Day 3/101: The Express Experience.
For a few years now, I've wanted to try the "express" version of a Bikram class. Studios started offering them more aggressively in 2013, and now you can find them more frequently.
Because my usual studio is closed for renovations for part of the week, I ventured to the La Jolla studio for the first three days in my 101 challenge. The studio is kept much hotter than I have been accustomed to in the past year... Since I left Boston. So the first two classes were pretty brutal, starting early in the warm-up series.
I reminded myself, "You're getting reacquainted with your practice. It's going to take a few weeks before you get into the rhythm of feeling like you did six years ago when you practiced."
So I am showing myself some mercy.
And today, I decided to show even more mercy by taking the express version of the class... Which is only 60 minutes.
Now, many people have told me, "The express version can be tougher. You're getting less rest between postures. And you're only doing one set of some of the postures - so you have to push yourself right away to go to your edge."
For me - and sure, this was only my first express class - it was much easier than the past two days. And I enjoyed it a lot.
Jumping deeply into the back bends, charging forward right away, sitting all the way down immediately to open my hips... I was more motivated to get into the posture and maintain it than I have been in a while.
I loved it. And will occasionally supplement the 90 minutes with the 60 minute version when it makes sense. My goal will be to still regularly do the 90 minutes... But the express version of the class was perfect.
Because my usual studio is closed for renovations for part of the week, I ventured to the La Jolla studio for the first three days in my 101 challenge. The studio is kept much hotter than I have been accustomed to in the past year... Since I left Boston. So the first two classes were pretty brutal, starting early in the warm-up series.
I reminded myself, "You're getting reacquainted with your practice. It's going to take a few weeks before you get into the rhythm of feeling like you did six years ago when you practiced."
So I am showing myself some mercy.
And today, I decided to show even more mercy by taking the express version of the class... Which is only 60 minutes.
Now, many people have told me, "The express version can be tougher. You're getting less rest between postures. And you're only doing one set of some of the postures - so you have to push yourself right away to go to your edge."
For me - and sure, this was only my first express class - it was much easier than the past two days. And I enjoyed it a lot.
Jumping deeply into the back bends, charging forward right away, sitting all the way down immediately to open my hips... I was more motivated to get into the posture and maintain it than I have been in a while.
I loved it. And will occasionally supplement the 90 minutes with the 60 minute version when it makes sense. My goal will be to still regularly do the 90 minutes... But the express version of the class was perfect.
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