Bikram Yoga is Sweaty

The invite was innocent enough: Do you want to come to hot yoga with me today for the 4pm class? Sure, let's check out this "yoga" thing all the hippies are raving about. Little did I know that a mere hour later sweat would be seeping from every pore on my body.

Let me be clear just in case you are skeptical the next time you hear about Hot Yoga (I'm refuse to call it "Bikram Yoga." That seems deceptive. It's hot, so that's what I'm going to call it). This class was the sweatiest 90 minutes of my life. My shorts, the only thing I was wearing, were drenched. When I was done, my towel that I'd been standing and lying on felt like it had been dunked in a pool. I had a view of myself in the mirror the whole time, and though I have to say that I looked damn good doing the various stretches, I could also see the sweat pouring off my body.

I should have known how serious this would be when my friend told me the room would be 105 degrees. That's just not natural for people to flock to. That's the type of heat you run from while thanking Mr. Carrier for inventing the air conditioner. Still, here I was paying good money to workout in the heat for 90 minutes?!

Then when I told the instructor this was my first time, her only suggestion to me was, "Just focus on getting used to the heat. Don't try to do anything else." How could that not frighten me a little? But at that point it was too late.

And yet, I might go back. I definitely felt relaxed afterwards (if not a bit woosy and very drained). It certainly was a workout like none I've ever had; my heart rate went up, my breathing got a little heavy and yet at no point did I feel like I was exerting myself. Plus, I made it out alive. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? And in this case, it also makes you more flexible.