10.31.2012

Bikram Yoga - Second Class

You may feel like I am a crazy person for going to my second class the day after my first class and that is how I felt as well. Even my instructor Ahmad told me I was crazy.

I wasn't immensely sore after my first class so I took the initiative to improve my health and went back within the recommended 24 hours. I suited up in a tank top and shorts and drove the 10 minutes to the Hall Street Studio. I was energized and ready to go. I brought a protein drink to eat afterwards and everything.

Class began and I was nervous. I still didn't understand the breathing exercise but made an attempt. As my head had throbbed the day before I took extreme caution with the back bending. I paid close attention to Ahmad's instruction and pushed myself where possible. He complimented me on my form for just being my second class. I felt pretty good. When it was all over I wasn't in a hurry to get out of the room nor did I feel like death.

I stayed in savasana and absorbed the effects the class had on me. I almost broke out in tears, actually I believe I may have but didn't notice amongst all the sweat. I was so proud of myself for pushing and making it through. This is what I needed and it felt good. This will help me gain control in my life, not only with my body but my mind as well. Ahmad ended the class by telling us to "stay calm and not let anyone piss us off because that means they won" which is totally true. With the practice of any yoga you can self control and awareness.

The feeling of energy and life was running through my body and I wanted to scream with joy. I will return for the third day in a row to see what excellent feeling I can get out of continual practice of Bikram. I may just have found what my life was missing. There is no other gym or place you can go where you get a full body exercise in 90 minutes quite like the experience in a Bikram Yoga class. These classes are not for everyone but I do feel they will be for me. More to come on this crazy journey.

Bikram Yoga - First Class

As I ran out of space to upload photos to this lovely blog I have turned it into my little online diary about my life.

Last week I was talking with a co-worker of mine and she mentioned a great groupon for 20 Bikram Yoga classes. Oh how naive I was to believe I could do this. I have been doing yoga off and on for about 4 years now so I didn't think twice about purchasing this seemingly fabulous deal and hauling my bottom of to a 90 minute class in a hot room.

I searched engined it to find out information. I brought a towel, plenty of water and wore skimpy clothes I would normally not be caught dead wearing. Still being a bright eyed un-expecting fool. The first thing you do is a breathing exercise. Seems simple right? I noticed the lady in front of my sweating and I thought to myself "thats so soon" then I noticed the beads rolling off of my own arms as well!

That is how the rest of the class went. It really is 90 minutes of intense exercise. My head was pounding, I couldn't stop burping and my feet ached. The sweetest moment was when the teacher informed us this was the second to last pose. I couldn't get out of the room fast enough. Rushing to the dressing room and bolting out of there was all I could do. I barely remember driving home. The memory that does stick is all the windows down and AC blasting in my face. Seriously. I had never wished for there to be rain like I did in the moment. All that I desired was to be cooled down and I couldn't seem to get there. I gulped ice water and jumped in a cold shower, scarfed down some dinner (that hubby cooked none the less) and then I laid in bed. I couldn't find the strength to hold my head up and my it continued to throb. I fell asleep around 8:45 that night. I thought I was going to die but I lived to tell the tale.

I woke up promptly at 5AM the next morning barely able to walk. Thinking I surely was not going to make it through the day let alone ever return to that hot hellish place. Luckily the coworker who recommended the class did not make an appearance. I would have picked a bone with her. After more research I learned that they recommend returning within 24 hours(!!) of your first class. More on that later.

Even though it felt so dealthy afterwards I knew that the benefits out weighed the initial discomfort. Imagine all the toxins released from my body while sweating for 90 minutes! Imagine all the muscles I had used in the class that hadn't been activated in years! I feel like it was excellent exercise and for someone who needed it and already had yoga experience it was an amazing experience.