30 B4 30 Day 7: Try Bikram Yoga

Practicing yoga makes one more aware of their body, mind and spirit. It really tests your limits. I know I have made jokes about it testing the limits of my bowels, but I am serious when I say that yoga works its way into your body and makes you push yourself. Once it gets under your skin, you want to know what else you can challenge yourself to do. This desire to push myself motivated me to choose my activity for day 7: Try Bikram Yoga. Bikram yoga, or hot yoga, is a practice that incorporates 26 asanas (postures) for 45 minutes to an hour in a room with the temperature turned up to 95 to 100 degrees.

Preparing for yoga class, I did a little research on what to bring and wear. My Google search led me to pages that said I needed a hand towel, a lot of water and my own mat. The hand towel is to wipe any dripping sweat, the water is to rehydrate myself and the mat is needed to keep my sweat in my neighborhood. The gift certificate TK bought me covers 10 classes at Yoga is Life in Setauket, so I chose the hot yoga class at 9 p.m. and like the nerd that I am, I left my apartment at 8 to get there.

Obviously, I was the first one to arrive, so I signed in and waited for the class to start. When we were allowed in the room, I figured if I was going to do this right, I had to park my mat in front of the heater. So, that's what I did and as we went from posture to posture, it got hotter and hotter. It wasn't like a sauna where I couldn't breathe because I hate that suffocating feeling you get in a spa. I actually found myself thinking that it could get hotter. When I was in high school, I played basketball outside during the summer, so I was prepared to feel weak and tired, but I didn't. I felt exhilarated and accomplished when the class was over.

Let me be honest, sweat was definitely dripping down my face and down my shoulders, but it felt great to sweat. It also felt great to do this one power pose where you punch your hands down to your sides, kick your knee up and say "HA!" as you walk back and forth on your mat. The purpose of this act is to let out your frustrations and I definitely thought about TK's socks all over the floor (HA!), Duncan crying at me to go outside (HA!) and the jury duty I will have in 2 weeks (HA!). Also, as I was going from balance pose to breathing technique, I looked up to the ceiling and enjoyed that the panels had suns or clouds painted on them, a welcomed detail.

The setting was pretty peaceful, but that was until I was in a resting pose and had to lie my forehead on my mat. The rug under my mat smelled like a sweaty foot. People warned me that I might smell the body scents of my classmates, but they didn't warn me about the smell of the rug. It was the only disappointment I had during this experience and it was a small one being that I was standing up or sitting down most of the practice.

Tonight's class allowed me to let everything out...well not "everything" because I kept my bowels in check and only released sweat, frustration and toxins, and it felt good. I plan on using the rest of my gift certificate as soon as possible. Namaste!