namasteph yoga blog

I had previously felt that I would never try Bikram or hot yoga, because I was concerned that the heat might be too much for me. With my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I have mild orthostatic intolerance, which basically means if I have my head down (say in standing forward bend) and stand up too quickly, I can get a bit dizzy and faint. But there’s a Bikram yoga school within walking distance, and there was a sale on one of those group coupon sites. So I took the plunge.

The first thing that concerned me was that this particular yoga studio has one big rule, which I frankly feel is unsafe, and that is this: You cannot leave the class early. They tell you to rest if you feel dizzy or sick, but that you must stay in the hot room. Well, I decided, rule or no rule, the yoga practice room was not a prison, and if I wanted to leave, no one would be stopping me. And that’s the thing – you have to remember that we voluntarily go to yoga and no-one forces you to do anything. Nor can anyone hold you anywhere against your will, unless they are the police and they have a reason to arrest you.

With that peace of mind, that I was ultimately free to leave no matter how they might berate me later for it, I suited up in a boyshort bathing suit bottom and sports top and entered into a stuffy, smelly room that felt like a sauna for old wet socks. No amount of mental preparation ultimately matched up to the real hotness of the room. But I found a spot in the back corner and got ready.

This particular yoga studio also has another rule – which I’m not sure is a Bikram rule or a specific rule to this studio – that you cannot have your first drink of water until after the first four exercises. Once again, I decided no-one would stop me if I truly needed a drink, though I would try to make it through. Because of this rule, I made a point of drinking a little Gatorade before class started, and I brought Gatorade and water. I did make it through the first four exercises without dying of thirst, but I could tell during these exercises I would need hydration soon. Once we got past the first four exercises, we were given a brief water break and then told we could only drink between poses, so as not to disturb the other class mates.

A note on hydration: I probably drank more Gatorade than actual water during the class, but I drank both. Gatorade is used by a lot of people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome because the electrolytes help with low blood volume, which is often a factor in CFS. I absolutely believe that the Gatorade saved me from having any major problems with the heat during the class. I don’t know if Gatorade is for everyone, but I would absolutely not attend Bikram yoga without it. If you have any sort of syndrome that entails low blood pressure or low blood volume, you might want to have ample Gatorade with you in hot yoga classes.

Now, about the poses. I have done the Bikram series at home occasionally, and I also have a yoga video that offers a Bikram-inspired practice. The actual series itself is not overly difficult for me, except that I am unable to fully do some of the postures due to my lack of flexibility. (I can’t lay down in “Fixed Firm” for example.) But one thing that struck me right away in the class was how much harder everything was to do in the heat. I could feel my heart working harder, and so I made sure I took it easy and did not push myself too much. In Bikram each pose is done twice. Even though I might have been able to plow through two times, I decided, especially during the standing series, to rest during the second iteration, unless the pose was super easy.

You must “rest” by standing still and looking straight forward, or, you can go down to your knees. I did see someone sitting quite a bit, but I managed to rest just fine by standing during iteration two of each standing posture.

I also discovered that the heat does, indeed, make your muscles more flexible. This was a nice benefit when sitting on my heels “Japanese-style” (as the teacher called it), because normally I feel some discomfort in the tops of my ankles and feet. In the hot room, I felt no discomfort at all.

On the flip side, my body would suddenly have pains in areas I didn’t know needed attention. In bringing my foot up for the “Standing Head to Knee” pose, my right hip suddenly hit me with a sharp pain I’d never felt before. I backed off immediately. It is important to back off if you feel a sharp pain in any kind of yoga! My left hip also didn’t like “Standing Head to Knee” pose, so I bowed out of this one.

I knew Camel would be a problem, because it makes me dizzy in normal temperatures. I tried it briefly and chose to sit it out – it was the only pose where I felt I might have dizziness problems.

Otherwise, the main side effects of the heat were profuse sweating and one in a while a little tingling in my head, which told me it was time to drink more water. (I am very sensitive to this sort of thing, having gotten heat exhaustion once while hiking out in the hot sun.)

The day after the class, I feel pretty good. I’m not sore or achy like I feared I might be. My body feels strangely “lighter” – I think that’s maybe the detox effect of the sweating. I can tell my heart had a workout though – it’s a subtle thing, but I can tell my heart is tired! How funny is that! So despite the admonition by Bikram to do hot yoga daily, there’s no way I’d be going back to hot yoga class today. My body needs recovery time.

So the million dollar question is: Did I like it?

Well, I can’t say that I left the class feeling like I just “found” the magic yoga wand. Nor did I leave the class feeling like I hated it. I think I have mixed feelings about it.

On the positive, I can see how the heat may be beneficial to a certain extent. It does loosen you up, and the sweating is certainly detoxifying.

I have always liked the Bikram series of postures and I prefer that style of yoga – i.e., a set sequence – to vinyasa flow. I particularly like the floor sequence because it reminds me of what I loved best about Sivananda yoga, which sadly isn’t available here in Austin.

I wasn’t crazy about the teaching style. I didn’t hate it, but it was very militaristic in a way. I can imagine that if the eccentric Bikram was teaching, his personality would make that style a bit fun. But a tiny young woman in her 20s barking out orders from a raised platform just doesn’t have the same panache as some crazy old Indian guru. The teacher certainly did a decent job, and she even remembered people’s names to give them tips in class (including my own)…it’s just that the style is a bit brusque.

On the negative, I feel the high heat is perhaps more dangerous than the Bikram people want to admit (or care to admit). And what’s strange to me is that in a style of yoga where everyone should be extra careful and listen to their bodies, where people should be drinking water as much as they need, and where people should feel free to leave if they are feeling unwell, you get a series of rules to discourage you from doing that.

I have never been in a yoga class before with so many rules. I can’t say I am keen on this aspect of Bikram. A lot of these rules probably came from the man up top, Bikram himself, but I am guessing that certain Bikram studios are a bit more “rigorous” than others on these points. Bikram seems to me to be a bit of an ideologue, and I think individual studios might do better to bring some common sense and caution into hot yoga.

What amazes me is that this type of yoga has taken off like it has! With all the crazy rules, and military style, and high expectations (they encourage you to take classes daily for two months when you start), it’s absolutely astonishing this form of yoga has hit the big time. I’m surprised people come back after the first class – especially people new to yoga.

But, judging by the number of young people in the class (and don’t get me wrong, there were a few older people as well), I wonder if this type of yoga has brought a different type of person to yoga – perhaps sports people who really want to get their asses kicked in a hot and sweaty yoga class. And while I’ve seen tattoos in regular yoga class, the Bikram class was Tattoo City. Given this is Austin, the tattoos are an indication of someone perhaps being part of the music scene, so maybe Bikram appeals more to hipsters than a regular yoga class. These people may be totally bored or put off in softer, gentler yoga classes where the teacher is giving fluffy platitudes about connecting body and soul. All I knew was, this Bikram studio had a vibe unlike any other yoga studio I’ve ever been to. It was definitely different.

I will go back – in part just because my coupon was a very cheap class pass and I have a bunch more classes I can take. I will reserve final judgment on Bikram until I’ve gone to at least a few classes. I won’t be going daily or even every other day…maybe once or twice per week. I still have a kundalini yoga practice and also regular hatha I like to do. Will that be enough to adjust to the hot room? We shall see.

P.S. If you are new to Bikram, this article is also helpful: How to Have a Better Bikram Yoga Experience