Class Experiences

Tips for A Great First Bikram Yoga Class

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Everyone remembers his or her first Bikram Yoga class! And for good reason! It can be overwhelming, unfamiliar and a bit scary! But don’t be disheartened. Follow these easy tips to make sure your first class is as positive an experience as possible. And don’t be discouraged if it is tough. It should be tough! For many of us, it is the first time we have worked so deeply into our bodies. Plus, it’s 105 degrees in there!

Please don’t be scared off! You can read about my first class here. It was challenging, yet inspiring, and I am so grateful for it, because it led me to this wonderful practice that I have now enjoyed for five years. Here are my tips for a great first Bikram Yoga Class. Enjoy!

HOTM’s Tips For A Great First Bikram Yoga Class

  1. Hydrate in advance: Drink plenty of water the day before class, particularly the night before class. It takes a while for your body to absorb the water so binge drinking right before class won’t work. Plus, it will leave a puddle of water in your stomach that doesn’t feel so good during class.
  1. Bring a bottle of water with you: Or buy one at the studio. There is no drinking in class for the first 25 minutes, but after that, you will enjoy having water to drink during class. Limit your drinking to between postures for the benefit of your fellow yogis.
  1. Wear sweat-wicking workout clothes: You don’t have to look like a pro your first day, but sweat-wicking clothing will keep you more comfortable with all the sweat. Keep in mind, your clothes will be soaking wet by the end of class. Cotton is a problem since it absorbs the sweat and can weigh you down.
  1. Don’t eat a big meal for two hours prior to class: The last thing you need is a lot of food sitting in your stomach during class. A light nibble is ok if the timing just works out that way, but keep it light – toast or a granola bar.
  1. Don’t use hand cream before class: OK, I know this sounds like a crazy one, but you will thank me. Hand cream will make your hands slippery and that will make it harder to maintain a good grip during the postures.
  1. Don’t expect too much of yourself: The class will be hard, so don’t expect to come out of the gate as a pro, no matter your fitness level. Exercising in the heat is a new experience. And most people will not have sweat this much before. Be willing to try your best and take it as it comes.
  1. Set up in a cooler spot in the room: Each Bikram Yoga room has its own unique heat profile. Don’t be shy about asking the teacher to point out a cooler spot for your first day. You won’t regret it.
  1. Set up in the back so you can watch other yogis: Bikram Yoga teachers do not demonstrate postures, so it will be helpful to have some more experienced yogis in front of you to use as a visual guide.
  1. Bring an open mind: Some parts of the class may be outside your comfort zone, but bring an open mind to it. I personally found the opening breathing exercise to be a bit strange for at least 6 months, but I stuck with it, and now I really enjoy that part of the warmup. Listen with an open mind to the dialogue and to any specific guidance you get from the teacher. S/he is there because s/he loves practicing Bikram Yoga, and wants you to have a good experience.
  1. Have fun! Hey, it’s just yoga. Make sure you enjoy the experience and try to keep it all in perspective. Sit down on the mat and take a break if you need to. No big deal. Who knows, maybe five years from now you will be writing your own tips for a great first Bikram Yoga class on your Bikram Yoga blog. I certainly did not expect to be doing this when I first walked into the hot room…

Fellow yogis, what tips do you have for a great first class?

Don’t Forget to See the Bigger Picture

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There is sometimes a moment in class, when I look into the mirror and see the bigger picture. I am usually resolutely focused on myself, and my practice, but sometimes I catch a view of the class as a whole, moving as one. I love that. The strength the class has as it stands together and works together is inspiring, and beautiful to see. It always makes me smile.

Today it happened during Half Moon Pose. It was a full class and everyone was centered on their mats, reaching up and to the side. We were all different colors, shapes, sizes, nationalities, experience levels, men, women, but we were all part of the whole, like individual brush strokes in a painting. I could see the energy in the room. I could feel it. We all held the posture, gave one final push together, and moved back to the center in unison as the teacher said, “Change.”

This reminded me of the first time I attended Solstice in Times Square.  Held on the day of the summer solstice, the day-long event includes mass yoga classes in NYC’s Times Square taught by leading instructors in various yoga styles.  The Bikram class is usually held around noon to get the benefit of the heat. More than 10,000 people attended the event in 2014. If you have the chance to attend, I highly recommend it.

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The first year I attended was 2012. Talk about feeling part of something bigger! There were thousands of us packed together on the street in Times Square for the Bikram Yoga class, each with our own yoga mat and stack of personal items. It was tight, but that was part of the experience. Yogis were sharing sunscreen, chatting, and taking photos for each other. While I arrived alone, I ended up in front of someone I recognized from my studio, and next to one of her friends. It was great fun.

There were no mirrors, of course, but I was far enough back in the crowd that I could see the group moving in unison through the postures. Again it was Half Moon Pose where it resonated most for me, probably because we were all reaching toward the sky. I was thrilled to be a part of the Bikram Yoga community and to be sharing the practice that I love with so many. I saw the bigger picture.  My yoga practice not only helps me personally in my daily life, but it ties me to others, making me a part of something bigger and much stronger for the unity.

Fellow yogis, do you ever see the bigger picture in class?

A New Teacher Can Bring New Perspectives

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I have a practice routine. I typically take the same classes at the same times of day with the same teachers. I learn a lot from these teachers as they know my practice, and can push me in personal ways to improve. I am grateful for their reminders and corrections when I struggle, and for their compliments when I have pushed my posture to a new place. They know me, and they notice, and I appreciate that. But sometimes, it is nice to mix it up – try out a different time of day for your practice or a different teacher.  Every time I do, I learn something new.

This weekend I had the opportunity to take an afternoon class from a teacher that I had never met.  It was terrific!  He was uniquely focused on the physicality of the practice and provided very detailed descriptions of how to set up and do each posture, including some interesting tips that I had not heard before.

For example, he mentioned how important it is in Standing Head to Knee that the standing foot be exactly perpendicular to the mirror.  If the heel is turned in or turned out, even slightly, it will strain the ligaments and can lead to knee problems.  I hadn’t known that, but quickly noticed that my standing foot was not exactly straight on my right side. Uh oh! I will watch for that now.

He also had a tip for Eagle Pose. I knew that I needed to squeeze my arms and legs together in the posture, but his description of squeezing and cutting off the blood circulation in my arms and legs inspired me to squeeze harder somehow.  I was literally trying to cut off the blood flow. I’m not sure what was different in his words, but I gained a new perspective on the posture.

Another example is Half Moon Pose, where he suggested that we shift our body weight to the edges of both feet as we pushed our hips.  In other words, if you are pushing your hip to the left, you place your body weight along the left edges of both feet.  This helped me to extend the push in my hips while also keeping my body from collapsing.  Cool!

I am grateful for his insights and approach and will take this new learning to my regular practice. This experience was also a nice reminder to not get too comfortable in my practice and my routines.  A new teacher, or a new time of day, or a new spot in the room can provide a new perspective that can add a lot to my practice. And yours too.

Fellow yogis, has a new teacher ever given you a new perspective?

Catfight in Bikram Yoga Class!?!

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We’ve all been there. You have a frustrating day, or arrive at class frazzled from traffic, or are just in a bad mood. Someone sets up his or her mat too close to yours, or right in front of you, or who knows what. And you get mad. It is ridiculous, of course, especially at a yoga class (!), but sometimes it happens.

I witnessed this first hand last week. A woman (we’ll call her Woman #1) had come in early and set up in the front row, between the two ceiling heaters and a small distance from the side wall on her left. She was resting on her back, when another woman walked in (Woman #2) and set up right next to her, squeezing in between Woman #1 and the side wall. Woman #1 angrily demands that Woman #2 move, as the rest of the studio was essentially empty. Woman #2 refuses. They argue (pretty loudly!) for a few minutes about where mats are allowed to be and who can touch the humidifiers, and who was rude and who is a jerk, but nothing is resolved. Woman #1 stomps out to complain to management, but not much can be done, since it is a free country, and both were in legitimate spots in the room.

Class starts, and the two women are staring each other down. All I kept thinking was, “Wow, these two really need to do some yoga!”

We’ve all been there, overreacting to some small annoyance in our day or to another person’s inconsiderate behavior, or to some detail that is out of our control. But that’s not what the yoga room is for. The yoga room is to release these small things, to help us relax and to refocus us on what is important, not to drum up more drama. Let’s all try to remember that the next time some sets up right in front of us…

Fellow yogis, what advice do you have for keeping drama outside the hot room?

What Row Will You Choose Today?

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Do you pick your row by how you are feeling that day? I sometimes do. Typically I set up my mat in the second row. I can usually see myself well, and the energy feels good, as I am surrounded by yogis on all sides. I am centered in my practice in the second row. Sometimes, if I feel like I need to take it easy in class, I will head to the third row. I feel like there is less of an expectation for my practice in the third row, so maybe I give myself a little bit of a break.

More recently, I have been trying out the front row. The front row is nice! You have an unobstructed view of yourself, there is great energy from your fellow first row yogis, and that little bit of extra scrutiny pushes your practice forward. In the front row, I feel like I need to set a good example for the yogis behind me, particularly if there are new students in class, so I keep my wiping and fidgeting to a minimum, and I push myself to take each posture to my fullest expression.

I particularly like the view I have of myself in the first row. It helps me keep my knee more firmly locked in standing head to knee and gives me somewhere to look so my head doesn’t droop in balancing stick. It is also a nice treat to meet my own eyes in the mirror during toe stand in such an intimate way. Plus, the splashing of my sweat on the front mirror always gives me a much needed chuckle as I raise my arm in the set-up for standing bow.

I am glad I am experimenting with the rows. Each brings a new dimension to my practice and keeps me engaged and energized to see what comes next.

Experimenting with the rows has also helped me to see how the small choices we make each day can have a big impact on the type of experiences we have. Hiding in the back in life rarely leads to a peak experience, but sometimes it is necessary. The middle path can lead to a satisfying, yet fairly typical day. But taking the risk to be out in front can pay off handsomely, leading to a more energized experience and deeper connections with yourself and others. I like having a first row kind of day. Maybe I should try to do that more often.

Yogis, do you have a favorite row for your practice?