In the past few years, we've been hearing a lot about the benefits of Bikram Yoga. However, If you w...

1. Hot for Yoga? My first and last experience with Bikram Yoga
In the past few years, we've been hearing a lot about the benefits of Bikram Yoga. However, If you
want to see a group of peace-loving Yogi's erupt into a "heated" discussion, simply bring up the
subject of Bikram Yoga or Hot Yoga and back out of the room. Few subjects will make a normally
flexible group become unyielding like hot yoga.
My philosophy to fitness is to try anything once. As long as I am moving, pushing my body and
challenging myself, I'm happy. Sure, I have my favorites and my "bread and butter" routines, but I
try to keep an open mind to new experiences. This is what led me to try hot yoga for the first time.
The term hot yoga is used to describe various types of yoga performed in a heated room. Bikram
Yoga is a specific type of hot yoga. It is a series of 26 poses performed in a room heated to 105
degrees. Bikram's method was copyrighted in 2002 and every class is identical.
The purpose of this article is not to break down the types of hot yoga or to make an argument in
support of one or the other. There is ample information available on the subject and countless
debates over which type is best. I simply wanted to share my thoughts and brief experience with hot
yoga in general.
In the interest of fairness, here is a video outlining the benefits of regular Bikram practice. Note:
The class shown in this video is not the actual studio I attended.
Unfortunately, my experience was not as positive.
Like many newcomers into hot yoga, I took advantage of an offer at my local Bikram studio for two
weeks of unlimited yoga for $20. Since most Bikram and hot yoga classes are expensive, you will find
that most of them will make offers similar to this to attract new students. I highly recommend you go
this route before committing to an expensive membership.
Before my first class, I followed the recommended preparation to a T. I wore the recommended
clothing, arrived well hydrated and on an empty stomach. I am very fit but I am a relative newcomer
to yoga. I've taken yoga classes in the past and managed not to embarrass myself, but an
experienced Yogi I'm not.
What's that smell?
Upon entering the studio, I was smacked in the face with a horrible odor. As a gym rat, the smell of
sweaty bodies is nothing new. But this was something very different. Take 10 of the sweatiest
meatheads in your gym, give them 5-6 cans of Red Bull and put them in a hermetically sealed weight
room heated to 105 degrees and 70% humidity for a marathon workout. Then do the same thing
every day for the next two years without ventilating the room and you will be close to duplicating
what my nose experienced. It. Was. Foul.
The smell was almost enough to make me turn around and leave, but the instructor greeted me
immediately upon entering. Not to mention, I would have had to turn around and make the walk of
shame past the people lining the narrow staircase. So I paid my $20 and prayed for a major olfactory

2. malfunction.
I'd like to report that things got better after this point, but that would be a lie.
I informed the instructor that this was my first Bikram class and she encouraged me to position
myself in the middle of the large studio. I thought this was odd - I thought that she would have
wanted me closer to her so that she could correct my form. I soon figured out that this was to
prevent me from leaving if the heat was too much! Yikes!
This guy's experience with Bikram was similar to mine.
Try not to faint!
Before the class began, the instructor informed the newcomers that their goal for this first class, and
perhaps the first few classes, should be simply to endure the heat. She encouraged us to stand or lie
down if we feel dizzy or faint, but that we should not leave. At this point, I was getting a little
nervous. I really didn't want to faint onto the bacteria-ridden, sweaty carpet. Oh, did I mention that
all Bikram studios are carpeted? You are exercising on a carpet containing the sweat of countless
people with varying degrees of personal hygiene. Yuk.
There was one positive aspect I can report. Most of the people in the class seemed to focus on their
own practice, unlike other group exercise classes which can be quite competitive. There were people
of varying degrees of fitness and flexibility in the class and no one seemed to care. However, there is
an element of peer pressure when it comes to drinking water or leaving the room. Both are frowned
upon. I didn't leave the room, but I did drink a liberal amount of water. I caught a little stink-eye
from the woman next to me and the instructor. I didn't ask for an explanation because there isn't one
worth listening to. If you are exerting yourself in a room heated to over 100 degrees, drinking water
is smart - period. You can "will yourself" to work through some discomfort during exercise. However,
there is absolutely no benefit to be gained by trying to endure dehydration.
Although a few of the asanas (postures) were too difficult for me, overall, I felt good about what I
was able to do. I had to sit out a few of the poses because of the heat, but I did manage to last the
entire 90 minutes. I can see how a regular Bikram practice would increase your flexibility and
fitness. However, it was what I experienced after the class that made this my first and last Bikram
experience.
The aftermath...
After the class, I felt exhilarated, like I just left a 90 minute full body massage! This feeling lasted for
about 20 minutes, and then I developed a headache. That night and the entire next day I began to
experience all of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and nearly had to go to the hospital. I did not feel
well enough to exercise or exert myself for the next three days.
While Bikram is not competitive, there is an atmosphere that encourages people to stay in the heat
even when their body is telling them to leave. This is foolishness in the extreme. Had I pushed myself
to go to another class the following day, as the instructor suggested, I am convinced that it would
have ended with a trip to the hospital. I am very fit and my heart is healthy, but for whatever reason,
the extreme heat is too much for me.
Despite my woeful experience, my advice for anyone considering attending a Bikram session, or any
other hot yoga class, is to go for it! (only if you have good cardiac health). Wear light, form-fitting

3. clothing, arrive very well hydrated and bring extra water, bring your own mat and a towel and be
ready to sweat. However, regardless of what the instructor says, position yourself close to an exit
and drink as much water as you need. Give it your best shot, but if your body tells you something is
wrong - listen to it!
http://tmouse1.hubpages.com/hub/Hot-for-Yoga-My-first-and-last-experience-with-Bikram-Yoga