Bikram Yoga

Happy Friday everyone !  Its a miserable looking day in Melbourne today, I can't wait until Spring...
One more sleep, and Im hoping that miraculously the weather changes to sunshine and blooms....a girl can hope.

I have been busy with client training, my training, searching for new healthy recipes and cooking, I can't believe its almost September ! Where did the year go??  Yesterday I took my first ever Bikram Yoga class and challenging it was to say the least.

A couple of friends have been singing its praises and have been trying to get me along to a class for ages, yesterday was my first.  I was so nervous, anxious and unsure of how my body would react in 40*c heat for 90 minutes.  These are such normal reactions when you push yourself out of your comfort zone.  The challenge for me was more mental than physical.

I think I drank 3 litres of water beforehand to make sure I was properly hydrated (I'm still going to the toilet from it :) Walking into the dimmed, HOT room for the first time was daunting but having Nicki and Fiona there with me giving me lots of calming words of encouragement really settled the panic and I was fine.

The first part being the (warm up) was tricky, just trying to get used to the heat and focusing on the poses was challenging as you're competing with different elements of heat, lightheadedness, claustrophobia (for me)  where's my escape route, and mental fatigue.  After the 4th pose you can start having water, and then I was fine.  I think I looked at the clock twice throughout the session which was encouraging as I thought I would be willing down the minutes, 90 minutes is a long time to be in a hot room, so I thought - but I did it.

I found that it wasn't as difficult as I initially thought, of course the more you practice the more flexible you become and stronger, but having a good strength base and being flexible it was a little easier to get into (or attempt to get into) some poses.  Im not very good at stilling the mind so when it was time to Savasana (basic relaxation pose) I did have a little whisper with Nicki - didn't go down well with the yogi....we were somewhat chastised about it.  Im impressed I went 90 minutes without talking - much !

The challenge for me was the heat and willing the mind to stay in the room and finish the session.  I was relieved when it was over , desperate to get out into normal temperatures.  I felt a little hazy but calm, refreshed and bizarrely soft and limber.  My body felt great, all stretched out.  I was quite tired that afternoon, would have been perfect if I could fit in a cheeky nanna nap.

Im glad I finally gave it a go.  It would be something I think I would continue, a great compliment to my fitness schedule.  Being a runner, I think the calming and stretching properties of the sessions would be hugely beneficial and complimentary to the muscles and body.  I do now have a 10 day pass so Ill have to try and schedule in a few more sessions.  Im looking forward to the challenge again, especially that of getting the poses right and holding them stronger.  Interestingly I am sore today, almost as if i have weight trained back and shoulders.  Gotta be good !

So if you're thinking about trying something different, something to challenge you a little and get you out of that comfort zone, Bikram Yoga might be something to try.  Would love to know more about your experiences.  Have you tried it before?  What was your experience like? Are you a devoted follower?

Hope you enjoy your day

Namaste x