By Grace Romund (The Cascade) – Email
Date Posted: October 19, 2011
Print Edition: October 12, 2011
Yoga has been popular in Western society for decades, but what has taken us by storm in more recent years is Bikram yoga. It seemed like every other friend I ran into was telling me, “Sorry I’m busy tonight, I can’t meet you for coffee. I’m going to hot yoga class. Have you ever tried hot yoga? It’s great. I’ve never sweat more in my life than in a hot yoga class!” Tired of having nothing to do for lack of coffee dates, I decided to investigate this Bikram yoga phenomenon.
My goal was to find out if doing yoga for 90 minutes in a room heated to 40°C was a good workout and recreation or just crazy. I went to the Bikram Yoga Langley studio and got a chance to speak with owner Candice Lim Hing.
When I first got to the studio, I was instructed to fill out some forms, and as I did one of the instructors told me that my only goal of the class was to stay in the room for the whole time. As she told me this I was thinking, “Stay in the room? Ha! I’ll be able to participate fully in the class.” That was before I walked into the heated room.
Lim Hing explained how Bikram yoga is a sequence of 26 postures and two breathing exercises. Each posture prepares you for the next, often more challenging posture. It’s the same sequence of postures and breathing exercises every time. The theory is that by doing the same thing class after class your focus is not learning the techniques of new postures, but rather focusing on perfecting the postures you already know. It all takes place in a heated room with a wall of floor-to-ceiling mirrors in front of you. “You see yourself in the mirror and you can’t really escape from yourself and [that] requires you to focus,” said Lim Hing.
My first impressions of the hot yoga experience were that it wasn’t what I had expected. I expected to see a class filled with 20-something Lululemon-wearing women. To my surprise the class was much more diverse than that. There were men and women of all ages and body types. “Some people come in for injuries, some people come in to loose weight, and some people come in just for relaxation.” Lim noted, “Many people as they get older they get stiff, but with yoga you bring your body back to a natural state.”
I’m proud to say I was able to stay in the class for the whole 90 minutes, but it was no walk in the park. It was hot – very hot. And although I feel almost cliché saying it, even though I’m not one to sweat, I’ve never sweat more in my life than in that hot yoga class! During the class I cursed the intense heat, but it all made sense to me the next day. Generally, I’m a pretty dedicated couch potato. So when I do workout I always feel sore the next day, but the heat made it easier for my muscles to stretch so I felt great the next day.
Bikram yoga is not for the faint of heart. However, it is a good workout and recreational activity. If you are looking for a new way to get active hot yoga may just be the thing for you. Lim Hing suggests that for those that are considering trying Bikram yoga: First, don’t make a judgement as to whether or not hot yoga is for you after the first class, try it a few times at least; secondly, hydrate, drink lots of water throughout the day before going; thirdly, don’t eat two hours before the class; and finally, come in with an open mind.
