My First Time at Bikram Yoga

I learned the standing bow pose; one of 26 poses in Bikram.  Please excuse the mommy mess.

 

In a previous post, I had talked about trying new things this year.  I had always stayed away from Bikram Yoga because I do not do hot.  I like to think of myself as something delicate, but turns out this flower can handle the 90 minute hot yoga session in a 104 degree room.  Bikram Yoga is run by Bikram-certified teachers who use a standardized dialogue to run the class that consists of a series of 26 postures, including two breathing exercises.  

I admit the only reason I decided to commit to driving from Mililani to the Hawaii Kai bikram studio on a Sunday morning was not the benefit of a great workout, but the promise of brunch at Moena Café.  There’s no shame in that.  Whatever your motivation is, use it to get you there.  I had an awesome experience.

As a newbie, my friends had told me to come with my mat and enough towels to keep it covered.  Bring lots of drinking water and be prepared to sweat.  Sit near the door for once in a while cool air and make sure to secure a space so you can see yourself in the mirror.  This was helpful in getting my poses right.

Getting used to the heat was difficult, but I decided it was more of a mental thing that I had to overcome.  The instructor was great and she gave helpful feedback to the class.  I like that yoga continues to be challenging even with lots of practice because you can always take the pose a little further.  

Namaste.