My first visit to a Traditional Hot (aka Bikram) yoga class came when a friend invited me to join her. A practical newbie to yoga, she had started going to the studio a couple of weeks before. And why not? The studio was located only a couple of blocks away from her place. Lucky girl. The studio in question: Hot Yoga on 17th in Calgary, AB. A relatively new location, the studio has been open for less than a year. I had heard a great deal about it, not surprising as hot yoga has become all the rage, and the temptation to go proved too much. Not to mention I was in a bit of a funk the evening we went and some hot, sweaty yoga was hopefully just what the doctor ordered.
First impressions: the studio is beautiful. Modern decor and dim lighting entice you in, that is of course once you get in!! The parking situation is horrendous. I counted my lucky stars for having my little Mini Cooper able to park in the tightest of spots. But I digress..
Back to the beatiful studio. I remember thinking to myself it would be hard for other older studios in town to compete with this new class of studio based on environment only. I felt like I was at a posh spa instead of a yoga studio. I took mental notes for the redesign of my bedroom.
I had heard Hot Yoga on 17th was popular and this was obvious as soon as I entered the tiny loby. The place was packed. For the second time that night I counted lucky stars for having reserved a spot for the class in advance online. It would have been frusturating to drive across town, fight for a parking spot, only to be denied entry into the class. A definite thumbs up to the studio for having the online resvervation system in place.
The changing area was a plus, although also packed. Having only two toilets for a room full of women seemed inadequate.
We enter the sole studio before class, the heat hitting us like we just got off the plane in India. Not a bad thing. I quickly realize my concern of being turned away was unwarranted because I don't think anyone is ever turned away. The studio was packed to capacity.
The sequence: even after over a dozen years of practicing and teaching yoga, it never ceases to amase me how many different takes their are on the yoga postures and their sequecing. Traditional Hot (TH) yoga was the biggest diversion from the "norm" I'd experienced yet. The names of the postures left me a little lost. The poses were challenging for the seasoned practitioner and I could quickly see how people would get hooked on this style of yoga. A novice however could easily walk away from a class with muscle strain and back pain, as my friend did after her first class. There was little guidance given to those students who needed variations due to limitations in their bodies, even though it was supposed to be an all-levels class. Maybe it's the therapeutic teacher in me coming out but I think portions of the TH sequence lack some consideration for the bodies of a novice practioner. I even found portions of the class hard on my body. The transitions back and forth between savasana and seated poses were jarring and the continuous sit-ups directly from savasana left my back feeling strained.
The sequence never changes either. You can attend the class over and over and you'll always get the same 26 postures in the same order. This definitely allows for someone to quickly become confortable in the class as they know what to expect. But when do you get to progress? I need to leanr more about how the Bikram system works I guess.
Overall, I left the class feeling refreshed. My skin felt wonderfully soft the next day. Nice perk! I personally was not sore in the days following. I'd go back, hopefully on a day where the studio was a little less busy.
Follow Up: Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
To come..
My following visit to the same class, same studio, a week later wasn't nearly as successfull.
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