't leave the classroom. You bet your ass it's hot in there. And you better believe the first class you will want to leave. But don't do it. Not even to pee. Also, don't tell the teacher that's it too hot/cold in the room, and that they need to do something about it. Your job is to just practice. You are not in control. You have to adapt.
7. Accept that even if you have done a different kind of yoga for years, Bikram yoga will still kick your ass the first time. Seriously. I have seen people come to class and be all "Well, I do Baptiste yoga. So this class won't be so hard." Guess what? Yes it will. Bikram rooms are bit hotter than Baptiste rooms. AND you hold the poses for much longer. Bikram is a "hard-core" but "beginner-friendly" yoga. So don't come into class on your high horse. Your fall will be that much greater.
8. Don't eat three hours (at least) before class. Sometimes, I don't eat for for or five hours before class. If you have a heavy meal that you don't digest before class, you will regret it when you bend forward and feel like you're going to puke. And I have heard tales (recent ones) of people puking in class.
9. REST after final breathing. There are so many people I see (both new and experienced) that hop up after class as soon as the final breathing exercise is done. This is bad. You need to plan for time to rest on your back after class. Getting up too quickly just to get out of the hot room (or catch your train) means you're not taking advantage of all the hard work you just spent 90 minutes doing. Your body needs to rest. For at least two minutes. I prefer five minutes myself.
10. Don't be ashamed to cry. Bikram yoga can be very emotional. All that backwards bending opens up the heart chakra. Some people see "green stars" the first few times they do camel pose. That means their heart chakra is beginning to open. I tell them, "That's awesome! Good for you! You are making progress!" But some people cry when they open that heart chakra. I cried a little one time during locust pose. I don't why I cried, but it was just so emotional for me.
11. Come back to practice again soon. My first class was Monday, October 11, 2004. I came back the very next day for a second class. And for the past four, almost five, years I am glad to see my interest in practicing Bikram has stuck. (Shit, I've stuck with Bikram longer than I stuck with most jobs. I average a year and a half to exactly two years with most jobs I have had.) If you come back the next day for your second class, maybe it will be the same for you?
In yesterday's, I saw a newbie have a really tough class. REALLY tough. I wanted to go up to her and tell her, "Hey! I've been there too! I've practiced for over four years now, and I still get sick and have problems with poses. Just take it easy!" But, you can't really talk in a Bikram yoga class. And I am not the teacher, so I didn't think it was my place to try to console her. The teacher was doing a good job at that already. It did get me thinking, though, that people need to be more realistic about what to expect when they go to a Bikram class...
I have seen many new people do the following in recent weeks:
- Wear long pants and tee shirts to class.
- Not bring any water into class.
- TALK during class. (This one really annoys me.)
- Try to leave class in the middle. (What was the point in coming then?)
- Comment to the teacher that it's "really hot." (Um... "Duh.")
- Someone gulping water and pouring all over their boobs, while breathing loudly. (To be fair, I didn't see this one. Someone else did and told me about it afterwards.)
Bikram Yoga Tips for Beginners:
1. Arrive early to your first few classes. The first time you go, you will have paper work to fill out. The next few times after, you want to get there about 15 minutes before class starts (at least) to acclimate to the heat in the room. Be careful though, it easy to doze off if you lay down on your back.
2. Where as little clothing as possible, but still be appropriate. A lot of girls tend to wear long yoga pants. I did that for over two years. I should have switched to shorts a lot sooner. I recommend yoga shorts for girls, and a yoga tank top or sports bra. Guys seem to be a little shy in their first few classes and don't want to take off their shirts. Big mistake. A loose t-shirt gets in the way. And to be quite honest, even if you are the hottest guy we've ever seen, chances are, the other people around you probably won't be checking you out during class. You get so focused on your practice that you don't often see the details on another person.
3. Remember to drink water; but only between postures. My sister (Red) and I had a similar experience in our first classes. We both felt so nauseated that we were afraid to drink water. We thought if we did, we would puke. But you NEED to sip water during the class. But SIP it. Don't CHUG it. And remember to drink only between postures, as it is less distracting to other people around you.
4. If you feel like you are going to pass out, sit down on your knees. I've been so tired lately, I have had to sit down during a few poses myself yesterday. We almost had a girl faint in class a few Fridays back. The teacher gave her some coconut water. She was back in action a few minutes later. (Coconut water helps!)
5. Don't talk during class. Seriously, this one annoys me greatly. New people, especially if they come with friends the first time, tend to want to talk. But don't do it. You will get evil stares for breaking the silence of the meditation.
6. Don't leave the classroom. You bet your ass it's hot in there. And you better believe the first class you will want to leave. But don't do it. Not even to pee. Also, don't tell the teacher that's it too hot/cold in the room, and that they need to do something about it. Your job is to just practice. You are not in control. You have to adapt.
7. Accept that even if you have done a different kind of yoga for years, Bikram yoga will still kick your ass the first time. Seriously. I have seen people come to class and be all "Well, I do Baptiste yoga. So this class won't be so hard." Guess what? Yes it will. Bikram rooms are bit hotter than Baptiste rooms. AND you hold the poses for much longer. Bikram is a "hard-core" but "beginner-friendly" yoga. So don't come into class on your high horse. Your fall will be that much greater.
8. Don't eat three hours (at least) before class. Sometimes, I don't eat for for or five hours before class. If you have a heavy meal that you don't digest before class, you will regret it when you bend forward and feel like you're going to puke. And I have heard tales (recent ones) of people puking in class.
9. REST after final breathing. There are so many people I see (both new and experienced) that hop up after class as soon as the final breathing exercise is done. This is bad. You need to plan for time to rest on your back after class. Getting up too quickly just to get out of the hot room (or catch your train) means you're not taking advantage of all the hard work you just spent 90 minutes doing. Your body needs to rest. For at least two minutes. I prefer five minutes myself.
10. Don't be ashamed to cry. Bikram yoga can be very emotional. All that backwards bending opens up the heart chakra. Some people see "green stars" the first few times they do camel pose. That means their heart chakra is beginning to open. I tell them, "That's awesome! Good for you! You are making progress!" But some people cry when they open that heart chakra. I cried a little one time during locust pose. I don't why I cried, but it was just so emotional for me.
11. Come back to practice again soon. My first class was Monday, October 11, 2004. I came back the very next day for a second class. And for the past four, almost five, years I am glad to see my interest in practicing Bikram has stuck. (Shit, I've stuck with Bikram longer than I stuck with most jobs. I average a year and a half to exactly two years with most jobs I have had.) If you come back the next day for your second class, maybe it will be the same for you?
Comments
I also wanted to add: please don't talk in the yoga room once the class is over as well. This is people's quiet meditation time and even though the class is "over", some of us are trying to enjoy our 2 mins of relaxation.
A yogi can indeed open his heart chakra through practice and meditation. That state of heightened awareness which enhances the sense of love and compassion isn't the same sensation as artificially high blood pressure.
Bikram studios can call it what they like, but students aren't opening their heart chakras by doing the camel.
Breathe. If you have to breath through your mouth, then take a rest.
Leave your expectations at the door.
Yes, blood pressure does increase in inverted positions like Wheel and Camel... But they do help open your Heart Chakra. Bikram yoga is 90 minute moving meditation. It is not "fluffy" like a lot of other yogas where you chant and visualize stuff, which is what people think of as meditation. Bikram yoga is purely about healing. And in the 90 minute conversation we are having with the teacher (they speak, we respond with postures) we are hitting each of the chakras and helping to heal by moving energy through them. Bikram yoga is Hatha yoga.
It's fully possible that I'm insane and/or evil.
But I actually do have a point. Good etiquette is great, but I think it's a big deal to have compassion for other people, no matter how spastic they appear, because you have no idea who they are or what they have been through. Everyone brings something different into that room. And a little chaos is good for helping you improve your focus, because hey, LIFE is FULL of distractions!!
The only ones who are capable of really distracting me are the ones who most definitely Should Know Better!
J :)
I do actually agree with you, J. If you are advanced enough in your practice, people can scream at you in class and you will be able to stay steady in your meditation.
I just remember one time when Teacher "T" (who had practiced a few mats down from me in class) screamed at some people, "QUIET!!!!!" when they were chatting so loudly after class.
It was funny. I had never heard her yell like that.
Thanks for this.
Vinyasa is serious stuff too... Good for you for expanding your yoga practice!
Eventually, the puking feeling will subside. I promise.
Haha - I have NEVER seen her really yell!! She is always the level-headed one in a situation...
By the way, I see that u have discovered my under-the-radar blog... thanks for the link... I am so busted now!! ;-)
I every-time i bent down i thought i would be sick AND I stumbled ALOT. It was embarrassing. Really embarrassing. But I paid to go today, tomorrow, wed and thursday (this places has a 4 consecutive first time student deal). I did like it AND i didnt puke (although i definitely almost did.
So I am going tomorrow. If i can get rid of this migraine (possibly going straight from yoga to a 2 mile walk with my dog at Jamaica pond was poor planning)
i totally ended up a mouth breather like 3 times. I didnt realize i was doing it. As soon as i did i quit.
Which studio did you practice at April Elizabeth?
1. I prefer to not have cold, but tepid water as ice cold can seem a bit shocking to my heated body. And, I'm a chugger, too, but a quiet one.
2. The Zico coconut is definitely a must. Also, I found that eating a salty pickle helps, too. But, it is usually on or the other. Mixing the two is a bit weird.
3. Although after the first days I felt that walking again could seriously impair me, getting back into a class was truly the only cure.
Bikram practioners can label the sensation however they want - the biological facts remain the same. The effects described is what happens when high blood pressure which causes your brain to swell a bit more than it should. Consult a medical professional if you're curious.
Perhaps Bikram devotees can achieve the same effect as meditation by making the brain swell, but a meditative yoga discipline doesn't risk an aneurism.
First, you don't see me "pissing" all over the more popular and Americanized forms of yoga that people are doing, despite the fact that they are a joke. You go to India, people aren't using props and doing some of the absurdly-named poses you see in classes that teach what I think is "faux yoga." And "flow yoga," while fun, is not real yoga. Yoga isn't an aerobics class.
Yoga, like religion, is a personal choice. And despite what I may think about the traditional and popular yoga, I don't believe in "hating" or attempting to preach about the dangers of the particular yoga. And I definitely don't go around claiming that there are "biological facts" that back up my "hating" comments. As far as I know, it's a "clinical and scientific fact" that Bikram yoga has MANY benefits to people.
Second, nothing you do in Bikram makes you risk an aneurysm in the brain. We do traditional hatha yoga poses - the same 26 in every class. Each and every pose serves a purpose. And none of them puts you in danger.
Bikram yoga is a very healthy yoga. And it can be practiced by anyone at any age. I have seen old people practice it. I have seen MANY pregnant women practice it. Children? They practice it too.
You know why?
Because (and I am quoting an 80-year-old here), "This shit works."
Bikram is intense, no arguing there. It can be hot. It can drive you insane having to hold a pose for a full 60 seconds. And then have to turn around and hold it a second time (because we do each pose twice). And you have to show no fear when going into certain poses - because let's face it... Backward bends can be scary.
But we keep coming back because we feel great. Sometimes we even feel great during class. But we always feel great after class.
So, "Yoga Traditionalist" (and I am mocking you when I write that... Because even though I have no idea what type of yoga you personally practice, I am going to guess it is one of the "faux" versions), spread your hate for Bikram some place else. And I promise to not hate on you and your "faux" yoga.
Clearly "Yoga Traditionalist" should go meditate a bit more and try to leave the negativity at home...
Congrats on getting back into your practice Bex!!!
Is there anything else that I should avoid doing? After looking at the asanas, I know that there are at least a few that are WAY too difficult for me right now. Should I attempt them anyway? I'm afraid that I might lose my balance and fall, which would be very distracting for everyone around me. How do I learn the poses without disrupting others?
I have been practicing over 4 years, and there are poses that are still really difficult for me. You should definitely attempt each pose, as that is what will help you progress in the posture.
I lose my balance in postures all the time. Specifically in Standing Bow pose. It's because as I go further into the pose and advance, I kick my leg so much behind me that I fall forward. Some days I don't fall forward. But falling forward is okay.
The most distracting things anyone can do (for me) are talk or exhale really loudly through the mouth. Someone doing a pose and losing their balance isn't really that distracting. It means they are working hard on improving their health.
I am having a terrible time with the heat after about 30-40 minutes. I feel like I am going out of my mind and want to escape the room.
A real battle.
I am going to try the water tips here and the coconut water.
Thanks again!
I broke one of your laws and asked to leave - he said no way. Glad I didn't though because it was kind of eye opening. I feel SO out of shape after that experience.
I am going to try a 14 day challenge and see how that goes then I'll try a 30 day challenge next (baby steps right?). Any advice on overcoming dizziness? I got so dizzy just during the first breathing pose that I sat out the next 4 poses b/c I was literally about to faint (I have very low BP).
Women's Health
Be confident in what you say and you won't need to add snark.
Definitely listen to the instructor... Wait till Monday. Give your body a chance to recover fully from the flu. But in general, after a Bikram class, you will feel great. Amazing.
Or when you are hungover and go to class.
What you're feeling is completely normal. It is a form of the body purging.
(See! Apologetic. So you're wrong there in your assumption!)
All forms of yoga are good (see, not superior)... But when someone (as Yoga Traditionalist did) comes into my personal space and shares their opinion and does so aggressively and condescendingly, I will respond back. And yes, that does come across as "snarky."
But so what?
Yogis can be all types... Quiet and calm. Serene and ethereal. Loud and obnoxious. Funny and self-deprecating.
Hopefully you had a great first class and find a practice that feeds your needs.
And may you learn to chill out and stop seeing yourself as "Superior" to all of us.