I remember my first Yoga class like it was yesterday. I had been an instructor of so many different types of hardcore fitness classes that I was longing for a class that was unlike any I had ever taught. My mind would be at ease because I couldn’t judge the instructor in a fitness form I had no knowledge of. Whenever I took a fitness class which I taught, I would judge the way the class was taught. I didn’t do it intentionally but in my mind, I was extremely judgmental. But in yoga, I couldn’t do that. I could just relax and set my mind free. It was such a spiritual experience because I was at peace with my body and mind. I truly tried to allow my mind to be in the moment and although it often geared away, I worked so hard at bringing it back. The relaxing stretches I was enduring, the peace I felt with each hold of poses was truly euphoric.
Of course, I have since taken different types of yoga classes. Some have made me sweat like you wouldn’t imagine because they have forced me to put my body in positions I had only attempted in the privacy of my bedroom. While others were gentle, relaxing and allowed me an hour of peace and tranquility. During my yoga technique search, I realized one particular type of yoga that was NOT for me: Bikram Yoga. I was so intrigued by the hot yoga motif. I love to sweat and I now loved yoga so I thought this was going to be a win-win situation for me but that was so not the case.
I first came dressed in my thick jacket and pants because it was a chilly winter night when I came to try the class. I purchased a week pass which I would only use on that particular day. The instructor advises me to take off my jacket to avoid any overheating on the body. I gladly did so as I hadn’t started the class and I was already sweating just standing there. The class began and it was a set of the same poses done several times. My brain could not stop wondering why I was inside that room doing the same exercises over and over again in an extremely heated room. My body perspiring from angles I did not know could sweat and the smell in the room was a disgusting stench of everyone’s sweat and food intake. It was really nauseating and a horrific experience for me. Mind you, I have taught several hardcore classes back to back doing insane exercises but to me, I had finally discovered hell.
I was a trooper and stuck by the one and a half hour of repetitive poses and extreme heat and felt an amazing relief once those doors became open. I had finally gone from feeling as though I visited hell to a feeling of entering a cold yet smelly freezer. The teacher smiled as us newbies and assured us that it gets better each time we come back but little did she know that this day would be my last visit to the world of Bikram yoga.
Since then, I have resorted to my regular Hatha, Vinyasa and Ashtanga forms of yoga. I need my hour of sanity to come back to my insane life with three small kids. No need to torture myself any more than necessary.
