Tag Archives: Health & Fitness

As many of you know, a few weeks ago my neighbor and I purchased 3 hot yoga classes at a semi-local studio. We skipped going last week and last night was our third and final class.

We arrived early and headed straight for the room to “claim” our spots for class. During our first class we were a little late and were stuck in a back corner with little room to move and we were right next to the steam machine. Our second class we ended up separated and on the right side of the room, it was super hot and you couldn’t feel the steam, so last night we decided to try the center in a quest to find balance. Little did we know when attending last nights class that we would have a different instructor…a crazy instructor…who I think was trying to boil us without us knowing, a la the old Bugs Bunny cartoons.

As we were sitting there waiting for class to start, I noticed the beads of sweat already starting to form on me. I thought it was because I didn’t drink enough water and tried to chalk it up to my really not wanting to be there, but I began to notice it on other people as well. Class started and it was ran a little differently because of the new instructor, so I found I had to pay closer attention. That was hard to do because I couldn’t get over the heat…plus I had sweat pouring into my eyes and I kept feeling dizzy.

Before long, I noticed I wasn’t the only one unable to hold poses or having to drop down into child’s pose to regain composure. It was happening all around me…even to the “advanced” students who I have looked to when I was unsure of how a pose should look. Everyone just looked exhausted and unsure of what was going on. The yoga instructor seemed to keep turning the heat on and off too and even opened the door to let cool air in a few times but nothing seemed to help. I mean, you know something is up when the yoga instructor has sweat pouring off her as she is only walking around making sure people are in the poses properly.

I made it through the standing balance poses….barely and with lots of breaks, and thought I’d be okay once we reached the floor portion, but I was wrong. With about 15 minutes left to class I had to tap out. I felt dizzy and like I was going to puke, plus I also ran out of water and needed cool, fresh air badly. I quietly got up from my mat, opened the door, and found 3 other students in the hallway, all bent over and looking like they were either going to pass out or puke as well. We sat there joking around, talking about how crazy class was this week and enjoying the cool night air from the window I opened, until class let out.

EVERYONE (save for one guy who seemed to enjoy being steamed alive) came out and complained about how hot it was. One of the guys I was talking to actually went back in to check the thermostat and said it was at almost 130 degrees! What the deuce, lady!!!

I am so glad that was not my first adventure in hot yoga, as it would probably be my last. While it felt good to sweat out the toxins in my body, I was unable to do most of the poses and that just defeats the purpose of the class to me. If I want to just sweat my ass off, I’ll go sit in a sauna for 90 minutes.

Will I return to hot yoga? I don’t know. I’ll most likely do a class here or there, however the nice weather is almost here (well, it actually is here right now as it is in the 70’s all week) and I’d much rather walk the fitness trail, enjoy the cool, fresh air and beauty of nature.

P.S. – I shall also admit here that after class, my neighbor and I went to Five Guys for a burger cause we were starving. I at least only got a little burger and I skipped the bacon and fries. I know this was not ideal “post workout” food, but damn was it good!

Last night was my second Bikram Yoga class, and I was really looking forward to it. I have been under tremendous amounts of stress lately and this has become a treat that my body and mind both deserve.

This week we headed to class learning from the prior weeks mistakes. We brought a large towel to drape over our mats to prevent us from slipping on our sweat and we got to class earlier to secure a good spot, in the back, on the opposite side of the room from the steam output. Unfortunately, we missed out the prime back row spots, well my friend did, as I snagged the last one but she was brave and moved herself up to the front row. (So she could admire herself in the mirror, I’m sure)

Class began and man, let me tell you, I think the heat was cranked up to 1,005 instead of 105 degrees. It. Was. HOT.

The sweat immediately started pouring off of me and no matter how often I stopped to wipe down, I was drenched again within seconds. I don’t know if I didn’t take in enough calories early in the day or if the amount of stress I’ve been feeling had taken that much of a toll, but I kept getting light-headed and had to come out poses quite a few times to recover.

Normally, I would be self-concious having to stop but what I love about this class is that the instructor constantly reminds you to listen to your body and do what it tells you. Mine was telling me to rest, so that’s what I did.

Just like last week, the standing balance poses ended just as I thought I couldn’t take another minute and the floor poses began. I welcome this break like you wouldn’t believe. Maybe it’s cause I’m tall and heat raises, but laying on the floor felt like I had just hit the lotto and I could feel a temperature difference.

By the end of class my mind was clear, my body was stretched and I felt like a new person. (Not to mention my tank top and shorts were soaked and there wasn’t a dry spot on either towel….eww) It was once again a wonderful feeling to just let all of my worries go for 90-minutes and focus on nothing more than the mind and the breath.

I have one more class next week at the current studio. The other day, I received a Groupon for a different studio and we have until tonight to decide if we will take advantage of it and commit to another 10 classes.

Namaste.

The other night, my neighbor, the lovely @Melysa_S,  sent me a text message asking if I would be interested in joining her for a 90-min Bikram Yoga session. I found that I got excited about the chance to try something new, and then a sense of fear took over. If you have followed this blog for a while, you know I have a phobia or group workouts. I loathe working out around people so the thought of not only leaving my comfort zone, but doing it in a 105 degree F room scared me….big time!

So what is Bikram Yoga? Well…

• It’s done in a 105 F room with 40% humidity.
• It consists of 26 “asanas” or postures and two breathing exercises that are done twice in a row.
• It’s 90 minutes long.
• The combination of heat and postures are supposed to be good for blood circulation, delivering more oxygen to joints, muscles and organs.
• Sweating is supposed to be detoxifying.

This all intrigued me as did the need to de-stress, so I found the courage to say yes and started looking at info on-line to prepare myself. From everything I read, hydration and towels were the most important things, as well as going to class with an empty stomach.

Upon arriving at the studio, we signed in, quickly changed and entered the room. I knew it would be hot in there, but I wasn’t prepared for the wall of heat that smacked me. We found the last two spots in the back of the room (of course mine was under the pipe that fed the steam into the room), settled in and began to stretch.

The instructor was really nice and I was grateful that I had experience with YogaX so I knew some of the poses. I was also happy many of them were balance poses as those are the ones I like the best.

There were a few times the heat started to get to me, but I wiped the sweat off my brow, took a little water and got back in it.

Class was split into a standing a segment and a floor segment. I was very relieved when we switched to floor work because it gave my head a chance to rest from the lightheadedness that was beginning to take over.

Ultimately, it was an amazing workout. I had a great experience, felt a ton of stress melt off of me and I look forward to two more weeks of it, since we purchased a 3-class pack for only $25!

If you are interested in what kind of poses we did, here is a graphic I found that has all 26.

If you have ever contemplated trying Bikram Yoga, I say go for it! I’m so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone and gave it a try!