My Year of Bikram Yoga Ends in June, But...

I am going to admit, though Bikram Yoga is my favorite, signing up for a year of classes has kind of paid a toll on my practice. Since signing up for a year's worth of classes last June, I have devoted MUCH of my time to practicing only Bikram Yoga.

I tried to get to class at least 3 times a week, mostly to justify the fact that a large sum of money was debiting from my bank account every month to pay for my practice. While I do love the class, I found myself getting bored. Though the routine was something I originally embraced when I signed up for the year's worth of classes, I feel as though I have neglected the millions of other postures I could have been practicing all year round that don't involve Bikram Yoga.

For instance, my good friend Amy, is now killer at headstands. She gets to practice inverted postures whenever she goes to class. I would like to learn some awesome inverted postures as well, but because my money has been tied into the Bikram studio, I haven't been able to take any other classes. I am pretty good at doing the same, sweaty 26 postures. But is that enough? Not for me.

My last class isn't until May, but I am looking forward to being FREE to take whatever classes I want :) Though I did learn lots of discipline and structure through practicing the same 26 postures over and over again, I don't recommend anyone signing up for just a year of Bikram Yoga. Taking it month by month, or even class by class is probably your best bet. Not every day is a Bikram Yoga day, you know? :)

Anyways, BIG changed have been going on at YogaDirect.com. We just completed an entire redesign of the site, and have focused more on wholesale Yoga props. Hurray for Yoga Studios! :) Regular Yogis can still purchase the same great Yoga equipment on our site, but we now require a $50.00 minimum for each purchase...which still isn't bad, considering our prices are still the lowest around!

"I've Never Been to a Class Where You Couldn't Make Noise."

In the beginning of the year there's always a lot of newbies in yoga class - which is awesome! The past 3 days I have gone to Bikram Yoga Farmington there's been so many new faces in class. And with that being said there's been a LOT of new noises in class!

Yesterday's noises were more tolerable. The newbies were all respectful of the class and enthusiastically attempted every posture. No one left the room, and when they felt dizzy, they sat down or rested in Savasana. Sure, there was a snorer and a squeaker during the breathing exercise, but that was fine :)

Today, however, was a different story. There were many new students scattered amongst the classroom, and a crew that were buddies were situated behind me. I know I am supposed to just focus on my own practice during class, but when people start cracking up constantly behind me, it is a little harder to stay focused.

I am not sure why they were giggling, but it happened many times, and one woman even left the room because she couldn't contain herself anymore. I felt bad for the instructor who tried over and over to remind people to be quiet in class. While humor is something I enjoy in class, these new students were just being disrespectful.

On the other end of the room, another new student, who had her hair down and played with it the whole class, was constantly making loud straining noises during every posture. I know the class is probably the hardest thing some people will ever do in their lives, but she should have listened to the instructor when he told everyone that the battle is all in your mind. You body is capable of doing everything in class - it's your mind hat makes you believe you can't.

I could tell this woman completely hated the class. Even worse was when it was all finished and we were in the lobby putting our shoes on, this woman decided she would mock us all before she made her grand exit by exclaiming loudly, "I have never been to a class where you couldn't make any noise." Then she slipped out the door, never to return.

If it is your first time going to ANY class, you should go with an open mind. If these new people had questions, that is why the instructor is there. I know for myself, I enjoy Bikram Yoga so much because of the discipline. I love when the whole class is flowing with energy and it drives me. When everyone focuses and tries as hard as they can it is amazingly energizing. It is my sanctuary!

I hope I don't sound like too much of a Bikram Yoga snob by posting this blog. It upset me that this woman had such a bad time in class. But then again, as I stated before, Bikram Yoga isn't for everyone. Hopefully she will find her niche.

With that said, I need to continue focusing on my own practice :)

So Close...But So Far Away!

Well, tomorrow is my last day in Vegas before we go back home. We have been so busy with the conference that I haven't been able to catch a Bikram class :( It is really inspiring to see all the teachers in training going to class every morning when we are on our way to the conference. Perhaps I will come back here one season and take the Bikram Teacher Training myself!

Wouldn't You Know...BIKRAM IS HERE!!!

My boss and I are in Las Vegas this week for a Conference and we are staying at the Hilton. We were just wandering around downstairs and I see this sign for Bikram Yoga Gift Shop.

What?

So I go in and there's all these cool Yoga things and I am looking around and discover there's a Bikram Yoga teacher training session going on right now in this very hotel! Hahaha, what luck!

I am sure there's no open classes to take, but I am definitely going to be on the lookout for Bikram himself. I would love to get my photo taken with him heheh.

I will keep you posted!

Bikram Yoga with Cysts in Your Ankle

Last night I went to Bikram Yoga for the first time in a month! I had been away so long because my ankle injury back at the end of July. My ankle is feeling about 95% better, but I still can't point my left foot because of where the 3 cysts are located.

While I had a REALLY great Bikram class (with the best final Savasana I have EVER had!), there's 2 postures that my ankle will not let me do. One is Supta Vajrasana, which I normally couldn't do that well anyway, but the one that surprised me was Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana. It only but when we faced the left side, but I never realized how much your ankle plays a role in that posture.

All in all, my ankle did feel better after the class, and the swelling went down quite a bit, so I am sure Bikram class is going to help my ankle more than hurt it, but it just sucks to know that I am starting at square one with the flexibility in my ankle again. All that hard work...

I guess that is why they call it a yoga practice...and not a perfect! ;)

Bikram Yoga...and Clenching My Teeth

Does anyone else notice they hold a lot of tension in their jaw when they are in Bikram Yoga class? Lately in class I have been noticing that while I try to stay calm in class by breathing in and out of my nose, I am clenching my teeth like I am fighting not to even open my mouth.

I grind my teeth in my sleep, so I guess I already have a lot of tension in my jaw to begin with. How can I help myself loosen my jaw while I practice Yoga without switching to mouth breathing?

Yesterday in class I tried to tell myself to loosen up my jaw, but I couldn't find the place. Any ideas???

Hot Yoga Vs. Bikram Yoga

I usually go to Bikram Yoga Classes (at Bikram Yoga Farmington...come and say hello some time!!!), but tonight at the Fuller Movement Center, they are having a free introductory "Hot Yoga" class, and I am going to take it. I am not sure how much different it will be from Bikram Yoga, but I will surely keep you posted.

My friend Katie (who dances with me in Soma Dance Company) will be taking her first EVER Hot Yoga class (never taken Bikram either...) so I will be sure to tell you know she liked it too!

Namaste!

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We went to the Hot Yoga Class last night! Myself, my dancer friend Katie, and 2 of my YogaDirect co-workers, Tom and Colleen went as well. None of us have been to a "Hot Yoga" class, but Colleen and I had been to Bikram Yoga before and were anxious to see what the differences were between the two styles of Yoga in a heated room. Here's the differences we noticed:

The Atmosphere:

Bikram Yoga Class is strict. As soon as you walk into class, you begin your meditation. You only use energy to move and talking is not allowed in the room.

Hot Yoga on the other hand, was a bit more lenient when it came to class etiquette. Everyone was smiling and the room felt more relaxed. There was (rock!) music playing and no one got yelled at for talking.

The Heat

Bikram Yoga- Walking into a Bikram Yoga class is like walking into a wall of heat. There is no escaping it and you just have to learn to deal with it ASAP.

Hot Yoga- The heat was less intense, and it felt more dry. It really wasn't unbearable at all, except Tom was right next to one of the heaters and remarked that at times he couldn't take the heat anymore and wanted to leave the room!

The First Pose

Bikram Yoga begins each class with the breathing exercises. They are supposed to warm you up from the inside out and set your breathing pattern for the whole class.

Hot Yoga class began in Child's Pose, and the instructor, Adrienne talked us through bringing air into our lungs like bringing gas into a car's gas tank. Then slowly, she had us pressing down into the floor using our energy, and before we knew it we were in Sun Salutation headquarters.

Sweating

Bikram Yoga class makes me sweat from the moment I walk into the room until I get home and into the shower. When i leave Bikram class I am completely COVERED in sweat, and so is my towel, and my Yoga Mat.

Hot Yoga class didn't have me sweating until the 2nd set of Warriors, and from then on I sweat a lot! The only thing I didn't like about sweating in this particular class was that we did so many inverted postures that sweat kept dripping in my eyes and there was nothing I could do about it. At the end, I left pretty sweaty, but not as bad as if I had been in a Bikram Yoga Class.

The Postures

Bikram Yoga has the same 26 postures in the same order every single class. There's no surprises and I know exactly what pose is coming next and how to prepare myself for it.

Hot Yoga class was much different. The teacher's style had a flow to it, and she took us through Sun Salutations, Warriors, and even inverted postures at a fast speed. Tom and Colleen agreed they thought the class was a little fast paced. Katie and I struggled a bit with the fast paced class as well, but I think it was Adrienne's dialogue through the postures kept me going. I think also because Katie and I are dancers we understood the flow of the postures and caught on faster. I did like that we did all sorts of postures that were different from the ones I am used to in Bikram because it is good to change it up!

The Dialogue

Bikram Yoga has a set "script" the instructors recite. I have been going to class so long I can even sometimes recite it in my head with them. Every so often the instructor may break free of their script and give the class a some little tidbits about life, stretching, or the benefits of the posture, but usually the dialogue in class stays basically the same.

Hot Yoga class conversation was more open. Adrienne explained postures, talked about chakras, said some funny jokes, remarked about the music that was playing, and more while we went through the asanas. It was more relaxed, which led my mind to wander a bit more than if I were just to be left to focus on silence and breathing. While the talking surely helped me stay in many of the hard postures without realizing it, it sometimes it made me chuckle and lose my concentration. I'm not saying that it is bad to have fun in Yoga class, but I just wasn't used to it.

The End of Class

Bikram Yoga Class end the way it begins - with a breathing exercise. After, you are instructed to lay down in Savasana (Corpse Pose) for at least 3 minutes to let all the Yoga you just did just kind of settle in your body. I usually struggle to relax myself after such a tough class, and am not sure if I have ever had enough discipline to remain in Savasana for more than the 3 minutes.

Hot Yoga Class ended with Savasana as well, but I found my body wanting to relax more after this class. I am not sure if it was the difference in heat or the postures we did, but I do believe I could have laid in Savasana after that class forever!

So here's the lowdown:
If you are looking for an intense yoga class where you can practice in heat, meditate inwardly with minimum help from the instructor, you'd be best taking a Bikram Yoga Class. However, if you are into practicing Hatha yoga postures that flow in a heated room filled with music and an instructor that interacts with the class, you should take a Hot Yoga class.

All in all, I think I enjoy both. It is nice to go regularly to Bikram Yoga class, and then to every so often go to a Hot Yoga class. If you want to go to a really great Hot Yoga Class, take Adrienne's class at the Fuller Movement Center! I know I will be back :)

Was it the Yin?

I came home from a GREAT Bikram Yoga class last night and took a shower immediately when I got home. As I sat down to check my email, I noticed that I was creating beads of sweat only from my shoulders and neck. In fact, the sweat was beading up so quickly that it began dripping down and eventually completely soaking the upper half of the shirt I was wearing.

"I must be cold," I thought, and threw a sweatshirt on. About an hour and a half later, though my body felt cool, I continued to sweat right through the sweatshirt! Why a person would sweat for 2 long hours only out of their shoulders and neck (which were giving off HEAT when I put my hand near)?

I am still not sure, but about 2 hours after I had started sweating, it all stopped. Like my body was finally done releasing something. The only thing I could think of was maybe the Yin Yoga class I took the night before had stirred something up inside me, so when I took the Bikram Yoga class my body felt like it needed to just sweat it out?

I have no idea! Has this ever happened to anyone else before? I am going to go to another Bikram class tonight. If anything else weird happens, I will keep you posted!

Less Dancing...More Yoga!

I got back from a week long dance residency in Miami, Oklahoma with Soma Dance Company on June 14th, and haven't done one bit of dancing since then! I am sure rehearsals will start up again soon, but I have instead been filling my time up with Yoga classes!

One of my Facebook friends always talks about going to Yin Yoga class. I read up about Yin Yoga, and it is a special kind of Yoga where you hold the postures anywhere from 3-5 minutes at a time. I really wanted to give it a try. So yesterday after work, one of my co-workers Emily and I ended up taking a Yin Class being offered at West Hartford Yoga.

The class was packed and I was a little nervous because I didn't know how I would react holding each pose for a longer time than I am used to, but after a brief explanation, the teacher led us into our first pose - butterfly. I actually had no problems sinking deeper and deeper into the poses and just focusing on breathing.

I really liked how the instructor described Yin Yoga as going to that point where your body says "stop" and then just hanging out and acknowledging that sensation. In Bikram Yoga I am used to going past that point and stretching further, but being able to just hang out where my body didn't feel exerted really left me feeling relaxed.

The instructor also gave us mantras to breathe in and out during each posture. I found them to be especially helpful as my mind did try to wander during some of the postures. All in all it was an hour of breathing and stretching that made me feel absolutely fabulous afterward! I am VERY ready for the two hour Yin Class I signed up for this Saturday at Fuller Movement Center.

One thing I loved about West Hartford Yoga is that they offer $5 classes and free classes, which in this economy is an unbeatable price. Especially if you'd like to try yoga or meditation for the first time, you won't have to break the bank to try it out.