Workout
Dear SW, Sorry I've Been Ignoring You, But...
- lovehand.jpg
In which this week's "Featured Body," Matty_G_Fresh, treats himself to Bikram Yoga and finds he doesn't like it at all.
...I've been too busy loving on myself and my friends this week to take the time to write. I hope you understand.
Tuesday started at the chiropractor working on my shoulder and ended with me "treating" myself to a true Bikram session at a dedicated yoga studio. This was only the 2nd time that I've tried true Bikram and although I was able to stay in the studio for the entire 90 minutes this time, I had to take several breaks throughout and the last half hour, even the Savasana; was horrible and not relaxing at all. I think I much prefer the Hot Yoga at the Y. Sorry Bikram. I don't think we're gonna work out. However, I WAS able to get Crow again and hold it so I know it wasn't a fluke the last time I did it; PLUS I got back up into Wheel again. I need to work on holding that one longer though because I usually lose it after only 5 or 6 seconds.
I'm still working on my feats, one of which, Love Spirit, is completed and was amazing, but I'll blog about that later. I should complete 2 more tomorrow; Love Body when I go to the acupuncturist (I've already got a half hour or so at the chiropractor's under my belt and the 90 minutes at East Nashville Community Acupuncture should complete it) and Love Mind when I will hopefully finish reading "The Irresistible Revolution". I'm still not quite sure what to do about Love Belly, but hopefully I'll figure it out soon.
Wednesday and Thursday I just took off from doing anything. Bikram messed me up a little bit, plus my shoulder my chiropractor doesn't want me to do anything that really aggravates it. Not that I can't still work out, I've just maybe gotta back it off a little; lower weights on some things and no overhead movements. And Thursday, I met with a couple guys after work that are going to be playing worship with me at church Sunday morning so we could go over the worship songs we're doing, including a new one that I wrote during Love Spirit. :o)
Tonight, I would like to get to another Hot Yoga class, but unfortunately I have to stay late at work to make up for some time I missed due to getting back late from the chiropractor's yesterday on a follow up appointment. Instead I'll probably just do a really light full body workout as I haven't hit the weights at all this week.
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Comments
I'm with you, man. Bikram is so B-O-R-I-N-G, not to mention the gnarly stinky carpets, the overwhelming smell of BO everywhere and the overbearing teachers who bark out orders. I've done pretty much every sort of yoga known to man and it's my least favorite type.
Submitted by erikka on 02.19.10 at 12:31.
Meh, I'm with you on the Bikram. I love love love the heat, but I can't jive with the philosophy. Or the lack of flow. I went to a dedicated hot yoga studio 2 nights ago -- non-Bikram -- and I loved it.
Submitted by runleenarun on 02.19.10 at 12:37.
i was an avid bikram yogi for almost 2 years and i was COMPLETELY addicted. i agree that some instructors can be a little drill-sargent-y, but there were also some (shout-out to Noa at Bikram Yoga Union Square) who were absolutely amazing and could push me to points that nobody else ever has.
the amazing thing about bikram to me is that the routine allows you to completely lose yourself in the movements...it's a moving meditation, and the precision of the poses combined with the guidance of the instructor allows you to capture that mental relief. this was the biggest plus for me - that mental break from the world.
also, the poses can be pushed further and further regardless of your skill level so no class was ever boring for me.
Submitted by msh258 on 02.19.10 at 01:05.
It's not so much the poses that bother me or the teacher (who I happen to be friends with her and her husband) who's a total sweetheart; honestly I think it's the heat. Most of the moves we did were ones I was familiar with and can do, it's just that after 45 minutes or so my heartrate was close to max and was staying up there. Even after 5-10 minutes of Savasana at the end, it was still going 160 bpm. Don't get me wrong, I like getting my heartrate up while exercising, but keeping it up that high for that long where you start to really get out of breath can't be all that good for you, can it?
Submitted by Matty_G_Fresh on 02.19.10 at 02:23.
I tried a month of Bikram a couple of months back (a total of 11 classes, 10 different teachers) and I found the rote-ness of the poses more a turnoff than the heat. This might have been the studio: I'm not a heat person AT ALL so I always vied for the part of the studio that was supposed to be the coolest (by the windows), and I was surprised how often teachers opened the windows to cool down the room. I agree w/ msh that the poses are very multi-level, you can just keep going and going into them; I was amazed how much deeper I was going into them after just 11 classes! But...it's still the saaaame 26 poses every class and that, coupled w/ the teachers' limited approach, got more stifling than the heat. The one instructor I was really inspired by had gone on past her Bikram training to study w/ different master teachers and it really showed in her explaining the nuances as well as being sensitive to personal issues - like heat and heartrate.
Submitted by spindig on 02.19.10 at 04:06.
Totally agree, spindig. There was a real disregard for personal limitation when I went to YTTP and the teacher would yell at you if you tried to modify a pose. While I guess I could get "deeper" into the 26 poses, it lacked the thrill of trying and succeeding at new things like you have in vinyasa when you nail that side crow or do your first tripod headstand. I also HATED the savsanas between every single pose towards the end. Not my thang, I guess.
Submitted by erikka on 02.19.10 at 05:14.