My previous experiences with Bikram yoga, many years ago, were not pleasant. I would always feel nauseous like I was going to pass out and die – I even had to excuse myself once so I could go and be sick in the bathroom. I gave it a few tries and then decided it just wasnāt my sort of thing, convincing myself that Iām a Vinyasa flow type of gal, nothing more to it. But a few months ago, there was a challenge at a local studio and I decided to give it a try. Itās been quite a ride and Iām now hooked, but not for the reasons youād expect.
Iām very much in my head at all times and a strong, fast, flow allows me to forget all distractions – Iāve always considered it my moving meditation. However, in hot yoga, the poses are held longer, thereās the unnatural heat one must deal with, and no music ā¦ whatās going to motivate me?!
Towards the end of my first slow, methodical, focused, unbearably hot yoga class, I asked the teacher if sheād mind if I left. She was extremely sympathetic and understanding but suggested I lie down, maybe have some water, and if that didnāt work, step outside for a few minutes but she definitely wanted me to come back in to finish the class, which I did. The second class was a bit better, I stayed in the room the entire time, and only took a minimal break. By the third class, I felt I was the master of the universe as I completed every pose without a break ā¦ YEAH! I was on fire.
Iāve made hot yoga part of my routine and Iām slowly getting used to the heat, although a definite challenge at times, but what is still hard for me is the rhythm at which we move. In my head I keep thinking faster, faster, faster. What Iāve come to realize, is that for me, after Iāve dealt with the heat, Iām left with only my thoughts. Moving slowly through a specific set of poses and always knowing whatās coming next in the sequence, forces me to be mindful of my practice, and more importantly, hot yoga allowed me to have to deal with thoughts I had previously been able to avoid.
After almost 10 years of yoga, Iām learning how to just be in a pose, without the need to keep moving, and without the need to be constantly surprised by the next pose in the sequence. Iāve also noticed that itās made my regular Vinyasa practice much stronger and I feel more connected to every movement.
Hot yoga isnāt for everybody, and I do realized there are a lot of styles out there that create the same desired effect for a lot of people, but for me, the community Iāve found, and what I get from every class was worth the initial discomfort. After all, this is just one humble yogiās opinion š
I would like to say a very special āThank You!ā to Liz, and Tiffany from The Haute Yogi, you both have been incredibly supportive, and because of your amazing instruction, I was able to finally conquer my fear of hot yoga.
