9 Things You Need to Know About Bikram Yoga

Bikram is to yoga what Tae-Bo is to kickboxing. Bikram Choudhury took a long-existing practice and modified it to create a uniquely-packaged fitness franchise. According to the 66-year-old Indian-born yoga guru, the precise sequence of 26 postures and two breathing exercises must be performed within 90 minutes in a heated (100-degrees-plus) room to allow the body to stretch, detoxify, relieve stress, tone, and heal chronic pain such as arthritis, joint aches, knee injuries, back problems.

1. Handle the Heat Stepping into a sauna-hot room mid-winter shouldn’t be a problem. The hard part is staying there for 90 minutes. “When you start to feel uncomfortable, your gut instinct may be to drink water, wipe sweat, gulp in air, panic, look around, and then run from the room. If you feel dizzy, sit down and focus on trying to override the discomfort by using your breath, you can recover in less than one minute by simply closing your mouth and breathing through your nose.
2. Water Yourself If you come to Bikram well-hydrated, you won’t need to drink much during the session. Aim to drink up to two liters (8 to 9 cups) of water throughout the day, but if you can’t hit those numbers, don’t try to make up for it . Too much water too quickly might upset your stomach and leave you feeling nauseous in class. Same holds true for during practice, so sip when you need to, but don’t overdo it. “If you find yourself dehydrated at the start of class, take it easy on the posture.” The goal isn’t to master every pose but rather to listen to your body and take care of yourself.
3. Strategize Snack Time Try not to eat at least two hours prior to class. “A full stomach may be uncomfortably inhibiting when you’re trying to contract and expand your muscles to reach full range in the heat”. But don’t be hungry either. Eating half a banana or a cup of applesauce for a pre-class energy boost. After class, rehydrate and replenish the electrolytes lost during practice with coconut water or Nuun-infused water.
4. Don’t Be Late This golden rule is most important for newbies. Try to get there at least 30 minutes early to give yourself plenty of time to sign up, get dressed, settle down on your mat, and acclimate to the heat. Take a minute to introduce yourself to the teacher and let her or him know if you have any injuries that you’re working through, so that she or he can guide you through the postures without exacerbating any issues.
5. Look Hot Sweating your ass off is inevitable, so choose light clothing that is breathable and will make the heat more bearable. Wear shorts that are above the knee so that we can see more of leg—and contracting muscles—in the mirror. Also wear a sports bra so that you can see stomach.” Even if you don’t have a Bikram body (yet!), don’t be afraid to show some skin. There’s an unspoken rule of “no judgments” in every studio.
6. Don’t Push It There’s a clear difference between discomfort and pain. While most, if not all, the postures will create a certain level of discomfort, none should induce a sharp pain. If you feel the latter, slowly back off a bit. There’s no need to be over-aggressive and force a posture—in fact, less is more in yoga. “If you can’t do something (yet), just try the first one percent. Then maybe in a week you do two percent.
7. Skip the Towel Let it rain on your face and body—it’s part of the practice! Sweat is helping to maintain normal body temperature. “If you wipe it away, you disrupt homeostasis, the body’s natural, intelligent, and highly adaptive mechanism of self-regulation.” Embrace the downpour!
8. Keep an Open Mind A good attitude is key, especially since everyone in the room is feeding off each other’s energy. Come into the space ready to learn and absorb new material. “Don’t take yourself too seriously, folks—it’s just yoga!”
9. Plan Your Return “I tell first-time students at the end of class that they have to come back soon because the second class is the fun class,” Bergman says. “At least once a day, someone new to this yoga will tell me, ‘You know, I didn’t believe you, but my second class was great!’