I am no stranger to a workout class. I try to be a committed crossfitter and I have tried every class from PowerFlex to Pilates to Zumba, but I think the last time I stretched was when I was seven and in dance class (I promise I can still at least touch my toes). That being said, I was a little hesitant and nervous when a friend encouraged me to try Bikram Yoga.
Bikram Yoga is a 90-minute class in a hot room (I looked at the thermostat once during class and it read 104 degrees) where you go through 26 poses that are designed to "systematically work every part of the body, to give all the internal organs, all the veins, all the ligaments, and all the muscles everything they need to maintain optimum health and maximum function" according to the Bikram Yoga website.
So I, the least bendy person on the planet, walked to Bikram Yoga Chapel Hill (it is a five minute walk from my apartment) on a Wednesday night and experienced a workout that was totally different than I expected.
First of all, I expected the studio to be dark, I thought that there would be peaceful music playing and incense burning and the instructor would talk really slowly and softly and I would basically just lay there in a pool of my sweat wondering what kind of workout I was getting out of it.
What I got from Bikram Yoga was much different. The lights are on, there is no music or incense, and the instructor is energetic and uplifting. I could feel my heart rate rising during the class and although the movements are deliberate, I felt like I was active and engaged the entire 90 minutes. When I walked out of my first Bikram Yoga class, I thought to myself "wow that was really a workout."
After two weeks of Bikram I can feel a difference in my body. Not just how it looks, but how I feel. I feel lighter and healthier. I feel like I have sweat so much that there is no way I have gross toxins in my body. And best of all, I feel like every part of my body is functioning at maximum efficiency.
That is what I have found to be most unique about my exercise experience at Bikram Yoga. I can go to the gym and lift weights or run around campus for cardio but when am I working my internal organs so that they are healthy too?
The best part about Bikram Yoga for UNC students? Bikram Yoga Chapel Hill is right in our backyard. Located in the bottom of the new Greenbridge building on West Rosemary, Bikram Yoga Chapel Hill is at most a 15 minute walk for most students. I have invited friends to try it and they rave about it just like I do and I encourage each one of you who read this to maybe step out of your normal workout routine and try Bikram for an overall healthy experience.
Disclaimer: the instructors give you cold washcloths at the end of the class that smell like lemons. It's amazing, but you will be craving water with lemon for days; not the worst craving to have.
