Is It Hot In Here, Or Is It Just Me?

Last night was my second Bikram Yoga class, and I was really looking forward to it. I have been under tremendous amounts of stress lately and this has become a treat that my body and mind both deserve.

This week we headed to class learning from the prior weeks mistakes. We brought a large towel to drape over our mats to prevent us from slipping on our sweat and we got to class earlier to secure a good spot, in the back, on the opposite side of the room from the steam output. Unfortunately, we missed out the prime back row spots, well my friend did, as I snagged the last one but she was brave and moved herself up to the front row. (So she could admire herself in the mirror, I'm sure)

Class began and man, let me tell you, I think the heat was cranked up to 1,005 instead of 105 degrees. It. Was. HOT.

The sweat immediately started pouring off of me and no matter how often I stopped to wipe down, I was drenched again within seconds. I don't know if I didn't take in enough calories early in the day or if the amount of stress I've been feeling had taken that much of a toll, but I kept getting light-headed and had to come out poses quite a few times to recover.

Normally, I would be self-concious having to stop but what I love about this class is that the instructor constantly reminds you to listen to your body and do what it tells you. Mine was telling me to rest, so that's what I did.

Just like last week, the standing balance poses ended just as I thought I couldn't take another minute and the floor poses began. I welcome this break like you wouldn't believe. Maybe it's cause I'm tall and heat raises, but laying on the floor felt like I had just hit the lotto and I could feel a temperature difference.

By the end of class my mind was clear, my body was stretched and I felt like a new person. (Not to mention my tank top and shorts were soaked and there wasn't a dry spot on either towel....eww) It was once again a wonderful feeling to just let all of my worries go for 90-minutes and focus on nothing more than the mind and the breath.

I have one more class next week at the current studio. The other day, I received a Groupon for a different studio and we have until tonight to decide if we will take advantage of it and commit to another 10 classes.

Namaste.