Day 9: Too Hot to Think
Funny what heat does to the mind. Signaling the body to slow down.
I feel spacey, which takes even more effort to concentrate. But I also feel a kind of detachment, like you would on a hot summer day. Except it's not the sun on my back, it's the loud blast of a huge metallic heater. (more…)Continue Reading: Day 9: Too Hot to Think



"How many people actually complete the full 10 day Bikram program?" I ask my Bikram instructor. "Not many," he replies, "maybe a dozen throughout the year." (Bikram studios offer a 10 day pass for $10 as incentive for new students).
Knowing the importance of regularity in a practice, I've always advised my students to focus on developing a steady practice over an intense but sporadic practice.
There is an
Remarkably, I don't experience any muscle soreness after the Bikram yoga session. Considering how abruptly we're moving through the yoga postures and how extreme some of the tight holds are.
A good yoga class still depends on the teacher. No matter that they all have the same "script," their insights and energy is what carries the class.
In my 10-day Bikram yoga adventure, I've had 5 classes with 5 different teachers and although the order of the sequences is identical and the timing the same to the minute, the mood permeating the class is the one factor that changes. And this I can...
There is a precision to the Bikram postures that does not allow for any variations. Some of them surprise me like the emphasis on palms together, knees locked. I try to keep a smile on my face but the rigidness of it all snaps me into the postures as if I were in boot camp.
I notice that I'm not really feeling any joy during the whole class. I'm concerned about doing...
Although the flyer says, "beginners welcome" I would not recommend stepping into a Bikram class if you've never done yoga before. The instructions are never modified, so although the teacher knew it was my first time in a Bikram studio, there was no attempt at a more detailed explanation or suggestion for a modified pose.
And then there's the heat. I can't imagine someone with blood pressure or heart issues being able to...
I've signed up for that ultimate marketing savvy yoga class offer -Bikram's 10 classes for $10 for 10 days. In case you haven't heard what Bikram yoga classes are about; room temperature is kept at 105 degrees and it's all about the sweating.
Now I'm not a big fan (no pun intended!) of a lot of hot air (pun intended!). I can barely withstand a couple of minutes in a sauna cause it...