NEWFITNESS Milwaukee
March 8th, 2011
We’ve been sweating it up here in Milwaukee with all manner of workouts throughout the years. Every few months or so, we like to mix things up with a new fitness experience. Bikram Yoga Milwaukee may be the best new workout around.
February was downright frigid, and access to pavement for our regular runs was a clear and present danger. We’re also feeling pretty numb from witnessing a successful Packer season, and are longing for the Beach-without-the-beach right about now.
Bikram is not for the weak hearted. Literally. The environment is challenging for the most hardened fitness devotees: For us yogis who’ve been practicing for over 25 years, it provides a whole new level of challenge:
A heated room to 110º F,
A flow sequence of 26 postures that increase in difficulty, &
90 minutes of physical & emotional self-reflection, with 50 of your best yogi friends.
Bikram yoga is designed to challenge the physical body’s limits and in the end, it builds confidence and empowers the soul. Training for long-distance races is one way to gain confidence for the physical challenge at hand, but one cannot deny the value of cross training throughout one’s life to stay motivated. Bikram is a unique yoga style in that there are no gurus, no ‘serenity now’ affirmations, and no emotional interferences about channeling this or that chakra. Bikram is entirely self-corrective. That is, you meet your challenge with yourself; there is no ‘guru’ here. Just dedicated instructors, guiding you through the process. Of course, the process is most definitely a physical challenge and at some point in every 90-minute practice you will ‘hit the wall’. Alot of us have had this experience in relation to a physical challenge we have participated in, whether it be a run or ski marathon, a triathlon, or training for any other endurance challenge. Hitting the wall is a term used to describe extreme energy depletion while engaging in an endurance effort. Athletes refer to it as ‘bonking’, or ‘hitting the wall’. With Bikram, you get to practice “bonking” all within 90 minutes.
Why would we want to do this? Well, we all have metaphorical walls we hit in everyday moments. And doesn’t practice make perfect?
Bikram Yoga is easy to follow yet challenging, and an awesome exercise in mind, body, & spirit integration. That’s why we love Bikram yoga on the Milwaukee River, and are excited to have a studio here in Milwaukee.
| National Bikram Instructors are Awesome! |
