Did I Just Do Bikram?
Let me tell you about the time I was tricked into doing a Bikram style yoga class. I’m kidding, kind of.
I love trying out new studios and classes, especially when I travel. It is a great opportunity to experience something new and MINDBODY makes it so easy to find studios. This week I was in Greensboro, NC and signed up for a 6am hot yoga class at Revolution Hot Yoga, a studio close to my hotel. I suppose I could have done a little more research, but I am so used to doing Vinyassa Flow style classes I didn’t give it another thought when I saw “hot” and “60”, so I showed up ready to sweat! Then…it wasn’t a flow.
If you aren’t familiar with Bikram Yoga it’s a series of 26 specific postures that are always performed in the same sequence. I’ve never taken a true Bikram Yoga class before, but I learned a lot about this style of yoga and it’s founder, Bikram Choudhury, from a 30 for 30 ESPN Podcast. More about that in a minute. This class at Revolution Hot Yoga was a Bikram inspired class, no flow, all specific postures, including some challenging balancing postures. If I’d taken this class a year ago, I would have been judging it and maybe even hating it the entire time. So I’m glad I took it now because I was way more open to it being different than what I expected, would have preferred, etc. whether I liked it or not. I still got a good workout, I was challenged by postures I struggle with and there isn’t much that can be bad about starting your day with a yoga class. I loved the cold lavender towels that the studio provided at the end of class and with a nontraditional savasana I was left with all the time I wanted to center myself before I left the studio.
MY TIPS
For yoga - bring your own yoga towel, then you just have to borrow a mat.
Always travel with a reusable water bottle.
Give yourself plenty of time to get to the studio and get signed in.
Be open to new styles of classes, experiences and instructors - there’s always something to learn!
About this Bikram guy, I’d heard of him but learned about him by listening to the 5 part 30 For 30 Podcast, “BIKRAM”. You can find the podcast on all podcast platforms and I highly recommend you go listen, especially if you are into yoga.
Bikram Choudhury begins his journey to fame, wealth, and scandal in 1970s Los Angeles. He takes Beverly Hills by storm, using his Hollywood connections and rags-to-riches origin story to build a devoted following and lay the foundation for a yoga empire.
Reported by Julia Lowrie Henderson. Hosted by Jody Avirgan.
More information at 30for30podcasts.com/bikram