The hands-down most profound gift of Bikram Yoga? It’s exhausting, and exhausted people are not plagued by nervous insomnia. Mr. B may discourse endlessly on how this arduous practice develops equanimity, fortitude, and all that jazz. But it ain’t so hifalutin. A daily 90 minutes of hot hard work, and I am simply too tired to stress about much of anything, minor or huge, 24/7.
I cleaned out my pocketbook recently, and went out without replacing my wallet. Several hours later when I reached for it, I did not panic. My heart did not race, my brain did not spew bureaucratic nightmares, nor did a cold sweat seep. I thought, the wallet is probably on the bed. It was. I had the energy to rush home, but not to mobilize fear.
All the what-if-this, the if-only-that, the but-he-SHOULD, the it’s- not-fair, the worries, the blue demons—they don’t wake me up. A few weeks ago, my annual mammogram showed a suspicious something. I did not lose sleep agonizing about possibilities. Every night until the follow-up exam, I conked out, knocked out by practicing every day. I also slept because in the here and now those possibilities required no exertion. I had the children to nurture, the bills to pay, the dog and my practice for joy. And the something turned out to be nothing.
What might come tomorrow? Sufficient unto that day are the evils thereof. If Mr. B is right, if and when disaster strikes, I will have the necessary calm. Bikram exhorts: “Give yourself a heart attack so life won’t.” The American philosopher William James offers a similar maxim: “Keep the faculty of effort alive” so as to “stand like a tower when everything rocks … and when …softer fellow mortals are winnowed like chaff in the blast.”
I love a Bikram Blog. Thanks for the calm perspective. I have been away from Bikram for a few months,and miss it terribly. I will be back though. The blog hath inspired me.
although, I have done the regular yoga before , after a recommendation from a back Dr., I found that it was very painful for me to adjust to. this was in 02. I was told about Bikram thur a friend and 3 weeks ago was my first experiences with doing bikram,….all I can say is WOW!! it was such an eyeopener. after my first session that night I slept so good, when I woke the next morning, it felt like I had finally got a good night sleep.and I went on to have a well productive day. I came back two more times, and experiences the same sensation, however due to my struggles to stop smoking and the challenge that i had with my brethren I decided to focus on quiting I’m now in my 2ND week of not smoking, and I do plain to continue coming and incorporating BLKRAM in my weekly work-out. Thank you for your kind and supportive staff…….Kenny D.
Wonderful blog! what a great idea!
will there be more? I hope so.
RB
I LOVE BIKRAM YOGA! I saw Bikram in Toronto in October of 08 and do as much bikram yoga as possible including the completion of a 30 day challenge and a great attempt at a 60 day challenge which took me only 75 days to complete. It has been the best thing I’ve every tried in my life and I highly recommend it to everyone. My friends actually think I work for Bikram because I promote the yoga all the time. THANKS Bikram Yoga NYC for your great studios!
About to go to the Bikram’s studio in Basalt, CO w/ Bell & Emily Carpenter as my teachers. Have decided to turn it up a notch for the months of April & May. I am ready to see where I can take my practice after nine years and hope that my chronic neck pain will go away.
If not, I may have to rethink things!
I have to say, ever since I tried Bikram Yoga, my life has not been the same. I finally found my outlet in life. This is what I look forward to because of all the benefits I reap from Bikram Yoga. Not only mentally but physically. I always suffered from lower back pains and poor posture due to my rounded shoulders. I have seen a significant change in my posture. My shoulders are not as rounded anymore and I haven’t thought about it much but I have not felt any backpains lately. Thank You Mr. B. This has got to be the exercise of the century!
Excellent post, very easy to relate to and beautiful. Yoga’s greatest gift to me is my growing detachment from material and “problems”.
Last night i took my second class i drove from pa to nyc for the class and it was
Absolutely worth the ride.
Mary Dillon was an incredible teacher & welcome to NYC. I practiced in Utah & recently moved to NYC a week ago. This was my first Bikram class here & it is so nice to instantly find a great community of people with such warm energy. Thank you Flatiron studio!
I loved my Bikram experience! Five years ago while traveling my friend and I attended Georgia’s morning class (our first hot yoga ever). Georgia was kind to us two bumpkins that entered last minute. The thing I will always retain with me is how Georgia used everyone’s name multiple times during the class (mine 3 times!) while cueing, connecting and recommending continously, gently pulling competitive types (me) back from overly aggressive options. Living in the midwest as I do, I find although the classes I sometimes take from others are good, I feel I am experiencing watered down versions of what yoga can be. I seek out more experienced yogis than myself. Maybe I don’t have my yogini head screwed on quite right but when you have experienced an exceptional instructor you know it! Best of luck to Bikram NYC as you continue to expand your space and open new locations!
BIKRAM YOGA is the best a co-worker started going she knew I like yoga and thought this would be something i’d like will I don’t like it I LOVE IT!!! I make sure I get to the studio at least twice a week i’ve been going for about 3 weeks now and I see and feel the difference in this short time.
I’ve learn not to push myself to just take my time in the class and in my daily life rushing around isn’t helping me and this to me is the biggest lesson learned. I know every day in class will be different but it’s something I like because in the day’s that I don’t feel like doing it or things aren’t going as i’d like it’s a challenge for me a good one just stay the 90 minutes and i’ve succeeded.
What is said about being absolutely exhausted after a Bikram sesh to worry about extraenous things is absolutely true and wonderful,
Excellent; mirrors my experiences EXACTLY! Wonderful. Keep these coming.
I’ve been doing Bikram yoga for about 4 years with lots of breaks in between. The first year I did it pretty consistently, but as each year is added to a practice I have — like most followers — a love/hate relationship with, I have become less and less diligent. It really should be done everyday and in a good period, I get to class about 5 days a week. Not bad, not great. The killer is that when I’m away from it for long periods of time it’s really hard to get back to where I was. My body remembers diets a lot better than it remembers how to be flexible. And being flexible, for me, is what yoga is about — in all that the word “flexible” entails.
What I love about the yoga is that it really is the only thing I’ve ever done physically that puts my body into one piece. It also works the way the 12 steps in a recovery program work — each pose, in this case, enables the next pose to occur — the way you can’t really do the 12 steps out of order. They won’t work. You won’t move forward.
As for the poses, your body keeps unlocking, unlocking as you move through each posture. Also, your body can feel its limit so that each class becomes a way of going beyond something your body already felt.
In this way, each class is totally different even though each class is completely the same: same teacher rap, same poses, same temperature.
But the body wants to be free and in that heat there are moments I can feel it about to take off, just by laying still.
The other thing about Bikram that I really love is those times when the teacher opens the door to let some air in. There is nothing greater than that stream of world moving across the room.
What an amazing exercise bikram is. after four years in the military and countless more lifting weights and wrestling, my neck and shoulder had gotten to the point where I couldn’t move them much at all. I tried a chiropractor but couldn’t afford the number of visits the doc required. A friend brought me to Bikram and I’ve been going ever since. IT WORKS. I still have pain, but it’s much more manageable, and who knows, maybe it’d go away if I did the 30 day challenge.
Also, in addition to relieving the pain, the workout is great. I love how every day, you get a little better. when I first started, I could barely balance on one leg. Now I’m holding standing bow and feeling the stretch!
I love this! Keep writing!
T
Bikram Yoga is PhenOmenAL! There is nothing like a 90 minute exhautive body transformation! Do YouR YogA! DO Your BikRam YoGA!
Last year (March ’08), I believe, i was visiting with my son Nick in NYC. He encouraged me to try the hot yoga with him. I did it for a few days, but then had to return to Ithaca. I was really unhappy that I couldn’t continue, as I enjoyed the class on the UES studio (wish the Ithaca class was as NICE, but it truely wasn’t). Maybe it was partly the thrill of visiting with my son after not seeing him in so long (his job takes him all over the country) but I will never forget the wonderful yoga experience of those classes in the UES studio. Thank you so much for educating me (I am an educator myself) on the beauty and truely wonderful esthetic of excellent yoga practice and culture. Kudos to all!
Warmly, Paula Shuster.
I initially began Bikram TO quit smoking. I went every day for a month. On my first visit, I was so hot and sweatty that my nicotine patch fell off – I never put it or another on again. I have been doing Bikram for 3-4 days per week for almost 4 years now. Just got done with a trip to NYC and enjoyed thoroughly my classes at Bikram NYC Midtown. I always look forward to finding a Bikram class wherever I happen to be. So far I’ve taken classes in Kailua, Hawaii, New York City, Las Vegas, Berkeley, and San Francisco. The practice keeps my 49 yr old body flexible and my mind nimble. Namaste.
This is excellent! It’s making me want to try Bikram.
-s
Jaclyn is my favorite teacher at Bikram Yoga NYC! She brings a very calm energy to class and her voice is so soothing as she takes you through each pose. She takes the time to correct postures and help students improve their practice in any way she can, which I appreciate as someone somewhat new to yoga. She also encourages each student to accept where they are that day and to simply do the best that they can, and to practice stillness, both in the mind and the body. It all enriches the practice so much. I really look forward to her Saturday classes, and I’ve heard other students in the class say the same thing. Her good vibes are infectious, and I always leave the studio feeling completely rejuvenated.
Good work! Thank you very much! I always wanted to write in my blog something like that. Can I take part of your post to my blog? Of course, I will add backlink?
absolutely amazing! the ultimate truth. thank you
I’ve doing bikram for a bit over a month and really like it. Once I started drinking electrolytes I was able to get throught the class without feeling wobbly and needing a couple of days to recover. My practice has been getting better and better from there. A couple of health problems are clearing up without pills, just sweat (ie bikram). I’ve gradually learned to stay as still as possible in between asanas (thank you Graham) and to do the asanas as correctly as possible (Kyoko is very helpful for me in that respect). I find bikram to be not only a great way to increase one’s flexibility and to trim down but also a fabulous way to get into deeper meditation and I think is best aspect of it. I’ve not yet tried all the teachers but I can say that I absolutely love Graham and Kyoko as well as Juniet and Karina.
See you soon in the sweaty room,
A.
tks for the effort you put in here I appreciate it!