Bikram Yoga

This week I completed one of my goals for the year, trying yoga. I had several friends recommend Bikram Yoga to me and luckily there is a studio right by my house. Bikram yoga is a 90 minute yoga class where you perform a series of 26 poses in a 105 degree and 50% humidity room. Below are the poses performed:

I received a lot of advice before taking my first class and the most important was to hydrate. I had been warned that you may feel dizzy or nauseas during your first class but most important was to stay in the room even if you had to take a break from poses. Well I can happily say I finished all 26 poses my first class and felt pretty good doing it. And after my second class this morning I felt even better and think I have found a new practice to help round out my workouts. Some of the things I love about Bikram are the calming feeling it provides afterwards, the clarity I have at work after a morning practice, the ability to breathe more deeply throughout the day and the overall affect it has had on my body image and food choices. I finally understand what people mean when they say they eat to fuel their bodies. Bikram makes me think about my food choices as what is best for my body. What will help me get through class tomorrow without feeling sick?

David even noticed a difference when we were driving in DC traffic and he started to get frustrated by the other drivers. I just took a deep breath and said it will be ok. I am usually the one driven crazy by DC traffic but with Bikram in my life my perspectives and patience are beginning to change.  I can’t say that I recommend Bikram to everyone, as I found my first class to be very intense, but if you go in knowing what to expect it could be life changing.