Bikram tips for Beginners

I'm not usually a great planner, but for Bikram, I am.  It would be smart to prepare oneself for a Bikram session because it will make your experience so much easier and better.  Here are some basics that are important to keep in mind if you don't want to pass out in your first class:

• Stay hydrated...not only during class, but beforehand.  You will start sweating as soon as you enter the room, so it's prudent to drink water/coconut water/juice starting a few hours before class so you don't become dehydrated.  The recommended amount for an average person is 2.5 Liters/2500cc/8-10 cups a day, and if you are exercising often or expending a lot of energy, you need more.  You need the water to keep your body from overheating; remember that perspiration is your body trying to cool itself down.  I find that I sweat more profusely in class when I am dehydrated from the start.  
• Eat lightly before class...I'm talking water and a banana (maybe).  Or toast.  Anything light and carby, and eat it about four hours before class.  You want energy so you don't get lightheaded, but not to be so full that you will upchuck.  Believe me, you will feel what ever it was you ate once you start the compression postures.  One time at a 9am class, I was still feeling some cheesy crab dip that I had eaten the night before!  Cheese is generally pretty evil before Bikram.  Every body is different, but heat and stress slow digestion, and when you start compressing your belly and lying on your stomach, any food will feel bad if it's still in there.  The slowed digestion also causes the side-effect of nausea.  So don't stuff your face beforehand, and you'll be just fine!  Also, any food you would describe as "rich" or "heavy" may not feel so good before class.
• Bring to class: water, yoga mat, towel to cover mat, headband.  Water is so clutch, I can't even tell you.  Often, instructors will do a water check to be sure each player has a bottle.  You will need a towel (bath towel at the very least) to place over your mat.  This catches sweat, but also prevents one from slipping on their mat.  Remember as a kid when adults used to tell us not to run at the pool?  This is why.  Your feet, knees, hands, legs, everything will be slippery.  I once went to a class where this dude sweated puddles on and around his mat...imagine slipping on that ish.  If you have hair, wear a headband and/or put your hair in a bun.  If you are a man, I recommend a man bun (because I love them! Mmm)
• What to wear: I'm not telling you to be a slut, but I repeat: It's hot as hades in that room!  So you want to be wearing as little as possible, of breathable (non-cotton) fabric.  Don't worry about looking sexy, because if you are doing the postures correctly, you will not be paying attention to anyone else in the room, but yourself.  
• Focus your breath...I once had an instructor who said that mouth breathing tends to cause the body to go into panic mode, and thus causes one to start panting, which may make you pass out.  All types of yoga are fueled by the breath: inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.  You'll find that focusing on your breath allows you to effectively concentrate in class and avoid fainting.
• Don't chug your water...you will be so hot during class that you'll want to chug your entire bottle of water.  That's a bad idea because it will give you mad gas and it will be too much of a shock to your body that it will probably make you nauseated.  Ration your bottle of water throughout class and take sips in between postures.

I'm so excited for you to experience your first Bikram class!  I know all my tips have the underlying reason of "so you don't pass out", but that's because this class is so intense.  Honestly, after my first class, I felt the most energized and refreshed as I've ever been in my life.  Thus, why I have become obsessed.  Again, keep these tips in mind, and you will feel so good after class!  You might even think that Bikram "wasn't that bad".  Have fun!

Day One vs EZoo

Today's Bikram class was glorious!!!  I feel so refreshed, and so awake!  This past weekend I went to Electric Zoo, a huge three-day EDM festival that was AMAZING.  I didn't eat much, but I danced for at least 12 hours each day, with only the calories from sparse Blue Moon beers to feed me.  Between the sun, body paint, and uber-crowds of dancers, my body was immersed from head to toe in the experience.  I loved every second of the weekend, and I wasn't truly tired until the three-hour car ride back home to Baltimore from NYC.  In fact, I was so tired, that the entire Labor Day holiday I slept from 5am when I arrived back home to 9pm.  I had bathroom breaks in between and a few minutes to call my mom to tell her I was alive, but my body rested so hard that day.  Ugh, then the next day I went to work (reference my last post for details).

So today's class was so awesome because I used and stretched every muscle of my body that was abused this weekend.  For some reason, through the entire weekend, specifically remembering Pretty Lights, I found myself pausing in between drops to stretch my arms and torso in half-moon style.  No joke.  Between that and using my friend famous for his backrubs throughout the weekend, my body was totally telling me that I needed Bikram therapy.  I sweated, performed all the moves with no issues, I completed the class with relief.  Class was so therapeutic today that now I feel confident that I should go rage out again really soon:)

My favorite sets:
Tiesto
Diplo
Pretty Lights
Knife Party

Bikram yoga: OC style

I was on vacation all last week in OC/LA and San Diego, and what did I do?  I finally dragged my lazy ass to my first Bikram class in almost 4 months!  I was a bridesmaid in Rani's wedding this past weekend, and I (wisely) decided to take two chill days beforehand to visit my cousin Marissa in Orange County/Irvine area.  We definitely did chill; we ate, drank, and went on Beach Tour 2012!  We went beach hopping to most of the LA area beaches: Day One was Long Beach, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Day Two was Huntington Beach and Laguna Beach.  All wonderful, and the weather there was SO NICE!  I want to move there, le sigh.  Didn't really do wonders for my tan lines pre-wedding, but who cares?  It felt so good, and the sand and sun was "soo dope" as Californians say, haha.

Needless to say, all the bikini wearing and pre-wedding dress jitters made moi feel very bloated aka fat, not to mention, I was very tired from jet-lag (even though it was only three hours behind, the beach was SO tiring).  So how coincidental was it that Marissa goes to Bikram pretty often, too?  Some background: Marissa and I met once as kids at my aunt's wedding, and then somehow reconnected on Facebook, and randomly decided to reuinte in NYC earlier this summer.  We are way alike in many ways and I am so happy we have become closer...clearly we share similar interests if we are both interesetd in this torture.  Anyway, what perfect way to wake my ass up, than to go to a Bikram session? 

It was pretty funny how we tried to fit this sacred 90 minutes into our day.  First we planned to go to the 10am class, but on our way out the door, decided we wanted to save the imminent post-yoga energy boost for later that night when I planned to go meet a friend (since LA traffic blows).  We went paddle boarding at Huntington Beach, instead, which turned into tandem kayaking bc I didn't think I could balance on the board for an hour.  Then we ate lunch at Wahoos, which made us decide to postpone the 4pm class to the 6:30pm class due to rice and beans.  After the most relaxing nap ever on Laguna Beach, we went to the Bikram Irvine studio, which was super modern and less bohemian feeling than my familiar Bikram Hampden stuido.  I was kind of disappointed that the British accented teacher made no reference to the regular "Momma give me money" or "japanese ham sandwich".  She was kind of cold, and so I was trying to get her attention by doing the poses really well, but she was just zipping through the poses, not even instructing us on how to do the poses...I haven't been to class in four months, okay?  I barely remember what set comes next!  I'm used to my instructor talking us through with heavy detail, a la "you should be compressing your pancreas" blah blah blah.  I think my mat borrowed from my poor cousin was dripping with my sweat by the fourth pose, but it did feel great to attend a class.  As promised, I was super energetic (and hungry) for my dinner date.  I relished in the refreshed feeling and it felt good to stretch all of my muscles.  So dope. 

After these few work nights, I should be going again.  It's about time, because my groupons will soon expire at the Baltimore location!...and to think, all I had to do was go on vacation to restart up again!      

Don't worry, I'm still alive!

So I took a brief break from my Bikram routine.  I can't help but remind you all that I'm a great starter with awful follow through.  But, after a month, I'm back and ready to go again!  I'm not gonna lie, the Hampden studio's beginner monthly special was over and the jump in membership price deterred me from continuing on the journey.  However, I bought some groupons and we are back in business!  I miraculously arose early as hell this morning, so I've eaten breakfast, and I am set on going to check out the 11am class in Harbor East.  It will be my first time at that studio, but I know my body will remember the heat and hopefully remember how to do all the postures!

So what have I been doing for the past month?  Ummm, just turning 21 again...I've gotten really into (ahem, obsessed) with electronic dance music and I've been going to festivals, shows, and clubs all month.  I've been fortunate to meet new friends who have introduced me to the life, which is actually a new lifestyle.  A hard life, truly.  I need Bikram to keep my body strong for all the dancing!  It's a BLAST and a half, and if anything spreads love and happiness faster, its music.

A sample from Zedd, one of the DJs I really like!

No more yoga at 11am!

I was so hungry.  I was nauseous because I was too scared to eat anything substantial before class.  Since I've worked the past few days, I woke up early, and stayed up all morning without eating!  Which is the worst thing for my body that I could do.  I mean, I've been reading The Hunger Games, and because of that chick's misgivings in life, I've been very appreciative of the plentiful feasts that are available to me, daily, but not eating for a few hours in the first part of my day is sickening.  I just can't function and I just don't have the energy to do Bikram!  I did suck it up and eat a banana and a hard boiled egg before 10, but I was seriously wondering if I should just skip class with that smearing all over my GI tract before I massaged them in the compression poses.

As always, the 11:30 class was not packed.  There were about 8 of us, and Lauren kept shooting directions at me in class.  It was helpful, but it made me frustrated that she was paying attention to me while I was feeling so sluggish. There was a whole lot of wobbling and putting my foot down going on, as opposed to properly balancing on one leg.  I really didn't put my all into the practice today, it was so difficult to stay upright while I was feeling so tired.  Not only was I exhausted and faint from not eating, the three shifts in a row that I worked over the past three days were really physically draining!  My body felt like it was made out of clay, and throughout the class I did try to lock my knees more than I usually do, but the muscles used for that were super tired in the following poses, so those were performed pretty haphazardly.  Oh, except boat pose!  I am still feeling it in my back.  Might as well try hard for 1 out of 26, right?

So note to self, no more 11:30 class unless I happen to wake up starving at 6 am.  Oh, something weird: the guy next to me in class was drinking chlorophyll!  Is that beneficial to humans?  I thought it was just for photosynthesis in plants?  Did I miss something in Plant Bio?

And another note (last one): Happy Spring!  Hope you got your free Rita's like Colleen and I did!  We waited at the Rita's in the Harbor for probably an hour.  But it was worth it, especially because I also got the second Hunger Games book Catching Fire on that same trip.  Cheers to sunlight after 7pm and no coats!

Can I claim redemption?

Because I made a Bikram commitment, I am regularly feeling guilty when I have the opportunity to attend class, but do not go.  With my rotating schedule, I can't go at all on days I work day shift, and night shifts make me battle between the need for sleep or for yoga.  Sophie's choice.  As you may have noticed from previous posts, I frequently hook class.  But today I think I am on the road to redemption, because already, I ran 4 miles to train for my Cherry Blossom 10-miler on April Fool's Day (of all days, who am I kidding?) and then went to a work meeting.  I have penned in Bikram tonight at 5, so anyone who invites me to happy hour will get a big fat NO, today.

I'm now taking a quick break from reading The Hunger Games, so I wanted to take a moment to discuss Bikram and its effect on one of my life's passions: food.  It sounds silly, but I love food!  Like, I get excited at the sight and smell of new dishes, pure joy, even happiness from tastes and flavors.  I moan while I eat and say over and over how good my sandwich is as I'm eating it.  I love cooking and learning about food and ways to prepare food (you can check out some of my favorite food blogs for recipes on my blogroll).  If you want to explore new restaurants in the area, I'm your girl.  I once got turned on when my friend's boyfriend started going over his exotic grocery list to make authentic Pho.  Anyway, that's how much I love food.

I think Bikram has changed me.  I was looking for new recipes on Pinterest today, and recipes that I would normally be excited about making, like "Oreo stuffed cheesecake brownies," now make me want to vomit.  Skimming the recipe for sugary frosting for these gorgeous fudge chocolate cupcakes for work on St. Pattys Day practically throws me into diabetes.  The other night at work I ate broccoli cheddar soup and I almost puked afterward because it was super cheesy, a quality I would have moaned over not long ago (in the good way).  And heavy foods like when I had sausage, eggs, and home fries for breakfast sent me straight to the toilet!  Not to mention, when I drink, I can guarantee an hours-long to days-long hangover.  These days I've been obsessed with salads and making different salad dressings from scratch.  I've been frequenting Baba's on Fort Ave because hummus and falafel have been my best friends, along with wraps and basically any raw, crunchy veggies.  Not that I'm against healthy eating, but I'm sad because I think my body can't handle anything greasy, fatty, or heavy anymore!  They just make my stomach hurt and when I go to yoga later, my body sends out a big "f*(k you" while I'm doing Locust pose.  Bikram may be right about the practice "regulating" one's body, but its encroaching on one of my body's greatest gifts: my GI tract of steel.  Hmph. 

Hot weather = no hot yoga :(

Whenever I work night shift, I get super ambitious and think I can do tons of things during the day because I am not technically working during the day.  I always plan to go ot the gym or run, or go to yoga once I get home, before I settle for bed.  On Monday I went to an evening class and then I planned to come to yoga every morning for the 9:30 class, and I have been 0 for 3 so far.  I don't even have to work tonight, but instead of going to yoga like I planned, I decided to go to brunch with my fave work girls since we were all on our last night.  Whomp.  I even planned everything out so that around 4 am-ish I'd eat my oatmeal so it would hold me over until after yoga.  I ate, but I did not go to yoga because by the end of my shift, my body just knew that I am weak and will always choose my bed (or more food) over suffering the heat.  I do know that once I'm in class I love it (love is termed loosely here) but its soooo hard to get there.

Spring shopping has gotten the best of me, too!  I feel like my credit card company should send me a thank you note!  Since its been bordering 80 degrees everyday this week, I've been loving the weather, and of course am realizing I absolutely need more spring wear.  And clothes for Miami next week, and clothes for work meetings, and clothes for sitting on my couch in the springtime.  And duh, shoes to match them.  Then, when I finished perusing the clothes, I got to the "activewear" and realized I need more yoga clothes because I now launder sweaty clothes 3 times a week versus when I used to do laundry twice a month.  Mann I went crazy in that store because they had the cute booty shorts with the drawstrings that I've been obsessed with since I realized they existed.  And might I say my butt looks pretty good in the booty yoga shorts, after only a month.  Holla!  But imagine what it would look like if I had gone 3 more times this week!

What a weekend!

This weekend was the first gorgeous weekend of the year, so obviously I did a few things that made my body HATE me...like drink a hubcap margarita from Nacho Mamas and dance my night away Friday night.  ughhhhh don't ever do it with only 2 ppl.  Insanity...and tons of new friends...in the questionable way.  So my body just said "f7&G#@2 you!" all day on Saturday.  And with the refreshments come the eating.  While drinking, I am always so hungry!  I have been known to inhale a whole pizza on my own before anyone even has a chance to realize I bought one.  Its amazing how much I love food, and how I can concoct some random recipe at any given time from what I have in my refrigerator.  Its like I stock a goddamn kitchen (its good for the wallet, just not my buddha belly).  Handy for times Papa Johns is closed by the time I come home.  These are also the moments I get mad that I don't have more of an affinity for prepared "ready to eat" food.

And what is ironic, is that my Friday evening Bikram session spurred all of this madness.  I went to the 5pm session with Sarah, and I felt so good after class.  It was my first class with Sarah, who also happens to be the owner of the studio.  I'm not gonna lie, I was flattered when she said she has seen me in class, and also felt charmed when she kept saying my name in class!  I'm sure she does it to all new students, but whatever.  Brings me back to my super-student days in grade school when I loved being called out in class for good behavior.  This night I realized that my body was waaay more flexible than when I started, as in the bends, my forehead freakishly just banged up against my knees with no effort at all.  I also realized that all the sit ups in between the floor poses are actually really refreshing for my body.  After my heart pounding savasanas, the sit up brings a flash of energy in a non-nauseating way.  When I flip over for all the floor poses I feel pretty agile.

So I energetically dragged Lauren out Friday night because I just had to go out!  God bless her.  So we danced, went crazy, and then did not see the light of day on Saturday.  I was still talking crazy at 7:30 am when I woke up in the morning, singing this:

You're welcome.  And yes, I do often wake up in a burst of song.  Totally the song of the weekend.

Sunday I wanted to redeem my lazy crunk ass and went to the 11am class.  I was super surprised and excited when Lauren said she wanted to come with me!  Girlfriend spent the whole weekend with me, and I was not expecting her to want to go to Bikram.  She is the friend I thought of during my very first class, as I sat in the heat and roasted.  After spending a lot of time with her in the past year or so, my Lauren impression includes: "I'm hot!  It's so hot!" and I thought she would hate it.  But whatever, I love that she at least wanted to try my new obsession.  Especially because, so far, none of my friends have wanted to come exercise in 105 degree rooms and sweat for 90 minutes!  I know she was really nervous, but she did really well for the first few poses.  Then she up and ran out of the room with her mat!  I know she was feeling nauseous, but I felt soooo bad that she left.  I kept thinking that maybe I should go out and leave with her?  After all, we weren't halfway finished the standing poses and there was a lot left.

But I'm a jerk, so I kept going.

This particular class I paid more attention to the locking of the legs in the standing poses.  Until Sarah pointed it out to me in class, I didn't realize I wasn't locking my knees properly...which means I haven't been doing any of the standing poses properly this whole time!  Horror!  But I know better now and I felt pretty good when I could still do the new, corrected versions of these poses.  However, the best part is that Lauren came back into class!  We were doing the floor poses and thankfully, those are way less difficult to do when your body is in panic-I'm-going-to-vomit mode.  So she finished class with me and we felt fabulous afterward!  We ate BLTs in hippie town (I know, there would be a Bikram place here, right?).  It was sooo fortunate that we saw Wanderlust on Saturday night.  If you haven't seen this, it's the Jennifer Aniston/Paul Rudd movie about a hippie commune, with styles and ambiance akin to Hampden and its kitschy shops and restaurants.  FYI, Hampden is fantastic to just walk around in with your post-Bikram sweat if you don't happen to shower right after class.  So attractive.

I think I got it now

After the crappy class I had last Thursday, I was scared to go back Friday, so instead of Friday class, I went grocery shopping all morning and went to happy hour and a friend's show on Friday night.  My body, surprisingly, was ready to party, but not to imbibe.  That was a first, but I was able to wake up earlllly on Saturday for the 9am class.  Henri was the teacher and I love him!  He doesn't talk too much and he really speaks only when necessary.  He was awesome and I felt like I did so awesome on Saturday and today!  I was really getting into all the bends.  Today, my face touched my knee with no effort at all, and I was able to hold standing head-knee the entire pose!  All the extensions felt great, and I didn't feel like I was burning throughout the entire class.  I actually felt comfortable, is that weird?

On a side note, I'm watching Burlesque and I really can't finish this entry right now, because live singing and dancing is my jam.

First day back in almost a week

Bikram kicked my ass tonight!  Ughhh!  At first I started strong, I felt really good and limber until Triangle pose, and then I started feeling dizzy and nauseous.  Once the compression poses came, I felt like I was going to upchuck the buffalo chicken dip I ate earlier today.  I knew that was a bad idea, but I need to go grocery shopping, like whoa.  I probably shouldn't have eaten all those Oreos with Cool Whip either.  Live and learn.  I feel like I should eat nothing but lettuce based meals for the rest of my life!  Tonight I probably sat down for at least one of the sets in almost every pose.  Weak!  I even stayed in savasana for some of the floor poses.  I felt so bad, but I stayed in the room, and rationed my water until the end of class.  I think I even stopped sweating at one point and I felt like as soon as I took my last gulp of water, the sweat just came pouring!  I'm attributing this to working three day shifts in a row and then having an early meeting today.  And eating some super cheesy and heavy foods earlier.  I hope I'm not such a yoga baby tomorrow:(

However, there was still a learning moment!  Since I sat out for some of the poses, I observed some of the [obviously] advanced students in the class.  People actually had their foreheads on the floor for the standing leg stretching pose!  I didn't think that was possible because I just feel like I'll fall forward and crack my head open.

In related news, what do you think about yoga becoming an Olympic event?  Read CBS article here!
I feel like yoga is so widely practiced, so there are many practitioners who have exemplary control of their minds and bodies.  How would one step up your practice to the Olympic level?

Sunday: Day of Rest or Yoga fail!

Fine, I'll say it: I'm such a punk for skipping out on yoga today! I'm such a lazy f*ck sometimes...I was suuuper tired after work this morning. I thought for half-a second that I could make it to class, and seriously, all night I was planning on the 9am class, but my eyes were so dry...night shift is so awful to the body. So, I thought: there's another class at 4, so I'll rest and go later. I also still felt like I couldn't possibly stretch my muscles enough.

Later came and my alarm was a rude awakening at 3pm. I kind of effed around in my room for awhile and started looking for a yoga outfit to wear. But then it came to be 3:45 and I was like, Dang, its too late now to go (they lock the doors to class promptly at 4). So I plopped on the couch and watched Oscar red carpet coverage on E! with Colleen. Ten minutes later, of course, since my only plans for the day came and went, I went back to sleep till 7pm, after which now I am WIDE AWAKE! My body feels great and I don't feel anymore soreness. It was like a fairy came and sucked all the pain out of my body. So I had a salad, did some pushups, ate some pineapples and kettle corn, and am obsessed with the Oscars. Sunday yoga fail! The worst part is that I'm working Monday-Wed day shift, so I can't make any classes till Thursday:( Sigh...c'est la vie

Bikram classes 2,3,and 4!

I am so proud of myself! I have gone to 3 more Bikram classes since Sunday and I feel great! Maybe it's just from all the reading up on Bikram yoga that I've been doing, but I can already feel some changes.

My second official class was in the Hampden studio. I signed up for the month-long intro membership, and I am hopeful and ambitious! I want to go at least three times a week this month. Hopefully doable. I went to the 7pm class so I could successfully rest after my night shift and I must say, I felt really nauseous beforehand, like I always do when I know my body is going to experience a big undertaking. Is it weird that I get nausea before I workout? Anyway, I made sure to drink tons of water overnight at work and before class. I'm talking I peed so much that I considered using a nun's cap at work to see how much I was peeing (sorry, nurse joke). I was scared of getting dehydrated because in class Sunday I stopped sweating, and on my Punta Cana vacay when I stopped sweating, I developed a heat rash...

My teacher was Henri and he was very nice and friendly and he kept saying my name in class, so I felt like I had to put forth more effort that night. Class went well. I saw an old friend from UMBC, Kelly, for whom this was also her first class, so that was cool. I was relieved that the studio was full, but not quite as packed as Fairfax, so I felt less smothered in the 105 degrees. Haha, I even initially set my mat up right next to this chick who's eyes kept telling me to move over because there was so much space everywhere. I was anticipating a more packed class, but I liked my space. I did move over, I even got my own mirror! I was able to get through the class, did not feel as much nausea as on Sunday, and felt great when I got home. The only glitch was that my hair band snapped in the middle of the floor exercises. Whats more gross than sweating like crazy in 105 degrees? Doing it with your hair down! So gross. I had to apologize to Henri for the probable bed of hair laying in my spot after I left.

Thursday was class 3. I went at 11:30 and Lauren was my teacher. Now, one of my best friends is named Lauren, too, so I couldn't help but smile because this teacher is so bubbly and colorful like my friend. She was very friendly, and since I got there early and I was the only student there, we talked for a bit. Turns out she's been practicing since November 2010 and now she's in love with it. I immediately started setting super-high expectations for myself, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. She told me to put my name on the 30 day challenge board that the studio has, and I eagerly applied my class stickers.

Class was pretty awesome. It was a small class, probably b/c of the time of day; there were six students. I did all the poses without resting. I still struggled with back bends, but I could go much deeper into half moon pose in both directions than previously, and my side didn't hurt as much when I did them. Lauren corrected how I was doing my camel pose, and I thought that never would have happened in a big class. I sweated immensely today, omg, I was literally dripping the whole time! I must have drank a sufficient amount of water beforehand. But I couldn't help but admire the shine of my arms during Triangle pose...I felt great afterwards, and I met one of the other instructors at the studio. It turns out that Debbie was also an RN who worked nights in the past, and she was telling me that 9:30 AM would be a good class to take while I worked night shift. I'll have to try that this weekend. My only true grievance from today was when I realized class was scripted and the poses are all done the same way! Lauren said the same stuff as the Fairfax teacher! And I realized that Henri did the same thing last night. Like the jokes and the wording even. What?! Like when she goes "head back, go back, fall back, way back" and "fold your body tight like a Japanese ham sandwich". I thought that was weird, and I felt cheated because I thought the other teacher in Fairfax was being funny. Phooey.

Class 4 was rough. I decided to go to the 9:30 AM class on Friday because I made lunch plans with a friend. By the time I finish the 90 mins, have a quick refuel snack, and shower, it will already be like 12:30/1 by the time I'm ready. I'm slow, and I have a lot of hair to dry! I was kind of stressed because the night before, my beloved roomie broke the news to me that she's moving in with her boyfriend when our lease is up. I'm so happy for her, and I have to say, I knew it was coming. Congrats to Colleen! So I made plans with my friend to ask her if she wanted to be my new roomie.

Anyway, this class was a bit harder than the other classes for me. First off, my body hurt like a mo-fo, particularly my hamstrings. I felt like I couldn't get as deep into the stretches because my hamstrings were so tight. I felt like I was letting Lauren down when I had to take breaks. Also, my balance was way off today. On all the one-leg poses I kept losing my balance and I was getting frustrated. However, after all the glitches, I made myself exhale more forcefully and pushed my body into the compression poses even more to make up for it. I was way dizzy, but that was my sacrifice. Oh no, another thing...from hearing the same dialogue for 4 days, I stopped poses a little prematurely when I knew they were going to end. I felt guilty and like I half-asses today. However, at the end of class, Lauren said I was turning into a "regular", which made me proud, but all I could say was that "I'm a good starter". I notoriously start things and don't finish them.

Today is Saturday and I didn't go today. I know, I know, given my last statement, I should know better! But I have to work tonight and I didn't sleep well overnight at all. My new roomie said yes, by the way, so I'm not stressed if you think that's the reason. My body is just so tired and I feel like I can't stretch enough! It all just hurts! So I took the day off from Bikram, and seriously slept from 4 am-4pm. Not bad, right? So I'll be ready for class tomorrow morning at 9:30! Chugging water all the way.

My commitment to Bikram

I got home from VA on Sunday night feeling completely energized...like for the rest of the day. And night, because it was suddenly 2 am and I was wide awake. I was so interested to learn more about Bikram Yoga and this practice that has gotten Jen, one of my most motivated and neurotic friends, so hooked. And most importantly, how is this going to change my body? I've been feeling super lazy and tired in the past few months. I blame it on my day-night rotating work schedule and the winter blues that has tuned me into fat hibernation mode, so I am itching to find an energy cure. When I think about it, the class was a pretty low-intensity movement class, but the effects on the body were super high-intensity because of the heat. My heart was definitely pounding quickly every time I rolled over into savasana. And every compression pose definitely made my head spin. And lying awake at 2am, I am very awake, yet my muscles already feel so sore 14 hours after class.

I googled everything about Bikram Choudhury and his invention of Bikram Yoga. Apparently this is the messiah of workouts, that heals like no other, and brings one's metabolism and body systems to normal, even for diabetics and people with weak skeletal systems. In my years of study of biology and body systems, and in my nursing practice, I believe it. There is definitely some more research to be done on my part, but I can at least fundamentally see how this practice can help me, as an averagely fit, healthy individual. I am already reasonably flexible, with intact spine and knees, so why not? I have been dying to try some new workout and I still can't run outside consistently because its too cold and I've been increasingly needing my inhaler after runs. So why not? By now I'm very excited about this new practice, so I also google studios in the area and am excited to find Bikram Yoga of Hampden. They have an awesome introductory offer of unlimited classes for a month for $35. I paid $18 for my one class in Fairfax, and the typical price of 1 class is $15-$18 everywhere else, and if I'm going to start doing this regularly, uhm...duh, let's do this!

But I'll start on Wednesday because I work night shift Monday and Tuesday and I'm afraid class might make me so exhausted that I can't stay up for work :/

Bikram 30 day challenge: Day 1

My first Bikram yoga was by chance last Sunday when I went to visit my friend Jen. She has been going fairly regularly for a few months now, and when I saw her after a year a and half, girlfriend's body looks amazing! It made me come to terms with the fact that I haven't left my house since October, and I have become Papa John's #1 customer, and my body reflects that. I now have a gross little buddha belly that is not even firm, just fat, and I realize that I am a week away from pajama jeans because I have been wearing leggings all winter to avoid wearing my jeans that are a bit snug. Now that Bmore is feeling rather frequent 60 degree days, my body is saying, "get out of the house, stop sleeping, and get your body moving!"

Enter Bikram Yoga. As I said, my first class was on Sunday. Jen suggested we go to the 12 noon class, so we could squeeze an early breakfast in before 9. She was lucky that I had gotten the party mode out of my system on Friday night, and was too tired to do any of that on Saturday night. Hence, 9 am breakfast was not difficult on Sunday morning! We went to the beautiful Bikram studio in Fairfax, very posh and clean, yet serene. Every one here has the yoga body of my dreams and I feel over-dressed in my t-shirt and shorts. Lol, how dare I wear an actual shirt? I am not yet at the point where I'd be comfortable in a sports bra and booty yoga shorts, but, damn, I hope to one day be that confident!

Class was intense! The room was 105 degrees, and I felt like my body was going to burst into flame! I distinctly remember a point in class when I realized that I wasn't even sweating anymore; my face was just burning. I instantly regretted my Galentines drinking escapade on Friday night and cursed myself for not drinking buckets of water all day on Saturday, when I knew I was coming here today! I felt nauseous, hot, and every pose was making me more and more pissed off! I caught myself making faces in the mirror when I stopped in the middle of a pose and watched the hot girl in front of me with disdain.

What is funny about this class, is that the heat is so oppressive, that my mind did not wander. Typically, when I am in a quiet space (i.e. libraries, church, class, yoga) my mind goes everywhere. But here all I could concentrate on was how my body felt while executing each pose. Ironically, as my mind shuts up, the Bikram instructor just keeps going and going with her chatter. I hear how to properly perform the pose, what my body should be feeling if I am doing it correctly, how to correct my body to make the pose more intense, what I should be eventually aiming to do (one day your forehead will touch your feet), and what this pose is supposedly doing for my body (like massaging my pancreas or ascending colon). I appreciated that, and even in a room of 60+ people, I was completely focused on my moves and how to get my body to do what I say.

In the past, I have taken many dance, aerobics, group fitness, and yoga classes, even Hot Vinyasa. I have always been fairly flexible and able to control my body movements well. This first class wasn't as difficult for me pose-wise as it was to get through the heat! I was able to do most of the poses successfully. Especially since you get two chances at them. Back bends and the tip-toe Awkward poses were difficult for me, but the heat really made the other poses doable, as my muscles were more willing to extend. I realized early in the class that I shouldn't ever chug my water because it makes the next few poses even more nauseating (and gassy, good Lord). As uncomfortable as it was, I was not aware of the time in the least. 90 minutes passed so quickly that I was shocked when it was over (that's it?). Where were the planks, and downward dog, and headstands? I never asked anyone, but my guess is that it would make the yogi pass out in 2 seconds.

After class I was shocked at how great I felt! I was so proud to have finished the class! The lavender soaked cold towel the studio handed out at the final savasana felt like Heaven, and it did the trick to get rid of my exhausted red-face. In the car, I was surprised at how energetic I was, ignoring how drenched my clothes were even though I had changed my shirt before I left the studio. I wasn't ravenous, though I was craving some cold iceberg lettuce.