Bikram Yoga Was Hot

On Thursday, BFF and I went to the yoga studio for our first-ever Bikram yoga class. We were both a bit nervous about the “hot” aspect of it. Would the heat be too much for our system? Would we turn into sweaty pools on the floor? Would we make it through the class?

I’m happy to report that Bikram yoga is just the thing for me! The teacher was amazing, taking the time to make sure all of the newbies in the class understood the poses. She was completely encouraging, saying, “wherever your body can take this pose is the perfect place for you tonight. Be happy with all your body can do.” It made me feel so good that she stressed doing what we were able to do, not what we ’should’ be doing.

I was also really relieved to see two other larger women in the class with me. The class was packed with people — at least 35 of us all ready to sweat and move and pose. Every so often I’d look towards one of these two ladies to see how they were fairing, and it gave me encouragement. Both of them seemed to have taken the class several times before, because their balance was phenomenal, but it was reassuring to know that they couldn’t do the poses exactly as some of the other participants in the class could. It allowed me to do what my body was able to, without feeling badly that I couldn’t do what some of the other, thinner people could do.

Bikram was hot, to be sure. I was sweating before long, but my muscles felt good. I liked the fact that the class consists of 26 poses, done in 2 sets. The first pose is held for a longer period of time, and then in the second set, you hold it for a bit shorter. These same poses are done each time, so I’m sure that with continued practice, I’ll be able to master each pose eventually. Well, maybe not “master,” but at least see progress towards mastery.

I also liked that the class focused mostly on leg work. My legs are strong, and can do much more than my arms can. I need to work on my balance, but I know it will come in time. There were a few poses I simply couldn’t do, but I was ok with that, and was proud of myself for not getting frustrated.

Oh, and the clothes? Well, no yogatard this night, and that in itself made me feel a lot more comfortable. Those clothes I ordered from netsweat.com were terrible — the pants were skintight; even if I ordered them 2 sizes longer, the would’ve been clingy. They were not the flowy yoga pants that I had hoped. The tops? They were lycra sports bras, not camis, as they had looked in the pictures on the website. So, I have to return all of it and I’ll be out about $20 in shipping (both to me and now to send them back). I did find some nice yoga pants at Avenue, which I ordered, along with some real camis. But on Thursday night I wore some cotton workout pants I had and I wore my regular tank top, with a sports bra over it, to hold it down so it wouldn’t fall over my head. Since everything was black, it all looked fine, and I could move comfortably, which was the most important thing.

Friday I wasn’t too sore, at first. CTLB said that she thought that the heat helped with the soreness, since the muscles were probably really warmed up. Later in the evening last night, I did feel quite sore in my quads, hamstrings, and glutes. It was a great kind of sore, though, because I knew my muscles had been used, but I could still move.

I’m definitely going to keep going to Bikram yoga, because I felt wonderful afterwards. And really, isn’t that what yoga is all about?

---

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Bend It Like Bikram
• Power of Privacy
• crested butte yoga, part 2
• Yoga for Bigger Bodies