Bikram Hot Yoga

We can all agree that our lives as students can be super stressful. How can we deal with this stress in a positive way? Look no further than the new fitness fad Hot Yoga. The local spot Bikram Yoga Calgary North located in Varsity has classes throughout the day to either kick-start or wind-down your day.

Another article I wrote for the University of Calgary's newspaper The Gauntlet

We can all agree that our lives as students can be super stressful. How can we deal with this stress in a positive way? Look no further than the new fitness fad Hot Yoga. The local spot Bikram Yoga Calgary North located in Varsity has classes throughout the day to either kick-start or wind-down your day.

Aside from the slammin physic, Bikram promises you a mind numbing experience.

“The instant thing that people feel is the calming of the central nervous system due to breath and being in Savasana” says instructor Cheryl Miller.

Who in the what now? Hot Yoga can simply be described as your run of the mill yoga, but in a hot, balmy room, for 90 minutes. The heat allows your muscles to stretch more, so even we starters can look like a rubber band. Obviously perspiration is bound to happen doing physical exercise in a heated room, but think of it as a detoxifier and remember to drink lots of water before, during and after. The celebrities that swear by Bikram include, but are not limited to, Wayne Gretzky, Tiger Woods, Elle Macpherson, Madonna, George Clooney, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Roberto Luongo,  Quincy Jones, and John McEnroe.

 Savasana is also referred to as the corpse pose and is probably many people’s favourite, it is the time either in-between or after the practice where the body gets to recuperate and process what just happened. After each hard pose the class goes into Savasana, where you lay on your back and concentrate on breathing. Not to be confused with nap time, Savasana gives the body a chance to rejuinvinate and get ready for the next position. 

Bikram however is a kind of hot yoga. Yes, there is a difference and yes it does matter.

“In Bikram we do every pose twice to give the body a second chance to be able to go deeper and to be able to absorb twice the amount of benefits” articulate Miller.

An important aspect of Bikram is the Dialogue- the instructor is talking the entire time. This instructor is speaking to the body and guiding it through the practice. Instead trying to fill the silence, the mind is able to tune out and concentrate solely on the task at hand.

Walls of mirrors aid in the visual aspect of yoga. So you can check yourself before you wreck yourself.

“Your attention is 100% on you” states Miller “Reflection is teaching you proper alignment in the body. You learn to love that reflection.”

That being said, the mirrors can be used to check out your neighbour how to do it or give you a new goal.

If you cannot make it to the studio nor need a quick fix, do the breathing exercises you learned.

 “The use of breath, the use of gaining oxygen levels in the body that make everything work better. “ Explains Miller, “When you are stressed you usually breath really shallow, by increasing the lung capacity and slowing the breathing down, it will slow the emotional sensations down as well.”

 Hot yoga is a great way to exercise and combate stress, mental illness and the cold weather blues. But even if you can’t fork over the money, the main idea is taking a moment to create your own Savasana.

As with any exercise regime, please contact your doctor before starting. Those who are overweight, smoke or prone to overheating and fainting should be cautious and everyone who is feeling dizzy or nauseous should go back to Savasana and wait for the feeling to pass.  Drinking a lot of water before and after will help combat dehydration and not eating 2 hours prior to practice is also advised.