Bikram - hooked to the heat

I’m in trikonasana (triangle) pose. My legs are open 4 feet wide with my right leg bent at 90 degrees over my right toe. My waist is bent over my right leg with my right hand straining beyond my toes. My left hand, fingers straight, shoots out to the ceiling. My glutes are clenched tight, and my chest and neck all thrust upwards to follow my eyes that are straining to look past my outstretched left hand. I’m dripping sweat from every pore, creating small wet spots on the carpet by my yoga mat. I forget the oppressive heat in the room for a moment while I put all my focus on getting the maximum stretch in my body. My muscles are crying for mercy but I have to remember to not let the strain show on my face. For a relaxed face helps keep my breathing in check. A few seconds more, and then just when I feel I can’t hold any longer, the instructor tells us to relax, come out of the posture, and move to the opposing leg.

One of my favorite postures, requires strength and incredible focus.

Whew! I relax for a brief second in between poses but I’m only half-way into the 90 minutes long class. Another posture and then I need to reach down and grab a sip of water from my nalgene. I’m glad of all the water I drank this afternoon to get ready for the intense sweating that Bikram induces.

One of my weakest postures ever - Unlike this guy I can barely get my head below my knees!

Bikram Yoga is quite unlike the other kinds of yoga – such as Vinayasa, Hatha, and Asthanga - that I have dabbled in over the years. Bikram was started by this guy who hurt his knees and was told that he could never walk again. Instead he innovated this new kind of yoga where the intense heat (104 degree F) and a rigid series of postures have helped him, and countless others achieve strength, balance, flexibility, and healthful joints. While the cynic in me still finds Bikram a little gimmicky, I have to admit that I’m getting somewhat addicted to this style of yoga. I really enjoy the intensity of the workout, and in just a few classes find myself breaking new grounds. The other day I found myself being able to touch my forehead to my knees with straight legs – something I have never been able to do before.

A typical Bikram class in progress.

I signed up for a intro membership ($30 for 30 days of unlimited yoga) at www.missionyoga.com which is just 2 blocks from my home. The initial idea was to find an alternative from the limited offerings at Mission Cliffs. While it’s a great perk to have free yoga classes at the climbing gym, the offerings are limited. Now I find myself getting hooked. The one thing I have to be careful of is finding the right balance between yoga and climbing. Climbing is unquestionably my higher priority. Bikram especially, gets me quite sore and then I feel weak while climbing the next day. Yoga though does feel like the perfect complement to climbing and hopefully I can continue doing yoga twice a week during the lean summer climbing months, and then once a week when Jailhouse season sets in during late fall and winter.