My Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge

When discussing yoga most people are familiar with the practice. Nice and easy. But when you say you are practicing Bikram Yoga thats when the puzzled looks start. (for some, not all) Then you sum it up into a few sentences that basically its hot yoga, so in a room that is normally 35 - 40 degrees and you perform 26 postures , two breathing exercises all in 90 minutes. Get it now? That is when they pick up on the heat factor and question is it safe? Or how do you survive in that heat that long? "Far too hot for me". At first my boyfriend had these doubts and fears, he isn't someone who enjoys the heat so he thought automatically that he was going to struggle with the heat and the fact he wasn't to the same level of flexibility as me. But you all have to start somewhere right? So lets go back to how we started on our journey, before we even signed up.

About 2 years ago when I was still in full time vocational college a teacher thought it would be a good idea for me to practice Bikram yoga. Her idea was that maybe from all that stretching and the intense heat it would help my thighs shrink and tone up more.  At the time being so self conscious and wanting anything in the world to be that 'perfect shape' and have a 'dancers body' I was willing to try anything. But now I am older, I have learned to love certain parts of my body. You are born with the body you have and yeh you can train to the absolute max but if thats the way your body shape is and your bone structure you just have to learn to love it and embrace it. You may hate it but someone else out there will love it. So going back to Yoga, I completed the 30 day challenge and to be honest didn't take in the full experience, all I was worried about was I loosing weight. This time round it was a completely different experience, one not to be forgotten.

Luke and I (my partner if you didn't already know) kept talking about doing a yoga class. I explained to him that I had practiced a few years ago and how I would love to do it again. To my surprise he was onboard with the idea and wanted to start as soon as. I am lucky to have a Bikram studio only 15/ 20 minuets from my house and even better 5 minuets away from where I teach regularly. 'Bikram Yoga Essex'  are recently celebrating their 4th anniversary which great, they have one big studio with beautiful decor, the whole place is thought out to perfection and the best place for somewhere to practice yoga. Defiantly check it out if you are in the area. 

So we are all set up for our first class. Mat, two towels, water!!! I knew to wear light weight clothing, so a sports bra and some cycling shorts. I am a very hot person so within minuets of being in the studio I was sweating buckets. Its lovely how the teachers take the time to introduce themselves and welcome new students to the studio, just gives that extra touch and friendly feeling you need when doing new things. Drip , drop, drip, inhale, exhale, slurp, relax. We made it through our first class. We were both a sweaty mess lying on our backs on our saturated towels and mats. At the end of the class there is time for you to close your eyes and just relax, its for your body to take in the class and just let your whole body relax. Most people find this hard, trying to stay still but I was so relaxed I couldn't even switch on my brain to tell my legs to get up and move.  For the whole day my body and mind was breezing through the day, it felt like I was on one flat path with no bumps in it and the floor was just taking me. It sounds like I am talking cookoo but until you experience it you cannot say anything. People sometimes don't have the same experience as I did and feel dizzy and sick throughout the whole class but that it totally normal, its just your body getting used to the heat and sweating all those nasty toxins out. Some teachers say it takes around 10 classes to get used to the heat but you sometimes even get those off days when the studio feels like a furnace and you wonder if you are going to last the full 90 mins.  But once you have finished class you are reminded of the benfits it provides to your body and you thank yourself for going. Then I found myself planning my next visit which was normally the next day.

When signing up I knew I wasn't able to go everyday and do a full 30 days, due to work and my teaching schedule. But I was willing to give it the best I could and see how much I could do. My regular class time would be 5 o'clock as I would come straight to work, finish by 6:30, home by 7 just in time for dinner and to wind down for bed. However when Luke joined me for class we would either go to the 7 o'clock one or 8, however I found 8 o 'clock a bit late sometimes. I even managed to get to one 6 am class on a Thursday Morning, my body thanked me for that! I had a busy schedule that day but it kept me focused , energised and relaxed and I had the best night sleep too.  I wish I got to more early morning classes just to see what other effects it had on my body. The only day I couldn't go was Saturday's as I teach dance for the whole morning and miss the two class they put on, however I was back at the studio Sunday morning for their 8 am or 10 am class. So the weeks passed and in the end Bikram Yoga became part my daily routine, I would go to work and would take class or to kill an hour or so take a walk down Loughton high street, buy a sweet snack from Holland and Barrett and if the weather was nice read my book until I met Luke for class. I would hang the mats out over night to dry them ready for the next day for class and have two sets on crop top and shorts that I would wash one and wear one. It all became clock work and something I truly enjoyed and felt the full benefits from. I was drinking double the amount I normally do in a day to keep well hydrated before and after and made you so much more aware of what you was eating and how it was going to effect you body later that day.

So summing up my 30 day challenge, it didn't feel like a challenge to me in the end. When I hear the word challenge I immediately put pressure on myself to succeed, thats just how I am, I have always been a competitive person so when I don't succeed with something I put myself down a lot and It takes a toll. But by doing yoga it taught me so much about myself, how strong I actually am both physically and mentally and the lengths my body can go to. It taught me how the mind controls everything, it really is mind over matter. The best thing I took away from it was self love. How can you even start living if you don't have self love and most importantly resect for your body. You have one body and life so why not give it the best chance at living and fuel it with the right things. The teachers were all so inspiring and every class was a different experience, I learnt something new everyday and took something different away from each class. I met some lovely people on my journey which also inspired me and it was great meeting and talking to new people. Both Luke and I would like to thank Bikram Yoga Essex for lovely experience we had and we will be back very soon! Now we know we will be returning to the studio we have already looked into new mats and proper yoga towels

So are you inspired to try your first Bikram class ? Even if you are not a 'Yoga person' I urge you to try it once and just embrace the sweat and hotness on the room. You could surprise yourself and this could be your new love and thing. If you want any more information on my experience feel free to comment below or drop me a message, I would be happy to answer your questions.