My first Bikram Yoga experience

My+first+Bikram+Yoga+experience

My first Bikram Yoga experience

State Hornet Staff

Before being confronted by the smell of old sweat, you’re hit by a wall of heat. It’s not enough to turn you away, but it’s enough to let you know the next 75 minutes are going to be very moist.

Hot yoga is like going to church — a sort of fitness sermon. You follow your Vinyasa pastor though a series of positions moving as gracefully as you can from one to the other.

She pushes you to do more, but tells you to know your limits. “Listen to your body” she says, “Keep breathing.

Sets are punctuated by periods of rest where she imparts some words of encouragement, and

administers some affectionate, nonsexual touching.

It’s even somewhat comforting to hear her elevated breathing amplified through her headset

microphone, but it’s still really hot.

The sweat drips from your forehead, moving from chair pose to child’s position, leaving you face down in the rented mat used by countless other patrons.

The feeling of perspiration and self-consciousness dissipates quickly in a room full of equally sweaty people and it doesn’t even matter that you’ve saturated your underpants with sweat.

Then the air conditioning comes on. The room cools as you lay there propped up–face down–on your left leg, then on your right. The sermon ends with a prayer, and a harmonized ohmmmmmm. She thanks you for your time and appreciates your effort; It feels good.