Well, have you recently felt hot, sweaty and totally good about yourself? WAIT, before you jump to conclusions and put my link on your Block list, hear me out:) I am actually talking about " Bikram Yoga" which is also known as " hot Yoga". The room is heated to 105 degrees, around 40% humidity and there are 26 Yoga postures, each repeated twice. What is really to like, you may ask?:) I asked myself the very same question the first time I tried it.
I signed up for the Yoga thinking to myself : " Well, I am from a place in India where I grew up with high heat, so the heat will not bother me at all". How wrong I was !
I went into the room and felt like a desert wave had swept me. The heat, humidity, the people, the stink of sweat - I thought I was crazy to be here. I still decided to go through one class and then quit! As the class progressed, I got more excited to try out the postures and during the balancing poses, I dint care who I was hitting- sometimes the one in front, other times the ones to my side. Everyone quietly moved their mats a little away from me at some point.. " Watch out for that crazy girl who cannot balance, but can definitely trip yours" !
But I did manage to go through the entire class and I did attempt every posture too. When I came out of the class, I was very happy. I cannot explain why but I felt such a surge of happiness!. I did end up going back of course for another 10 classes and felt great after every class. A few classes later, you begin to ignore the heat & sweat, since all your concentration would be on which person to hit with precise aim:) .. ....just kidding, your focus will be on getting the postures right and that requires a lot of concentration.
This was about 4 months back. I stopped going because I lost help with my little one in the evenings and my husband was travelling like crazy. I am back into it now and have gone for 2 classes. My whole body is sore from the first couple of classes, but that will not stop me from going again. Its a great 90 minute workout, but you really need to work hard to get your results from it.
I have been trying to convince my husband to go, but he stands upside down once a week for 5 minutes and claims he has done his share of Yoga!!. ... now if only I could convince him to stand right in front of my in class during the balancing pose.........!
5 comments:
very 'hot' post...
so here this out...back when I first started working I used to live in an apartment with a couple of other guys. So this one guys' girl friend was supposed to visit him from Houston. It was raining that day and her boy friend wasn't in the house, it was just me and another guy. She was drenched in the rain and as soon as she walks in the guy asks 'Are you wet?'
Both me and she were stunned...if you dont get it...you dont! :)
But I thought it was quite a moment!
I am reminded of my 11th standard when I used to take a weekly trip during peak hours by Pallavan bus from Annanagar to Mylapore. Here are the parallels -
1) It is HOT and HUMID - umm, its Chennai, what can you expect.
2) You are in a small enclosed area with a bunch of strangers.
3) Sweat, B.O and other strange smells are all part of the scene.
4) It is hard to balance in our Chennai roads when the bus is stopping suddenly and going at crazy speeds and you keep stamping/shoving/sliding against random people.
It is no wonder I felt tired and "worked out" at the end of the trip and they make you pay fees and call the same experience "hot yoga" here ;)
Maybe if Pallavan buses said 'Why pay 1000s of Rs to Bikram when you can get the same experience for only Rs 3.
Here are the perks:
1) Get to work and back home while you work out.
2) If you want your husband to not touch you snuggle up with the chain smokers on the bus and he won't touch you. If you want a whole night experience there is always the 'fisherwomen'
3) Work out your arms (by holding on to the top railings tightly while people try to walk past you)
4) Get an entire body massage (Peak hour sessions only)
5) For those who prefer pranayama, the footboard is always available but on a limited basis (Warning: Subject to lathi shots from Constable Kandhasamy)
LOLOL!.. very well said and so true about Chennai travel.
Sug - your friend must have been so embarassed after his comment:)
thats the funny part, he wasn't embarassed, he didnt understand...
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