I sweat. I had to lie down. I had to will myself to get up and keep going.
I also had to lie down for about 10 minutes afterwards because I was too tired to lift my arms.
I went to a Bikram Yoga class courtesy of Groupon.
For those who don't know what Bikram Yoga is, it's just yoga in a hot room that is usually kept above 100 degrees. It's supposed to be a lot safer for those complicated stretches since your body immediately gets warmed up. It also makes everything 10 times harder because of the sweating and sheer amount of stamina you need to endure all 90 minutes of the class.
As I said before, I was really inspired to take the class quite randomly and called them the next day to ask if I needed to bring anything special for the first class (towel and water).
I walked in this morning a few minutes before 9:00AM and felt the hippie. There's just no other way to describe it. Hippie. The lady behind the counter had a flower in her hair. There were shirtless old guys walking around in spandex. There were also very hot (and fit) girls my age stretching inside. I love Bikram Yoga already. But they were not kidding about the heat! Walking into the yoga room next door, it was like walking through a curtain of pure heat just hitting you from all directions. Did I mention all the shirtless old guys? (I was the only guy with a shirt, even if it was a underarmour)
They always tell you on your first time to take it easy, to take breaks when needed, and to pace yourself. I, of course, walk in thinking "but I'm not a beginner! Hopefully since I'm already used to all the poses and flow, I can impress people and keep on truckin." NOT THE CASE. It was tough! Like I mentioned above, I struggled, struggled some more, and took some breathers lying on my back until I was ready to get back into the game. The poses themselves weren't a problem for me- my stamina and endurance were just really bad. Usually, my yoga classes are an hour long and at the end of it, I'm generally pooped out because I really do try and stretch to my maximum. But in this Bikram class, we did everything TWICE and it was still an extra 30 minutes longer than I was used to. So all those poses that I generally think "Okay Alex, just a few seconds longer. Just a few seconds longer... yes!" basically ended up with me thinking "FML I have to do this again?!"
There are different classes depending on difficulty and being the prepared one I was, I just chose a time and said "ummm okay that works." I think I took an beginner/intermediate class (but with the toughest/best teacher) because there weren't outrageous moves or anything and the teacher kept it pretty basic. But you could tell there were lots of regulars there (since she knew all of them by name) while there were also many first timers (lots of them college age and in short shorts).
I'm pretty sure I embarrassed myself because I chose the spot right in the middle of the entire room, and I was visibly winded halfway through the class. But I also think I redeemed myself because I was the only one who could do the more complicated things she did end up going over (like the toe stand, and full eagle).
Despite the being unable to move myself afterwards, I never felt so good. It's that tired you feel after you really pushed yourself. I had to just rest for about 5 minutes after class ended and then got myself up and packed up. Even as I walked to rinse myself off in the shower, I had to learn against the wall to prevent myself from face planting on the floor.
Long story short- it was the best endorphin rush and car ride home ever.
I'm going again tomorrow! So excited!
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