105 Degrees and 90 Minutes …Could Change Your Life

Kristen Talaga

It’s a Thursday evening in Traverse City and I am about to do something crazy.  I walk in to the local Bikram Yoga studio and place my mat and towel on the carpeted floor in the rectangle shaped room.  There is a mirror covering the entire wall in the front of the class.  It’s warm and it feels kind of good.  I get in Savasana (Dead Body Pose) with the rest of the class waiting for the instructor and wondering what this is going to be like.  Will I be able to make it?

26 postures in 105 degrees for 90 minutes

We start with breathing;  standing and exhaling our stale breath for two minutes.  Then pause, before the first posture.

“I’m burning up,” I say to myself.

I can already see the beads of sweat gathering on my ankles and feel them sliding down my brow.

Ten minutes and four postures later I am feeling a little woozy.  I try to remember what our instructor told us at the beginning of class, “You may feel a little dizzy or experience nausea.  If you feel this way please sit or lie down, but do not leave our space.  Everything that happens in here is a natural process of the body, you will be okay.”

Yet, I don’t feel okay.  It becomes a mind game.  I keep asking myself why I am doing this.  I want to do this; it is good for me and my body, but my focus into the mirror in front of me has become a low gaze and I look pale, so I sit down.  I gradually start to get back into the postures with the support of our instructor.

“You can do this.  We want you to join us.”

By pose eleven, Tadasana (tree pose) I am doing better.  My focus is strong and I am concentrating on my breath and elevating my spine. “ Yeah, this is more like it.”

With will, focus and a half smile I make it through the next 15 postures, which includes the lying down postures (they sound like they might be easier, but for me they are just as difficult).

We finish our postures with our final breathing Khapalbhati (Blowing in Firm) and then final relaxation with Savasana (Dead Body Pose) once again.

Our instructor dims the lights and thanks us for playing.  I just love that…”playing.”

As I drive home, I think about how intense the last 90 minutes were.  I have never experienced anything like it.  I get home and feel relieved, relaxed and a happy calmness.  I plan on returning for the Saturday morning class.

Known as the original “Hot Yoga,” Bikram Yoga is practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with 50 percent humidity.  The particular studio I practice at follows the teachings of yoga master Bikram Choudhury, widely recognized for bringing the practice to the West and founder of the worldwide Yoga College of India.  The heated room is meant to resemble the climate of India, where Choudhury was born.  The heat warms the muscles and can allow for a greater stretch.

By the end of the workout I can do things with my body that I’ve never been able to do before, like sit down and touch my forehead to my shin, no problem.

I think I’ve discovered something awesome!

Kristen Talaga is a marketing professional and a freelance writer living in the Traverse City area. She enjoys spending time with her husband, Gabe and their dog, Barley.