Bikram, the bad boy of yoga, 26 postures, twice, copywrited, done the same way, following the same script, over a 90-minute period in a room heated to 105 F. It is vigorous, hard core and intense. I’m not vigorous, hard core or intense (OK, I’m a little intense), but for some crazy reason I love this practice.
Jim and I are fairly serious yogis. He has his instructor certification, and even though he works full time, he manages to get to 2-3 classes a week. I am working toward my instructor certification, and I practice every day. We love yoga, alignment base Iyengar, flowing vinyasa or classic hatha, yoga brings a certain amount of peace into our daily lives. However, every once in a while a Bikram class gets put up on the chalkboard just to shake things up a little. That’s what happened on Sunday.
We need to hydrate, we decide. Green tea replaces the second cup of coffee and copious amounts of water accompany a relatively light lunch. This makes us somewhat prepared for the 3 p.m. class.
Bikram Milwaukee is found on the East Side and Bron, the owner, works hard to create a great community atmosphere. I have been to a few other Bikram studios, and this is by far the nicest. The large light-filled yoga rooms help to lessen the closeness of the heat. The communal space invites lingering before and after class,and the instructors are always available for a chat. This non-threatening environment attracts a wide range of students in age, gender and body type.
This is our first Bikram class since July, and on this cool October Sunday, the heat feels welcome. We work through the practice, sometimes feeling strong and solid and letting the heat deepen our poses, other times feeling overwhelmed and sinking to our knees for a break. Sweat runs off our bodies. The class ends and everyone is encouraged to relax on their backs until their heart rate has returned to normal. The teacher leaves the room and immediately people begin to flee.
On the way home, Jim and I dissect our practices. We can talk about Bikram for hours.
“I rocked standing head to knee; did you see how straight my legs were?”
“Camel completely wrecked me; I had to sit the second one out.”
Bikram brings out our egos, and it humbles us in equal measure. That night we manage to stay up until 10 p.m., barely and then we sleep like logs.
Love it, hate it, try it. It’s an experience!
