Bikram Yoga

It’s a New Year, and I’ve decided to learn something that will enhance my fitness, quieten my mind, and detox me at the same time!

One of the most inspirational ladies I have ever met, made the commitment each new year to learn something she had never done before.  One year it was ballroom dancing, the next scuba diving, then watercolour painting…. The lady was in her late 50’s at the time, and had such a love for life and enthusiasm for everything she did.

She committed to immersing in the new hobby for the whole year – no doing a class for a few weeks and then moving on – but really learning it well.  She developed amazing skills, made many new friends and some of the activities she ended up enjoying, like ballroom dancing, and they became a permanent part of her life.

I loved her attitude and think it would be a great thing to be able to follow in her footsteps and learn a new skill every year.

So with that in mind, I have taken up Bikram Yoga.

The class is an hour and a half of Hatha yoga, done in a series of 26 Asana’s (stretching postures), and two breathing exercises, in a room heated to about 40 degrees – and believe me – that is hot!!

It sounds a bit gross!, but I have never perspired so much in my life!  It is really hard work and even though you are only stretching and balancing, the heat means that the cardiovascular system is working like you are sprinting up a hill.

I certainly question whether this style of yoga would suit anyone very unfit or with heart problems as the heat does become almost unbearable at times, but for those of us that are fit and healthy, it is an amazing workout.  The heat allows greater flexibility, it relieves stress and tension, improves the circulation, stimulates and works every muscle in the body and detoxes you at the same time.

And just a quick aside for the girls – it is best to tie your hair back and off your face as there is nothing worse than sweaty dripping hair hanging in your eyes whilst trying to balance – so this morning before I tied my hair up, I slathered in some organic deep conditioning treatment from Everescents and let the heat help the treatment to work!  Bonus 🙂

I’m practicing Bikram Yoga twice a week at 6am, and the studio is just across from the beach where I can dive into the ocean straight afterward to cool off.  What a way to start the day!

I’ll keep you updated as to how I go with the classes over time.

Leisa