You know, I never thought I would ever like yoga. I'm a high-energy, make-me-sweat, cardio-head athletic person and the thought of standing still listening to my own thought never really appealed to me. However, I decided to give Bikram yoga a try here in Ottawa where there's a yoga studio at every other block.
For those unfamiliar with the different types of yoga - the Coles Notes on Bikram is that it is a hot yoga (in a room heated to 105 degrees) that takes you through 26 poses or stretches in a 90-minute class.
So I went online, to find the nearest hot yoga studio and try it out. As luck would have it, the nearest studio was called Rama Lotus - it doesn't get much more yoga-ish than that! They offered classes everyday of the week and all different types of yoga. I decided to go to the Saturday afternoon Bikram class figuring it wouldn't be too crowded. I wore sweat-pant capris, a tank top and light sweatshirt. I rented my mat, hung up my coat and boots, and entered the yoga studio ("Sun" room).
The first thing that hit me was the heat! They are not joking when they say hot yoga. It is warm, but I like the heat so that was a plus in my book. The room was 2/3 filled with people in various positions, states of alertness, and clothing coverage (many men in speedo-like briefs). I settled my mat down and tried to decide what to do with myself for the 10-minute wait before class started. After another quick glance around the room, I ended up standing awkwardly on my mat stretching - it seemed appropriate...
The class started and as we went through the different breathing, stretching and posing exercises, I actually did feel a sense of calmness over myself. After 30 minutes I was pouring sweat (literally from every pore) . If you think of the show Friends when Ross can't get the leather pants back on and he rubs lotion on his legs then when he tries to pull them up his hand slips off his leg and smacks his own face - that's how slippery and sweaty you are. Some positions are actually hard to hold due to the sweat.
Some other observations/tips:
- Don't wear sweat-pant material anything! I was ready to strip down to my skivvies after about 20 minutes
- A girl who practises yoga is called a Yogini - well, this is what the girls' changeroom at the yoga place reads so I'm assuming that's what they are called?
- Buy your own yoga mat - much cleaner and if you're going to go regularly, it's much cheaper too
- Don't stand behind the man in the speedo-type ensemble who snaps his underwear out of his butt crack every 10 minutes or so - it's distracting from your practice
So despite some uncomfortable moments, I really enjoyed the class and signed up for more on the way out. I've been to 3 in total now and I am getting more flexible and better at the sequences each time. I've purchased a mat and wear the "right" clothes and spend the 10 minutes leading up to class relaxing on my mat and clearing my head.
Am I really a Yogini? That is still to be determined but for now, I'm just taking it all in...
For those unfamiliar with the different types of yoga - the Coles Notes on Bikram is that it is a hot yoga (in a room heated to 105 degrees) that takes you through 26 poses or stretches in a 90-minute class.
So I went online, to find the nearest hot yoga studio and try it out. As luck would have it, the nearest studio was called Rama Lotus - it doesn't get much more yoga-ish than that! They offered classes everyday of the week and all different types of yoga. I decided to go to the Saturday afternoon Bikram class figuring it wouldn't be too crowded. I wore sweat-pant capris, a tank top and light sweatshirt. I rented my mat, hung up my coat and boots, and entered the yoga studio ("Sun" room).
The first thing that hit me was the heat! They are not joking when they say hot yoga. It is warm, but I like the heat so that was a plus in my book. The room was 2/3 filled with people in various positions, states of alertness, and clothing coverage (many men in speedo-like briefs). I settled my mat down and tried to decide what to do with myself for the 10-minute wait before class started. After another quick glance around the room, I ended up standing awkwardly on my mat stretching - it seemed appropriate...
The class started and as we went through the different breathing, stretching and posing exercises, I actually did feel a sense of calmness over myself. After 30 minutes I was pouring sweat (literally from every pore) . If you think of the show Friends when Ross can't get the leather pants back on and he rubs lotion on his legs then when he tries to pull them up his hand slips off his leg and smacks his own face - that's how slippery and sweaty you are. Some positions are actually hard to hold due to the sweat.
Some other observations/tips:
- Don't wear sweat-pant material anything! I was ready to strip down to my skivvies after about 20 minutes
- A girl who practises yoga is called a Yogini - well, this is what the girls' changeroom at the yoga place reads so I'm assuming that's what they are called?
- Buy your own yoga mat - much cleaner and if you're going to go regularly, it's much cheaper too
- Don't stand behind the man in the speedo-type ensemble who snaps his underwear out of his butt crack every 10 minutes or so - it's distracting from your practice
So despite some uncomfortable moments, I really enjoyed the class and signed up for more on the way out. I've been to 3 in total now and I am getting more flexible and better at the sequences each time. I've purchased a mat and wear the "right" clothes and spend the 10 minutes leading up to class relaxing on my mat and clearing my head.
Am I really a Yogini? That is still to be determined but for now, I'm just taking it all in...
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