I was in Miami for a week and I thought this would be the perfect time to try out something I had been dying to try: Bikram Yoga
I had heard of Bikram a while back but it never interested me. I mean yoga in a heated room? why would you do that yourself?
Then I did my Yoga Teacher Training and a lot of people had tried it. They either loved it or hated it.
I am always drawn and interested in things that people are so passionate about. Politics, wine, coffee, food...except golf. I'm not interested in that.
This planted a little seed in me and I thought it couldn't be so bad. Maybe by hot they meant room temperature. I am a tropical girl, I am used to hot. It couldn't be unbearably hot.
I searched for a Bikram studio and found Bikram Yoga Miami.
I emailed them ahead to ask if it was OK to take photos so I could share my experience here and they were really cool about it.
I got there and introduced myself. The teacher asked me if it was my first time doing Bikram and I said yes. She kindly offered me a bottle of chilled water. I obviously followed here advice.
She told me to stay in the back of the room, I later learned that the front row is reserved for advanced students and the back is for newbies like me who need to double check what everybody else is doing after an instruction is given.
The room was already being heated. It was really hot. You know how when you are pre-heating an oven and you open the door to place what you are baking inside and some heat comes out and you go...damn...well, that room reminded me of that feeling.
But I love to bake and grill so I gladly stepped in.
People were lying on their backs but they were facing the non-mirror side of the room which got me a little confused. Were the mirrors the back of the room? I could see myself landing in the front row after getting this minor detail wrong but I followed my intuition and laid on my back facing the mirrors. A yogi yet a rebel.
When the teacher came in I realized I was facing the right direction. Ruth scores.
The class started and it all picked up pretty fast.
I mean, I get it, there is no point in warming up right? you are already feeling like you are burning inside out so why bother.
It was all very fast paced and the words "lie down on your back and relax" will never have the same meaning after taking a Bikram class.
I was familiar with the postures, they are not different from what I am used to doing in a regular Yoga class but it has a more strict approach.
I felt there was no range for mistakes and that was a little demanding for me. I felt I had to get the postures right and follow the pace as the teacher guided us. Of course I could stop and lie down if I wanted, the teacher had told me I was free to do it whenever I needed to but psychologically I was unable to do it. Don't ask me why.
As we were lying on the floor, facing down, the teacher stepped out of the room and I thought "well this is nice...an inverted Savasana..." As I started to relax and place my right side of the face on the floor I congratulated myself for finishing the class with dignity....I was so wrong.
The teacher stepped in again and guided us through the second part of the class. A whole second part. We had only gone half way through. I don't know how long the class lasted but I can tell you it felt eternal.
It was a tough class but at the end I really liked it. The sweat kept getting in my eyes, my hands couldn't grab my feet because they kept sliding but I loved it. It was uncomfortably great.
I can see why people get into it. After the class I felt a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt light - I bet it was all the liquid I lost- and I felt like I'd worked out hard.
I definitely wouldn't advice it for someone who wants to try Yoga for the first time. I think it could be a little overwhelming but obviously that depends on each person.
To sum things up:
Did I love it? Yes
Would I do it again? Definitely yes
Would I do it everyday? No
I hope -someday- there'll be a Bikram studio here in El Salvador. I can see myself hitting the studio once in a while.
You can watch this Youtube video on Bikram in case you are not familiar with this type of Yoga.
