Why Is Weekend Bikram Yoga So Hot?

I usually practice on weekday mornings. The classes are full, but not to the brim. The students are regulars, but the skill levels vary. Some people are old, some students are young, but most are somewhere in the middle, like me. The teachers are challenging, but caring, the rooms are hot, but not too hot, and it is all good.

Recently, I have started to practice on the weekends too. My husband has finally succumbed to my Bikram Yoga fever, and since he can only practice on the weekends, I have been going along for moral support. But class has been extremely challenging — because of the heat. So challenging, that we leave class spent, and exhausted, and this can last through the rest of the weekend. Clearly not the goal we were seeking.

Continue reading →

Birthday Yoga Is Fun!

February 9, 2016February 4, 2016 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Yoga and Life Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yoga

I love practicing yoga on my birthday! I always seem to have an extra special class, like the yoga itself is a birthday gift. This year my husband came to class with me, making it an even more festive event. It was the hottest class I had taken in a long time and while I loved the class, it took me several days to recover from it! I think I let myself get too dehydrated. Maybe getting older isn’t so great after all. Sigh.

Continue reading →

Can You Do A Bikram Yoga Class in 60 Minutes?

February 2, 2016January 28, 2016 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences Bikram, Bikram Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yoga

My Bikram Yoga studio started offering classes of different lengths recently. Some are 60 minutes, some are 75 minutes, and most are offered in the early mornings or at lunchtime, when time is tightest. I hadn’t taken one, preferring my typical 90 minute class each day. But this morning my schedule was crazy and an upcoming conference call left me little time for class. I decided it was time to try a 60 minute class.

Continue reading →

Winter Makes Me Crave The Bikram Yoga Heat

January 26, 2016January 24, 2016 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Yoga and Life

I sometimes feel ambivalent about the heat in a Bikram Yoga class. Most days I like it, seeing the heat as an important part of the Bikram Yoga process. Occasionally, especially on very humid days, it can feel stifling and overwhelming. It can get to be too much.

But in the winter, I crave it. I wake up in the morning thinking about it, set up in the hottest part of the room, wallow in my glorious sweat, and dream about my next class almost as soon as my current class ends. I hate being cold and the Bikram Yoga heat is a great escape from winter.

Continue reading →

Vacation Yoga – Piecing It Together

January 19, 2016January 19, 2016 Hot Off The Mat Class Experiences, Yoga and Life

When I am at home, I practice Bikram Yoga regularly, and when I am away, I try to find a Bikram studio in the area so I can maintain my practice. But many times there is not a studio nearby, or there just isn’t time for a 90-minute class. So what do I do? Whatever I can.

I was recently out of town for a few weeks, with no Bikram Yoga studio for miles around. Undeterred, I pieced together a practice from the available options — resort yoga classes, Pilates classes and Sun Salutations outside on the deck. The variety provided a nice break from the rigors of Bikram Yoga and gave me a few tricks I can bring back to my regular practice.