in hopes of heating up my autumn (yes, i'm in denial that summer has officially ended) & to finally check out the whole bikram thang, i attended to my first class.
after doing some homework (read: checking out what was free & close to me using my
yoga passbook) i headed to
bikram yoga lower east side, a spunky yoga studio on allen street (nyc) for my first 90 (minutes, that is). i plan to continue my trial run for the next 6 days (yes, one week of bikram) to see how it pans out.
previous to my class, here was my take on bikram:
- it's hot - obvi, i know
- people wear next to nothing in class
- the room has a carpeted floor (which i thought was weird & possibly smelly)
- there are 26 poses & there is no dog - no down, no up - no yoga dog in this classroom
& after my first class...
- i was used to building heat internally from my vinyasa flow, which i had control over. in bikram that is not the case, the heat is an external force to be reckoned with; i found it to be much more mind over matter, making their 26 poses more challenging than i would necessarily find them in a vinyasa practice.
- there is definitely more skin showing in these classes, but even in my skimpy phat buddha shorts & my asana beater (aka men's undershirt), i didn't feel self-conscious like a might if i rocked it at a non-hot class. in this case, wearing tiny outfits is not to look like a hottie in class, but required in hopes of keeping your cool - if that's possible.
- the room is carpeted & although it didn't feel weird, there was definitely a funky scent from it - but i quickly forgot about that once the class began.
- i did miss my 'yoga dogs' & my vinyasa flow, but since these are usually warming postures, i can see why they have been omitted. i think next i will try hot vinyasa....
yoga deal: bikram lower eastside offers $20 for one-week unlimited classes for new students & they host 'nite sweats' - the first friday of each month at 10pm - a 90 minute class that's only $10 & benefits the lower east side girls club.
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