“Your grandfather survived two world wars, you can survive this Bikram class”; this thought hammers its way around my head about halfway through the 90-minute class that had me questioning my sanity. I’ve done yoga for six years and four of those years were hot yoga – a relaxing, balmy 30˚C, so I felt like I’d be fine.
It’s only a 10-12˚C difference, which is nothing, right? Wrong. Oh so wrong.
Within five minutes, my forearms are sweating, which I never knew was a thing before.
Within 20 minutes, sweat is wheedling its way into my eyes.
Within 40 minutes, I start to imagine our very nice instructor has actually been sent to try to break my spirit and this has stopped being a test of my physical strength, and become a test of my mental fortitude.
So I decide I’ll show him by smiling inanely that I. Am. Loving. It.
If you’ve ever seen a bright purple, 5’11 woman smile through gritted teeth while she sweats like a sprinkler, you’ll understand why the instructor looked concerned.
Bikram is very, very confronting. You repeat the same 26 moves every time, no change. The heat is stifling, terrifying; I have to sit down three times during the class because I am feeling dizzy and when Sinead and I talk to Rebecca (who sits at the front desk) at the end she tells us the feelings of panic and nausea are perfectly normal.
It is not relaxing and a lot of it is not enjoyable; in fact, rage sits just below my surface for most of the session.
But you know how marathon runners describe that extraordinary feeling of finishing a race? When we walk out of that class, I feel exceptionally proud of myself and I can see how people would become addicted to that feeling.
As Rebecca says, learning to be uncomfortable inside the studio helps you cope outside the studio and makes you calmer in your real life. The people in the class were calm, limber and sleek like dolphins – also because they were wet with sweat – and seemed to be having a great time.
If you’ve never done yoga before, I’d caution against starting out with Bikram as the moves are quite intense and it would be easy to over-stretch. They’re not hard – there are no advanced postures to be had here, but they are challenging because of the heat.
If regular yoga isn’t your cup of tea and you want a challenge, give it a go. It takes a few times to get your head around it, we were told, but the feeling of satisfaction upon completing it was immediate.
Where we did it: Hot Yoga Works, Britomart.
Where you can do it: Mount Yoga, Tauranga, Yoga for the People, Wellington
*Sinead and Emma are the Anything But The Gym girls. Bored with standard workouts, they have begun the hunt for new and fun ways to get fit. Follow their weekly adventures here, and in New Zealand Good Health Choices. If you have a suggestion for something interesting for them to try, email [email protected] with Anything But The Gym in the subject line.
The Anything But The Gym Girls are now on Instagram! Follow them @theanythingbutthegymgirls to keep up with their fitness adventures.*
Read more from the Anything But The Gym Girls in the November issue of New Zealand Good Health Choices
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