Bikram Yoga

I promised that if I tried it, I would write about Bikram yoga on here, so here it is!  

I tried it for the first time on Monday night.  There were some things that were expected, and others were unexpected.  First, I knew I would encounter a few...um..."unique individuals."  For example, there was one lady who didn't shave her legs...at all.  And the instructor (a guy) was basically wearing a Speedo, and nothing else.  A bit awkward....

I also thought I was prepared for the heat....I was SO wrong.  105 degrees is a lot hotter than you think, and when you factor in the humidity, it was insanely stifling in the room.  When I arrived, the instructor told me (since I was a first timer) that I only had to do two things: breathe and stay in the room.  He said if I needed to throw up, that I should leave the room, but otherwise I should try to stay.  I thought, "Hmm...that's interesting...can't be THAT bad."  Ha!


The lady next to me was so sweet.  She asked if anyone had ever told me about Bikram yoga before, and I told her no, that I had just read about it and decided to try it out.  She gave me "The Warning":  "Your first few times are horrible...you feel like it's the worst thing on Earth...then it gets better!"  I wasn't comforted by that at all, although I prepared myself for the worst, so that I wouldn't be surprised.  In hindsight, I'm really glad she warned me, because it made it so much easier for me to get through the class!


In this class, you practice deep breathing, stretching, and balancing poses for an hour and a half.  Some things were done standing, others sitting, and some lying down.  The instructor gives explicit instructions on how to do everything, and you can always watch the person in front of you if you're unsure.


Even though I had been warned, and the instructor told me not to push myself to do any of the poses, I had to give it a try.  I mean, I came to get a workout, right?


I gave everything a try.  Some things were easy for me, like balancing and stretching, and others were too difficult.  The things that were harder for me were the poses that required you to twist and contort your body and then balance.  I'm not coordinated enough to do that quite yet.  This is an example of one that was too advanced for me:

I am surprised to say that I actually enjoyed it!  I mean, the sweating I can do without....picture jumping into a pool fully dressed, and then trying to workout immediately afterward.  That's how sweaty I was.  It was really fun though, and wonderfully quiet.  After being at home all day with a loud and talkative baby, it was nice to just be in a quiet place without a lot of noise.


I know there are a lot of people out there who believe Christians shouldn't participate in yoga.  And I think that's fine if you believe that, and I'm certainly not out to convert anyone or convince them otherwise.  I think a lot depends on how the class is taught and who you participate with.  I would suggest to any Christians who want to try yoga to pray about it first, and just make sure that they have a discerning heart about it.  


For me, I prayed about it before deciding to try it, to make sure that I wasn't being disobedient to God in any way by going.  I also talked to Billy about it and got his opinion.  While I was in the class, I prayed that God would help me to focus on Him and just use that time to get some exercise and try something new.  And afterward, I praised God that He created my body, and that He made me stronger than I thought I was...that He enabled me to make it through the class without passing out or throwing up!  =)


I have to say that Bikram Yoga of Lynchburg is great!  There were no spiritual implications made at all, and we weren't even told to meditate or center ourselves or any of that weird, mystical stuff we normally associate with yoga.  It was a purely physical exercise class.  Now, of course, people can make yoga into a form of worship (Christian or otherwise), but that can be done with just about anything, I think.


Anyway, I really enjoyed it and I think I'll be going back (this week, anyway).  They offer a new student rate, where you pay $20 and you get a week of unlimited sessions.  After that, it gets a bit pricey, so I'm not sure yet if I'll be continuing with it after my first week or not.  It was a good experience, and I'm glad I did it!