Does anyone do bikram yoga here? Any advice or tips for someone who is thinking about trying it? I am a 33 year old male, in pretty decent shape.
Have you done any other form of yoga before? Even if you are in decent shape, I wouldn’t recommend launching into Bikram before trying Hatha or similar.
Yoga is difficult. You may already know this, but I’ve seen quite a few guys pre-yoga and post-yoga and they are always surprised by how much it works them, even the weight lifters.
ETA: Bikram. There is actually an interesting way to ease into it. Find a school that offers Bikram and other forms of yoga and take a (non-Bikram) class that takes place right after the Bikram one, if possible. The room will be hot, but not ridiculously hot.
Do you wear glasses? I’ve taken yoga over the years, and tried a bikram class on some friends’ recommendations. The one thing that I think I’d have to deal with if I started taking classes regularly was the glasses. Because I was sweating LIKE A PIG my glasses would slide down my face, and it was irritating. But if I took them off I couldn’t see what the instructor was having us do.
Bring a full sized towel to class, and make sure you bring a change of clothing and another towel for afterwards. You will NOT want to wear your soaking clothes home. Also, be hydrated BEFORE class, and bring water with you.
I’ve been practicing Bikram for two and a half years. I love it (more accurately, it’s the form of exercise that I hate the least) but it’s not for everyone. I wear glasses and it can be a PITA but I take them off for some of the poses. We’ve had a few Bikram threads over the years and I believe that there are six or seven of us who are Bikram yogis. (You there, Gail?)
First of all, it’s hot. Damn hot. The room will be between 105 and 115F. It takes some getting used to. Drink a lot of water the day of the class but stop about an hour before class because you do not want to have to pee during class. Bring about a liter of water to class to drink during class. (You’re not supposed to drink for 30 of the 90 minutes. The instructor will let you know when it’s time to start drinking.)
Show up about 30 minutes early before your first class and tell the instructor that you’re new. They’ll give you good information and will keep an eye on you.
When you’re in class, pay attention to the dialog and don’t forget to breathe. If you feel light headed or nauseas, just lie down for a pose. Don’t leave the room. If you’re in reasonable shape this probably won’t happen.
It is an outstanding workout. In the 90 minutes, you’ll get your heart rate up and work on strength, balance and flexibility. None of the 90 minutes is wasted on meditation or philosophy. That is one thing that I really appreciate.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
I’ve been practicing Bikram for 3 1/2 years and my 14 yo daughter has been going for almost two. There has never been a form of exercise that I loved so much. But, I’ve introduced my friends to it, and they were not as enthusiastic. the heat definitely takes some getting used to.
Like haj said, tell the instructor you are new. There are only two studios in my area, and they are connected. There aren’t that many instructors, so they are friendly and get to know the students. Here, the teachers are very thorough and informative.
The class is scripted and the teacher’s are not supposed to deviate from Bikram’s script, so, wherever you go to take a Bikram class, it should be a similar experience.
Personally, I would go take the teacher training, if I could afford it.
I did an intro yoga class about 10 years, but that doesn’t really count does it? Taking a class after the Bikram one is a good idea to ease into it. Thanks for the advice.
I definitely plan on telling the instructor it’s my first time when I try it. Thanks to you and the others who replied for all the great advice.
I’ve been going at least twice a week for about 1 1/2 years - it kicks my butt but is strangely addicting. Only workout I have ever consistently looked forward to.
**haj ** and **gail ** do a good job of describing it. It will be different than pretty much anythng else you’ve tried. More than anything, like any yoga, try to allow yourself to breathe slowly and regularly, through your nose. The person leading the class will stress this a lot with good reason…
Best of luck - do report back on your impressions if you do go…it isn’t for everybody, that’s for sure…
In 2.5 years I have managed to get one friend of mine to try it and he loves it. I was talking about it to a co-worker today and he seemed fairly enthused and told me that he’d go with me. We’ll see.
I also go twice a week. That’s the minimum that’s recommended. I think that more than twice a week would kill me.
I think I am going to try a class tomorrow. I’ll report back on how it goes.
I’ve been a practitioner for about a year and a half. I love it, and I’ve indoctrinated a few people into it. It’s hard, but it has wonderful benefits. Try to remember, STAY IN THE ROOM. Don’t leave the room for any reason. Leaving and coming back in is tough on you, less tough than just sitting or laying on your mat when you’ve had enough.
Drink plenty of water beforehand, don’t eat for a couple of hours before class. Take a beach-sized towel with you, your studio probably has a sticky mat for you to rent (the 1/4" mats as opposed to the more poofy yoga mats). I also take a small hand towel or face cloth for wiping sweat off of my hands for a better grip. Take a change of clothes and toiletries for showering afterward, as well.
As WordMan says, breathe through your nose. At the start of the class is a deep breathing exercise where you will be required to breathe through your mouth, same as at the end; otherwise, it’s through your nose. That is apparently because if you breathe through your mouth, your body thinks there’s something wrong and will try to overcompensate. Apparently - I don’t know for sure, that’s just something a long-past teacher told me.
Take those two minutes in savasana (dead body pose) at least, longer if you can stand the heat in the room. I love that part.
While not Bikram exactly, I’ve been playing around with the idea…My gym is apparently behind the times and offers no Bikram (maybe these things just take time getting to Alaska…), but I’ve been taking a “power yoga” class a couple times a week to learn poses, sequences, etc, and then doing them in the sauna after my regular workout. I do a lot of high intensity, crossfit-style workouts using kettlebells and rings for my main workout, and the “sauna yoga” is the perfect complement to this. I used to dread (and often skip) the stretching part of the workout, but this has really gotten me excited about it. I started slowly and am up to about 20-25 minutes of “hot yoga” daily and couldn’t be happier with it! For a real system-shock, follow immediately with a cold swim or shower…pure evil, in the best possible way 
Bikram yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury and, in a very controversial move, patented his series of poses. You can’t teach Bikram yoga or run a Bikram yoga studio unless you have paid to go through training with Bikram himself.
Hmmm…didn’t know that…thanks! I guess I’ve just heard the term and assumed it was a generic term for “yoga in a hot room”
Actually patented isn’t correct. He has a trademark and a copyright.
I just read the Wiki article on it…wow, doesn’t seem very much in line with everything I’ve heard about the yoga philosophy. Did I imply that I was doing “Bikram Yoga” in the sauna? I think I’ll just stick with “stretching in the sauna”…yeah, that’s the ticket
Apparently, Bikram’s a bit of a pompous dick.
With a lot of money.
*Apparently, Bikram’s a bit of a pompous dick.
With a lot of money.*
op by Ginger
I would say controversial and quirky…My daughter competed at his yoga championship in LA in February.
She and I met him and we found him to be very gracious…he does bark at students when they are taking his class, and, well, he put together the sequence of poses and he wants a yoga class with his name on it to be the way he wants it.
I don’t have a problem with that. Also, he hates the color green—something about when his guru died…he doesn’t allow students to where green at his studio in LA.
Hey, the guy can do what he wants with his classes. I’m just repeating what I’ve heard from several different teachers.
I just started yoga a few months ago and started hot yoga about 6 weeks ago. I love it. It’s challenging just like other forms of yoga but in a different way. The challenge is definitely to stay in the room and not get overwhelmed by the heat. For me, hot yoga is more of a mental challenge than a physical one and I’m not very good at yoga at all (I’m very inflexible).