Bikram Yoga

Has anyone else on here tried this?  Bikram yoga is hot yoga...done in a room with a temperature of around 105 degrees with around 40% humidity.
I did my first class today and it was intense!  According to most of the calorie counters I've looked at, my 90 minute class helped me burn around 1000 calories.  ...I can say it certainly felt like it.  
About an hour and 15 minutes into it, I thought I was going to die, but 15 minutes after we completed the class, I felt great.  Maybe I'm a masochist, but I'm going back for more!

it is great but a lot of the sweat is lost water. make sure you drink a lot and rehydrate. also, 1000 cals?? i do yoga twice weekly--- granted its regular (bikram makes me pass out) but typically power yoga is about 450-500 an hr... so 1000 seems really steep.

I think the idea is the added heat increases your heart rate, so it's kinda like power yoga on steroids and gives more of a cardio workout.  I'm not looking at the calories burned as much as I am how great it makes me feel.  :)  I went out and did my nightly run a few minutes ago and felt more energized than I have in ages.  

I wanna try this!! I live on the coast in Alabama, so 105 degree heat with 95%humidity is normal summer weather.....I could totally hack it! Do they offer classes all over?

That was my thought exactly!  It's been well over 100 degrees here in NC for so many days, I can't count.  :)

The official website is http://www.bikramyoga.com.  I didn't see any listings for Alabama, but you could always try looking around or searching for hot yoga.  

I'm expecting it to be even better once I get the postures down.  

Bikram yoga is wonderful!! The feeling you got (like you were going to die) is common to experience your first few times in the room, and it goes away once you become more accustomed to the heat.

A Bikram yoga studio in my town has a "Thirty Day Challenge," where you aim to attend thirty classes in thirty days. After I completed the challenge I was in the absolute best shape of my life. Unfortunately I can't afford it anymore, I stay in shape other ways now, but I've never gotten that bikram body back.

I experienced not only physical results but emotional results as well. At the time I was struggling with stress and mild depression that I was even seeking therapy for, but practicing yoga every day melted a lot of that away. I felt much more relaxed and happier.

Congratulations on starting it, keep it up!

Oh, and one more thing - about the heat, I don't know that it increases your heart rate. The purpose for the heat is to loosen your muscles up so that you can go into your poses much deeper, and to help prevent any muscle damage. Additionally, sweating helps to get some of the bad stuff out of your body - just make sure you stay well hydrated!

OMG! finally iv found other people as impressed with bikram as i am...its amazing!!

I'm a total devotee and have been doing Bikram's for a year and a half.  It has totally changed my body and given me an alternative to the gym.  If you can find a studio in your area, try it!

I'd love to chat some more about this, especially the calories that we burn during class.  I asked my teacher and she said between 300 and 500 calories depending on the heat of the room.  

Hydration is key, as is NOT eating right before class! 

I do think there's a certain amount of over-estimation that goes on in the calculation of Bikram calories. I wore my HR monitor one day, did the whole series, holding most of the poses, and it was only about 400 calories for an hour and a half - kind of a time commitment!  Having said that, it's good for my mood, makes my skin feel amazing and really tones my lower half and tummy, just not enough for the arms. I live in NYC, and don't enjoy bikram in the summer because it's so hot already, but I love taking it up again every fall or winter.

 

 

I have this place called Moshka Yoga near my house & it sounds like the same thing as Bikram Yoga -- it's done in really high heat. Have any of you guys heard of it? I was thinking of doing it during the fall and winter but would you recommend doing it only once a week or twice? Oh and classes are either 5:30 or 8:00 -- so either before dinner or after .. which would you reccomend?

sorry for all the questions i'm just really interested in taking up this kind of yoga -- any input helps a lot, thanks =)

From looking at some of the Moksha Yoga pages, it looks pretty similar to Bikram.  
I run every day and play ice hockey 3 times a week, so I asked the instructor what he would recommend for frequency of Bikram classes.  He said that twice a week would make me feel fantastic.
I'd definitely recommend going before dinner.  I think going on a full stomach may make you a little nauseous.
Give it a try.  You may find that you really like it.  :)

I just finished my second class, and it was so much easier than the first.  I can see how this can be addictive.  Because I knew what the poses were, I was able to concentrate more on breathing.  The heat was totally a non-issue for me today.  The worst part was during one of the forehead to knee type poses...sweat ran up my nose.  I flashed back to swimming as a kid.  Hehehehe!  :)

I practice three times a week, spacing the days out so I get one rest day, sometimes two in between classes. The heat becomes just another distraction as you get into the practice and learn the poses, unless there's the dreaded nausea....

I hardly feel sick unless I do something stupid like take my vitamins right before class starts. Yuk.

Bikram suggests doing class on an empty stomach, but I find a little protein about an hour before class helps me finish out strong and also keeps me going until my next meal. I also drink water with an emergen-c in it during class.

I can't practice too late in the day, it makes me feel wired. Doing class first thing in the morning is good, 6 am is my favorite. Great way to start the day!

 

My Bikram class is always 117-124 degrees. It was really hard to stay in the room for all 90 minutes at that temp, but I stuck with it. Now if the heat is down to 110 I am bummed! You can't stretch as deep or sweat as much. BIKRAM IS THE ****!!! 

Well....I'm glad I found you guys. I've been doing Bikram twice a week since February, because I was looking for something to do after my doctor ordered me to "stop lifting weights for 6 months or your shoulder will never heal"....sigh.....

So, a friend suggested bikram, I tried it and survived my first class, and am now doing a "30 day challenge"...I'm on Day 3, haha. I'm looking forward to my "bikram body"!

Everyone,

     Sndpul, Congrats!!! I really look forward to hearing about your experience. I've done two 30day challenges and each one was different for me. The one thing about my experience was that I didn't go back to class for a while after I finished the challenge. It was mainly because times didn't fit my schedule.

I have been doing bikram off and on for almost 3 years now. I absolutely love it. I sadly dislocated my shoulder long boarding to yoga and its taken me almost a year to go back to yoga. I'M BACK!! My shoulder is almost fully recovered and I am excited to tell you guys that I got a year unlimited class pass... I AM COMMITTED! I need to be realistic with my goals and I promised myself to go 3 to 4x a week to class. I am a personal trainer and choose to continue with weight training on the days that I'm not doing yoga. Because of my dislocated shoulder I was scared to go back. My mood was negative my relationship started to crumble with my boyfriend, I had no energy (natural) and I felt lost. Bikram connected me again with all the benefits it has to offer. in 2 weeks I have gone to 8 classes. I am laughing, playing more guitar and totally back to myself again. 

who here doesn't like the pose camel?? I usually skip the first set of camel but do the next set. (half the time) My teacher said, there is no negative thoughts about any posture, go inside your body and try to understand what the body is doing in all postures. Yesterday I did camel BOTH sets and I loved it. The first time in 3 years. My bestfriend sent me the camel pose statue for xmas and my mom gave me one as well this year. I think that's weird!!! Now I cant wait to see how I will feel on Saturday when I go again.  Anyways, if anyone wants to email me and tell me anything about your experiences I'd love to chat... I never blog.. This is the first time.