"If You Can't Stand The Heat, Get Out Of The Bikram."
I had a really tough yoga meditation tonight. The heat was just getting to me. Well, actually, it was more the humidity. The heat was fine.
Why was tonight different than the other times I have been this week?
Well, I had a very sodium-packed lunch. And despite drinking what's usually a good amount of water for me, I was so very thirsty all throughout class. And I was getting dizzy left and right. My balance was just off. It was not good.
By the end of Pranayama breathing (the first posture), I could feel beads trickling down my back. By awkward pose, my legs and arms were very slippery. And thank God I removed my eye make-up before class! Otherwise, it would have been stinging my eyes.
Prior to the class even starting tonight, one guy wanted to keep the studio door (which connects to the lobby) open. He wanted this because the room was quite "hot" for him. One stellar practitioner (Miss J.) said to him, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
I then chimed in with, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the Bikram!"
We had a laugh. Because you do have to suffer through the heat in Bikram. It's therapeutic in so many ways... But it is always a challenge. Actually, it's what makes the practice continually challenging, even if you've practiced nearly three and a half years. Or 10 years. Or 20 years.
If you can't appreciate the challenge you get from the heated room in a Bikram class, why are you there?
Me, on the other hand, I love the 650 to 750 calories I burn in each class. It's a great cardio work out. And yes, despite what some people believe, Bikram yoga does have cardio elements to it. Wanna know how I know? I wear a heart monitor! It allows me to look at how high my heart rate got in class, and how long my heart rate stayed elevated.
Tonight, for example, my heart rate hit a high of 169. And the average heart rate for me during the class was 146. I stayed on the higher end (close to 160) for about 28 minutes during class. That's a bitchin' work out.
And yes, I'll be in class tomorrow to be dizzy again and burn off another 650 calories.
Why was tonight different than the other times I have been this week?
Well, I had a very sodium-packed lunch. And despite drinking what's usually a good amount of water for me, I was so very thirsty all throughout class. And I was getting dizzy left and right. My balance was just off. It was not good.
By the end of Pranayama breathing (the first posture), I could feel beads trickling down my back. By awkward pose, my legs and arms were very slippery. And thank God I removed my eye make-up before class! Otherwise, it would have been stinging my eyes.
Prior to the class even starting tonight, one guy wanted to keep the studio door (which connects to the lobby) open. He wanted this because the room was quite "hot" for him. One stellar practitioner (Miss J.) said to him, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
I then chimed in with, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the Bikram!"
We had a laugh. Because you do have to suffer through the heat in Bikram. It's therapeutic in so many ways... But it is always a challenge. Actually, it's what makes the practice continually challenging, even if you've practiced nearly three and a half years. Or 10 years. Or 20 years.
If you can't appreciate the challenge you get from the heated room in a Bikram class, why are you there?
Me, on the other hand, I love the 650 to 750 calories I burn in each class. It's a great cardio work out. And yes, despite what some people believe, Bikram yoga does have cardio elements to it. Wanna know how I know? I wear a heart monitor! It allows me to look at how high my heart rate got in class, and how long my heart rate stayed elevated.
Tonight, for example, my heart rate hit a high of 169. And the average heart rate for me during the class was 146. I stayed on the higher end (close to 160) for about 28 minutes during class. That's a bitchin' work out.
And yes, I'll be in class tomorrow to be dizzy again and burn off another 650 calories.
Comments
Maybe I should get started on that....even though I'm the least flexible person I know.
I've been doing it for 3.5 years (almost) and there are poses that I STILL can not fully get into. I also like Bikram because there are no poses where you put pressure on your wrists (like in plank pose or downward-dog). My wrists are so weak and can not handle those postures much.
Bikram is a very healing yoga. I don't have back problems anymore because of it.