Bikram "Hot" Yoga

I have been doing bikram yoga about 4 times a week for the past month. I am loving it! Its no doubt extremely intense, and you literally have sweat pouring off of you. The class ranges from about 8-20 people, and the room is about 105 degrees and very humid. The heat emanates from various lights on the ceiling and in the corners are hanging devices which blow air, I can never tell if its also hot or slightly cooler. I have an unusual tolerance for heat and don't mind the high temperatures, but if you asked me to stand in a cold room for 90 minutes I would cry.

Throughout the practice the instructor will turn the heat and air on and off, and occasionally open the windows and the waves of cool air flowing in feel heavenly. I always try to get a space near the windows to be privileged enough to get the full benefit of the open windows. The teacher will usually ask if its anyones first time or up to 10th class and if so, will focus extra attention on that student. The teachers learn each participants name and calls on them personally with suggestions and modifications during the class. It begins with a breathing exercise designed to incorporate a deeper use of the lungs. The class is always the same set of exercises, almost all of which are done twice. The first section are standing and balance poses, and the second half is done on the floor. The first part is just continuous pose after pose until around 55 minutes you get to lie down and take a 2 minute savasana, or rest. The second set involves poses where you bend your knees and sit on them followed by immediately lying down flat, so as to increase and improve blood flow to the legs. The class ends with a fast and invigorating breathing exercise where you fluctuate your stomach rapidly in correspondence with audible and forceful exhales. The class ends with another savasana where you just rest and absorb the class. I liked one teachers comparison of this final resting period to when you bake  a cake and you have to let it settle in the pan before taking it out, you are letting your body settle in its newly worked out form before going on with your day.

 Inevitably at some point during the class you're going to feel like you will just roll over and die. I was startled in the last class actually when a girl did briefly faint, she was fine, but I was a bit alarmed to see that it actually does happen. The teacher was calm cool and collected and lifted her feet up and told her to breathe deeply, redirecting the class to their postures and away from the passed out girl. It is exciting to see your own progress, the last class I managed to straighten my leg horizontally without falling over for a full minute. It is also important to see how different your body is on different days. Some days I feel like I have reached my threshold within the first 30 minutes and others after the 90 minute session I don't even feel that tired. It is helpful to have the teachers constantly pushing you and challenging you to reach your limits, reminding you of the benefits and supporting you when you feel worn out. After the class, you literally feel cleaner. It is as if someone wrung your body out like a towel and you are now refreshed and renewed. You don't feel sore as if you went for a run or lifted weights, rather just tired and a bit achy. You will eat more and sleep more due to your practice and feel much healthier and have more energy. 

I would definitely recommend the practice to anyone who has a descent tolerance for heat. 

Here is a link to pictures of each posture and the associated benefits

http://www.bikramyoganyc.com/health_benefits.htm