Since starting back at uni in July, I have enjoyed may new beginnings.

Blogging is one, a new part time job moving from hospitality to retail is another.

However, the ‘new’ thing I have perhaps delighted in, is Bikram Yoga.

In case yoga with all its twisted position, strength hold and back bends wasn’t hard enough… why not do it in a room heated to 40 degrees.

 

This image, courtesy of Salt Lake City Yoga, demonstrates Garurasana, the ‘eagle’ pose which involves, binding one leg around and behind the other and lowering yourslef gently into a somewhat squat like position. At the same time your hands are also bound one around the other until the plams meet facing each other. It’s just one of the 29 different poses you can expect to go through in one of the 90 minute sessions.

Though studies claim there’s no real added health benefit of doing yoga in the heat, those who practice would argue differently.

Personally, I have found it to be much more difficult than I expected. I dismissed yoga as an overly gentle, breathing focused exercise that would be a walk in the park. How wrong I was.

The positions were hard, and while manageable to work my body into the positions, it was a real strain and almost slightly painful experience to hold them and go deeper into the various transformations of the one pose.  I felt deep burning sensations in many of my muscles and yet found it to be oddly pleasant and I relished the opportunity to go again the very next day after starting to try it all over again.

The heat for me was a comfort rather than an obstacle because of both the cold weather and my love of heat. It was incredibly relaxing to go into the yoga room 10 minutes before the start of class and just lie still and meditatively on the yoga mat, bringing my mind into the room, focusing on my breathing and ‘getting to know my body’ as they say.

The practice is so much more than physical exercise with the repetitive reminder that your breathing is as important to the task as mastering the pose. It was very spiritual and yet in a way that seemed to unify all the people in the room as much as it gave you a personal freedom to be in your own space, in your mind, peacefully and completely alone.

Bikram yoga claims to release toxins through sweat, improve blood circulation, balance, strength and flexibility.

I have certainly felt myself becoming stronger and more flexible and whether the sweat really does clean out any toxins or not, it feels good to sweat that much and i felt entirely refreshed when I finished.

For anyone thinking about trying it, I would highly recommend it. It may just be a fad like many other things (I say this because it was recommended to me by at least 6 friends and only 2 have continued the practice on a regular basis), but for a refreshing experience or just an hour of escape, Bikram yoga could be the answer you need. Don’t underestimate how much you will sweat! so bring plenty of water.

I practice at One Hot Yoga, who have made everything very very easy, adopting to our digi-world with an app for smart phones to book sessions. I mention this not to sounds like an add but simply because I appreciate how easy they’ve made it and as an example of small business making it’s mark and adapting to people’s lifestyles.