Bikram yoga

I think I may be turning into a health nut of sorts. I took a yoga class at Bikram Yoga College of India in El Cerrito a couple of days ago with my aunt and it was the most challenging yet worthwhile workout I have ever had. Apparently, there are many kinds of yoga and bikram yoga is just one of them.

When I signed up for the class, I didn’t think it would be difficult. I mean, how hard can it be to do a couple of poses? Of course, I forgot that every new workout program is very difficult at first. Particularly if this workout program requires you to stay in a heated room for 90 minutes. The reason for the heat is so we can go into the asanas (yoga poses) more deeply with lesser risk for injury, and so we can release the toxins in our body through sweating. I have never sweated so much in my life. My body must have created new sweat glands just for that class because I was simply drenched. As for the asanas? I could do them easily at first, but as the class progressed, it became more difficult for me to hold the poses. Towards the end I was just going through the motions and not really caring if I was doing it right. It was hot, and I was exhausted and dying to have a shower.

Maybe it was just because it’s my first time, but doing yoga itself wasn’t very relaxing. After the class, however, I felt so revived and healthy that I actually had a spinach and carrot salad for lunch. I’m definitely looking forward to my yoga class tomorrow morning, not just for the workout but because I feel so incredibly fulfilled and refreshed afterwards.

For more information on bikram yoga and its benefits, go here.