Thoughts on Bikram yoga from the POV of a noob.

Today was my 2nd day attending Bikram yoga, and some people were curious about it, so I thought I'd tell you a few things to help you make your decision.

The first thing you notice when you walk in the room is that it is a little bit stinky.  Not horrible, and not like crotch or b.o., but just not fresh.  You get used to it, though, over the 90 minutes.

It is really, stinking hot.  I think it was 106 degrees in there.  My knees were sweating quite quickly, as was every part of my body, along with everyone else.  Seriously- your clothes get completely soaked, as does the towel you put down on your mat.  For this reason, it is advised that you wear as little clothing as possible. 

The thing is, though, that I didn't feel gross at all.  It's not a gross stench like after running.  It just feels cleaner.

Yesterday, I had to talk myself out of running out of the room after about 45-50 minutes due to feeling queasy.  The combination of drinking too much water and working out in that heat just made me feel creepy.  I just sat down and breathed a bit, then got back into the flow.  I had to sit down a bit today, too, but I didn't feel the overwhelming need for cold air like I did yesterday.  And today, I didn't feel gross as quickly. 

How do I know?  Because you do exactly the same 26 postures for 90 minutes every time.  That is Bikram yoga.  There are other people who do "hot yoga" and they can do whatever they want, but there's a whole trademark issue, blah blah over "Bikram."  At first, I thought I would be bored doing the same thing every day, but I think it will be good.  I'll be able to easily track my changes & progress, like today's lasting a bit more. 

But?  It is HARD.  Hard.  Difficult.  I was sore last night & I'm sore now.  My neck is sore, people.  Some of the poses I am nowhere NEAR being able to do, I surprised myself with others, and some were hard mostly due to being so slippery with sweat. 

Do I recommend it?  Heck, yes.  If you don't like it at first, keep going.  I'm shooting for 5 days a week for this month, which I got for cheap.  After that?  Who knows?  I really can't afford to keep going, so hopefully this will just address some of the tight & hurty spots I have in my body, and then I can continue with other yoga after this month.