And THAT'S Why You Don't Wear Jewelry In Bikram.

There is a golden rule when you practice Bikram. Well, there are many. But one rule that studios post on their websites is:


You're sweating. You're pulling, compressing and stretching body parts. Sometimes your hands are under your feet. Sometimes your chin is shoved into the top of your chest. You don't want jewelry getting sweat on and possibly damaged while in class.

Rings... Watches... Necklaces... Dangling earrings... And especially bracelets, which were the cause of a commotion this evening.

It was brutal class tonight. Just brutal. The heat was still going strong from the 4pm class. And since that was a full class, there was plenty of "juicy" energy in the room when we entered for the 6pm class. I was in a full sweat before class even began, just form sitting on my mat and towel.

"Think of the excellent exfoliation you are getting," I told myself.

After a few minutes of sitting in the room, I was able to slide my engagement ring off my finger, and place it at the top of my mat. My wedding band is thin enough that it doesn't cause me any kind of limitation in the poses. But the engagement ring has to come off the finger. It would be cutting into my skin in no time.

So I guess what I am trying to point out is that I get how precious jewelry is. I don't wear much of it. But what I do have is precious to me. And my engagement ring is probably the most precious item I own. Even more precious to me than my wedding band. Because The Husband picked out the engagement stone and setting all by himself. Whereas I picked out my band. So I, of course, will not leave my ring in my bag in the locker room.

I bring it with me into class, and I slip it off and place it at the top of my mat. It sits there like a beacon through class... And so I never forget it at the end of class. Before khalpalbhatti breathing even begins, my ring goes back on my finger.

So, if you don't feel safe leaving your jewelry in the locker room, bring it into class with you. But leave it at the top of your mat, where you will not forget it and it will not be a distraction to anyone else.

What you do NOT want to do is wear your beautiful - probably sentimental - bracelets while practicing hot, sweaty Bikram yoga... And have one of them break while you begin the floor series.

As soon as we got through the first few postures on the floor, we all heard it...

"Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!"

The beautiful pearl beads from a bracelet (one of many) another girl was wearing broke, and were now bouncing against the dark stained hardwood floor. It was a good thing we weren't in the standing series anymore.

The teacher was very gentle and scooped up the scattered beads from the various spots they had come to rest at on the floor. And she didn't scold the girl who was wearing them. That was nice. Had this been any other studio, I can imagine she would have been pretty well scolded.

But, well, this is Canada. And people are really nice here. Even in the Bikram yoga studios.

I hope the girl was able to recover every bead. I will feel awful if she didn't. This wasn't my first class with her. I have noticed her wearing the stacks and stacks of bracelets in other classes. I know I will see her in another class soon. I hope she at least takes them off an piles them at the top of her mat.

But this is a GREAT example of why we don't wear jewelry in class.

Comments

Arielle said…
I was playing volleyball about a year ago and in the middle of the game, a woman on the other team started flipping out. She apparently had put both her engagement ring and her wedding band on a chain around her neck to protect them during the game, but somehow she noticed that the engagement ring was missing. The game stopped for 20 minutes while everyone tried to find it but we couldn't. I felt pretty badly for her but at the same time, mixing jewelry and athletics is never a good idea in any form!
Me said…
Oh I would DIE!

I have often considered stopping wearing my engagement ring now that I have been married five years. I don't want to lose it.
My mother bought me a beautiful silver and gold bangle when she visited me, for the very first time, the fall of my freshman year in college. I've had this bracelet for 10 years and rarely, if ever, take it off.

I've forced myself to remove it for oh so many Bikram classes only to realize of late that 9 out of 10 women in every class are wearing *some* form of jewelry. Earrings, watches, rings, bracelets, necklaces, even anklets. (WTF?) I get why we "shouldn't" wear jewelry in the hot room---this post is a perfect example. But, other times, all I can think is how incomplete I feel without that band of silver 'round my wrist, in and out of the yoga room.
ActionJoJo said…
I too don't want to leave my engagement and wedding rings in the locker room so I take it in the hot room. I need to take them off because I find that they hinder my fingers from forming a tight grip at the webbing. I too used to place them at the front edge of my mat and put them back on during kalabati breathing. Then I was visiting a studio once and a student saw me do that and then in the locker room later she advised me not to do it because she had done the same thing and it was stolen! Yes, it happened in the hot room while she was doing yoga. I couldn't believe it!!!! I always felt trust towards all my fellow bikram yogis but I decided not to take a chance after I heard this woman's story. So now, I always buy Shakti shorts with string and loop the string through my rings and tie them with a double knot.

Finally, Arielle's comment reminded me of the 2008 Olympic beach volleyball match where Kerri Walsh (with her volleyball partner Misty May-Treanor) did a block during the match and her wedding ring flew off her finger. After it happened, the paused the match and tried to look for it but couldn't find it. Walsh looked totally distraught. After the match, they viewed the footage in slow-motion and they were able to see the ring fly off her finger and pinpoint the general vicinity it landed. Then sifting through tons of sand and using a metal detector, one volunteer found it. I'm glad it was happy ending for Walsh.
That Girl! said…
OMG that poor girl would have been TORN a new one if that happened here in Boston. TORN!
Me said…
That was exactly my thought JT! Can you imagine if she had been in a class taught by B? She would have been shamed!
Melissa said…
Yeah, that girl would have had been made an example of for sure here in STL.

And you guys have hardwood floors? What's up with that?
Me said…
I was a little shocked by the hardwood floors at first too... because in every studio in the states, they have carpet.

But in Toronto... The thing is... It is harder for Bikram to prosecute studios who use his dialogue and call themselves, "Hot Yoga." So, the certified Bikram studios that are here have to compete with these impostor studios... And the impostor studios - which are on every corner it seems - do not have carpet on their floors.

So, in order to make it easier to attract students to the Bikram method, they keep the floors hardwood. And I can't blame them. If I was a studio owner in Toronto, I would do the exact same thing. Otherwise, it would be hard to get students in and convince them to practice exclusively with certified Bikram teachers.

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