Refreshing
- My husband and I took this class yesterday. I have been attending weekly ashtanga yoga classes. My husband is a US Marine and I challenged him to this class because he has a stressful job and is an active man, but so tight! The heat was intense, and I sweat more than I ever have in my life. The key is to tune into your breathing so the anxiety of wanting to leave doesn't get to you. The poses weren't too challenging, good class for beginners, hardcore beginners! My husband had to to sit out a few poses, but we both finished. He said that is how hot iraq feels! We both felt tired after class, but after some water and a shower we both felt invigorated and cleansed. We will be going back. If you are interested in this class, please give it a try. If the instructor is crazy, don't go back to his class, but try another indtructors class. Your instructor should be encouraging and helpful.
- —Guest Lauren
Best thing for lower back pain
- The reason why the instructors don't want you to leave the room is because Bikram is all about mental and physical discipline. If you leave the room once because you feel overwhelmed by the heat, then you have given yourself permission to do it again and again. Bikram definitely works for lower back pain. It's the only thing that gave my sister relief who has curvature of the spine (scoliosis). There are some teachers out there who come across as being dictators (tough love) but there are also many teachers who are not.
- —Guest Guest Rachel
Bikram, No More
- In the first part of the milennium, I did Bikram's 3-5 times a week and loved it. This year, I came back to it and, though I found the feeling one has afterwards (giddy, sweaty, spent) to be a bit intoxicating, I found many components of the class to be annoying. The heat which I once loved now seemed like a distraction. The instructor was barking, even while we were in savasana, and it was a real impediment to letting the mind calm itself. To top it all off, my skin erupted in a hideous rash. "Oh, you're detoxing!" barked the barking instructor when I told her. My understanding is that one only detoxes through the liver and kidneys. Any old how, I've moved on to vinyasa flow, and I find this gives me the perfect level of challenge, plus I can focus on the postures. I feel better than I ever have. I'm sold.
- —Guest bubica70
Bikram is Hot
- When I took my first class, I was hooked, the energy I gained after the first class brought me back. I tried a 30 day challenge and it was great, though at first it was very hard trying to attend a class 7 days a week. The instructors in NY are great. The only downfall is that they are not there to guide you all the time, basically you're doing your positions and hope that they see you and correct you. I often ask myself, am I doing it right? After going for a year, I still ask myself that question. I guess overall it has to come from within you and how satisfied you feel after completing the 90 mintue class. I have to say I love it and am very happy that Bikram has arrived in New York City.
- —Guest Lady M
Bikram Is Amazing
- Found it incredibly challenging physically and mentally, but equally rewarding... but then again when is anything that is really good for you easy?
- —Guest Grikram
Bikram, no thanks
- I tried Bikram for 10 classes after doing Ashtanga yoga for 4 years. I found the heat artificial and too hot, a good percentage of the teachers either worked in the military or were possibly dominatrixes in past lifes!! One class I just didn't turn up mentally so 3 quarters through I threw in the towel but was ridiculed by the teacher who initially refused to let me leave the room. Not good. I was going to go back the next day but after that, back to Ashtanga for me. The heat from within is far more powerful.
- —Guest allan
Bikram Is For Sadists
- I recently took a Bikram Yoga class and it was a horrible and denigrating experience -- the fault is attributed to an unqualified, and wholly unsuitable instructor. The instructor is clearly an emotionally disturbed individual who demonstrated a perverse need to dominate and control others. In general, he was completely devoid of positive energy to share with the group. At times, he definitely deviated from the script. "See what you started! One person leaves the room, and now another. NO ONE LEAVES this room until I SAY SO." "LOOK AT ME when I'm TALKING to you." Even when he followed the script, his delivery was so sharp and punctuated with overtones of angry barking that it was impossible to relax and stretch into a pose. This instructor is a domineering sadist who took the Bikram "Torture Chamber" too literally.
- —Guest guest
It's hard to keep at it
- I've been practicing Bikram yoga consistently 3-5 times a week for the past 4 and 1/2 years. I have had a lot of ups and downs with my practice, but it has become such I habit, I just keep on going. The initial amazement at the changes and improvements in your body and life eventually wear off, like with anything. I have hurt my back doing this yoga in ways I never had before. The heat and humidity in the room never seem comfortable to me even after all this time. Why do I keep at this? My 83 year old father sees me only a few times a year and always tells me how great I look for my age, how I'm not packing on the middle - age pounds like a lot of women. I hardly ever get sick, when I do it is usually a mild version of what everyone else has. I sleep better and am less tired and worried. These are a few things that keep me going back.
- —Guest Susan R
Bikram Is Worth Trying
- I've just finished ten classes and although I've done aerobics, running, skiing, biking, etc in the past the results were nothing like what I am seeing now, and with less apparent effort. Yes, the room is hot and you sweat alot, but there are no sore muscles or tightness afterwards. I am more flexible, stronger and gained better lung capacity than when I ran regularly. This yoga calms my brain, gives me focus as well as physical benefits. The classes are soothing, challenging. My previously sore knees are no longer sore, my hands no longer stiff. Can't wait to see what results the next ten or twenty classes bring.
- —orchidladyone
hot or not
- i enjoy bikram yoga and from the very first day - the first class, i remember the instructor told me if i could make it the full 90 minutes, i could come back! well i did and i am, 2 to 3 times a week and i love it. the instructors provide guidance in making sure positions are correct so you get the full benefit and praise you when you are holding the pose properly and when you are focused. no complaints here! i do dislike the occasional headache afterwards, but worth it! i don't believe i sweat out toxins, and i don't see a weight loss factor, and not so sure there is a difference in my skin and it tone or texture, but i am more flexible. i don't have stress in my life, okay, not much, but what little i have is managed well but even more so now with bikram. this is now a lifestyle change for me, which means it will forever be a part of my life.
- —Guest blhpp
It heals
- I am an avid runner now for about 13 years. I seldom stretched and my muscles were so tight. I could hardly touch my toes and if I dropped anything on the floor it hurt always when I had to bend to pick it up. Well, after approximately six months of Bikram Yoga all this has changed. I feel younger. My back is healed, I can now almost put my head to my knees. my posture is straighter, and I went from a larger size 6 to a good size 4. I eat healthy food and stopped drinking soda. It has taught me to stay hydrated. I run better and faster. Bikram has literally gave me youth and strenth and agility.
- —Guest runner in rain
Fan For Life.
- I am 60 and have had spine problems for 30 years. I've tried every type of exercise but doing Bikram yoga has been the 1st time in 30 years that I am pain free. I think it is the only exercise that can change the structure of your spine, and I noticed after several months my back no longer cracked when I did deep backbends. This seems to tell me that I've loosened my back and made it more flexible. All the instructors at the studio I go to are great. I'm a devotee for life. Thanks Bikram.
- —Guest lene
The greatest!
- While some are a bit skeptical, I was myself but after just 1 class I was hooked. I think a few things to keep in mind are: 1. as a first timer your goal is just to stay in the room sit or lay down as needed 2. remember to breath. I wear a heart monitor to keep a log of my workouts, and I noticed in the beginning it was tough and my HR went up because I wasn't breathing normally. 3. Bikram is a practice. Practice patience (even with the instructors and others in the room), practice stillness, Practice opening your mind and body. 4. Lastly, the greatest part, it isn't about anyone but me during those 90 minutes. I look at myself in the mirror and I focus on me. BIKRAM IS THE BEST!
- —Guest Newbie to Bikram
Hot Yoga is better than Bikram
- Simply put, Bikram yoga literally stinks. I attend a hot yoga studio (not Bikram) and prefer to Bikram for a number of reasons. Try one and then the other. Depending on your experience you will see that the smell can be too much, the instructions given are spoken at one and demonstrated at the other, and the "rules" are more flexible at the hot studios. I am very glad to have experienced both - I now know what works for me. Yoga is a personal experience, see for yourself which you prefer more.
- —Guest Aduhplayduh
NO MORE DEPRESSION OR PANIC ATTACKS
- I started taking Bikram's hot yoga three years ago. For much of my life I have suffered from severe panic attacks and depression. After 6 months of doing this yoga on a regular basis my panic attacks went away and so did the depression. These instructors are not mean in anyway, you are misunderstanding the whole practice if you think they are. These skilled instructors are here to guide and even push you to your maximum, unlike other types of yoga. You will be amazed at what your body can do. Everyone should try Bikram yoga!
- —Guest Renee
