Focus On: Bikram Yoga

Happy Hump Day!!

Hope your week is going fantastically :) 

Today’s ‘Focus On’ post is all about getting hot’n’heavy (or sweaty’n’stretchy?) with Bikram Yoga, most commonly known as Hot Yoga.

Focus On: Bikram (Hot) Yoga

So, I have a confession. I am a hot yoga ADDICT. Once I start, I get seriously addicted to that amazing feeling you get after a hot yoga class – slightly light-headed, tingly skin from stepping out of the heat-infused room, refreshed breathing rhythms...lurve it!

What to Expect

Sweat. Buckets and buckets of sweat. In areas that you did (and did not) expect. 

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Bikram yoga is done in a heated room – as its common name ‘hot yoga’ hints at – usually around 105^oF. There are also ‘warm yoga’ classes, but I love the hot yoga ones too much so I haven’t tried this kind yet ;)

Since it is a hot room, it is normal for some people to feel a bit faint your first time (or second or third...). If ever you feel a bit too lightheaded, go down to child’s pose and have a drink of water and continue along with the postures once you feel better. It is actually better to stay in the room until you feel more level headed, since leaving the hot room into cooler temperatures sometimes makes you even more lightheaded and can make you faint. SO stay in the room people! Of course, if you don’t think this class is good for you for health reasons, ask a doctor beforehand.

Bikram yoga is based off a regular hatha series of postures, with 26 general postures that you flow through in a class. Some may find this a bit repetitive after a while, but I find it nice to know what to expect from a Bikram class. As with all yoga classes, the style and flow does change from teacher to teacher, so finding a style of teaching that suits you best is always a good idea!

Equipment

Since Bikram Yoga is done in a heated room, you will have to go to a nearby yoga studio or gym to do a class. Unless, of course, you live near the desert. Then just go outside? (Clearly I have never been to the desert).

My fav studio, no matter what city

If you have a yoga mat, bring this along to the studio. Otherwise, you can always rent or borrow one from the studio (most if not all yoga studios and gyms have rentable mats available – call beforehand to double check). Since you are going to be sweaty quite profusely (and if you aren’t, well, there’s probs something not quite right with your sweat glands...not to alarm anyone) it might be a good idea to bring your own mat. 

Just sayin’. 

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I also bring a towel with me to wipe the sweat out of my eyes/off body in general for some stability postures (I’m not painting a very nice picture of this, am I?) and I have seen people bring a manduka towel with little plastic pieces on one side so it sticks to your yoga mat and gives you a bit more stability – it diminishes the ‘omg I just slipped right off my mat because of the slippery pool of sweat underneath me’. Ew.

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Manduka towel

I have the amazing Lululemon slipless mat, which has done me very well – it dries uber fast and has an anti-slip and anti-bacterial coating. (No, I am not supported by Lululemon, although I worked there for a year and therefore have a ridiculous amount of Lulu paraphernalia – all on my own dime, of course)

Lululemon's 'The Mat'

There are also other general props that most yoga studios provide, which I have never invested in myself. I am a bit of a purist, so I try not to use props in my yoga practice, but I have to admit that they are a great way to really get into a pose at times.

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Yoga strap

You can just bring a tie (from your brothers/dads/boyfs/man friends closet), works just as well!

What to Wear

In terms of what to wear, as little as possible. I wear short shorts, an exercise bra and a comfortable tank top (and sometimes only with a bra on) I would discourage anyone away from wearing pants (leggings or bell bottoms), or long sleeves, or any shirt that is too bulky – you gon’ get sweaty, gurrrl. 

My fav lulu no limits tank (similar) and boogie shorts (similar)

And, as with all exercise, a water bottle is essential. Staying hydrated in such a warm environment is necessary, and most teachers will remind you throughout the class to drink up or take a pause from the postures series to let you do so (if not, mention this to them at the end of the class!)

I want them all

Overall

As I mentioned, Bikram yoga is one of my all-time fav ways to sweat. I find that I can sink into the postures much more than in a regular Hatha yoga class which is most likely due to the heated room which allows the muscles to give a bit more than usual. Some call this ‘cheating yoga’, but I call it wonderful! As long as you get into the right frame of mind, aka I’ma sweat like a beast but it’s okay, you can really sink into the poses and not worry about the fact that you are dripping sweat from your forehead to your forearms to your shins ;)

It’s always a toss-up whether yoga is a method of weight loss, but I think that a well balanced workout schedule that incorporates yoga is a great way to go! It gives you some gosh darn arms muscles, y’all. Obvi, if you are a dedicated yogi, usually the lifestyle that goes along with it makes you a stick of muscle. I’m serious. You yogis are awesome. 

Tara Stiles yoga teacher extraordinaire

Chaturanga takes skill. And tricep strength.

Although I love me some Hatha yoga (I’ll get around to doing a ‘Focus On’ post about that one day...) I have to say that I am a HUGE fan of hot yoga. I don’t have a yoga studio nearby that offers hot yoga classes, but all this talk of it makes me want to venture all the way to the big city of Ottawa to do a class ASAP!

Question of the Day:

• Have you tried hot yoga? Do you get as addicted to it as I do? Am I just crazy?? (Haha, don’t answer that...) Are there things that you love about it? Things you not-so love about it?

I love...everything about it ;)

T-Rex, not so much ;)