I really want to not like Bikram yoga. For years I practiced hot power yoga in California and only poked my head into a Bikram yoga studio once or twice, usually to find a huge room packed full of people with bright lights and instructors with microphones who didn't know or seem to care who you were or if you were doing the postures correctly. As a result I pulled something after a class and said, "nope, not going to do that again". But we all know what happens when you say that...
Flash forward a few years to Miami 2 months after having a gorgeous baby girl, but stuck in the post-partum hormonal fluctuations, digestive problems and balance issues from a c-section that had just healed up enough for the doctor to clear me to resume whatever exercise I wanted to do. Of course I immediately wanted to do hot yoga and I wanted to do it NOW. However it was after 7 on a Tuesday when I had the opportunity to go to class and my usual studio's last session had already begun. Frustrated, I remembered reading in some yoga journal about how certain Bikram postures helped with the endocrine system and stomach problems as well as slowly building up strength and balance and looked at the website of this place I'd been driving by for months with its first month $49 sign and there was a class at 8:30. I figured it was better than no hot yoga at all.
Armed with memories of the last Bikram place I'd stuck my face in, I braced myself for unfriendly people, designer yoga gear, fancy floors covered with other people's sweat and someone grilling me about my knowledge of Bikram and trying to weasel out of the promo. This was not my experience at all.
This is a very down to earth place. While there are many classes during the week, there aren't a ton of different instructors so you see the same faces rotating in and out of class throughout the week. The room is small by comparison to oh, say, a Bikram class in the Bay area, but the lighting isn't uncomfortable, people give you space for your mat and care about you having a positive experience rather than just yelling at you and begrudgingly renting you a towel when you forget yours. I was up front that I'd tried it a couple times, but hadn't kept up with it and had just had a baby and signing up for the local intro month wasn't a problem. At $25 for a single class I figured if I only went two times and hated it, i'd lose absolutely nothing. And here's the thing, sometimes I *do* hate doing Bikram Yoga when I do it. But as I was told when I came in, "Bikram Yoga... feels really good... when it's over. It's very uncomfortable when you're doing it." So true. I struggled, strained, sweat, got frustrated, fell over and 90 minutes later I felt fantastic. Who knew? I definitely appreciate the upfrontness about how you might feel in class though. I'd thought maybe I was missing something when I was lost in a giant Silicon Valley room a few years back that was wall to wall with Lululemon. The instructors speak clearly and no microphone is necessary. They lead you through the postures with the special dialogue the same way each time, but all with just a little bit of different flavor. I've mostly wound up in class with Gabrielle or Carolina and think they are both great instructors and each one inspires me in a different way.
Yes it's uncomfortable, yes it's hard to make myself go in sometimes, especially on a hot humid Miami day. No, my practice isn't consistent, but I hope to change that. Without fail, I always feel better when I leave than when I walked in, even if I look like a drowned rat and smell like a walking gym sock. I very rarely go to my old yoga studio anymore except for a restorative class here and there because regardless of my hesitation to embrace Bikram, I felt compelled to sign up for monthly unlimited classes because it just feels good and I didn't want to give that up. If I'm having a rough week, a bout with stiff joints, pms, stomach issues, stress, or any number of things, I know 90 minutes of Bikram will fix me right up. And this particular studio will fix me right up in a non-pretentious or competitive feeling environment. It's just Bikram yoga, plain and simple in a plain and simple room. The benefits are all you need anyhow. read more