105 Degrees

[Jone Brunelle]

We met at the parking garage downtown. I had been drinking water and lemon/lime gatorade all morning, but had scared myself so much in the past few weeks reading negative experiences that it really didn’t matter how prepared I thought I was. I wanted to try Bikram yoga at least once in my (hopefully not shortened) lifetime, and I had found a friend to go with me. Bikram yoga lasts an hour and a half and is practiced in a 105-degree room. It consists of 26 poses, each done twice. It is not uncommon to feel dizzy or nauseous the first few times you try this, which seems a little shady to me–still, I couldn’t help but be curious about the long list of benefits I saw on multiple websites. The best thing you can do is drink–water, gatorade, coconut water–enough to sweat buckets.

 

Allison and I began our awkward trek down the street to the Bikram studio, mats slung over our shoulders, water bottles clutched in hand as though they held magic powers. “I think it’s a little farther down,” she said, and we crossed the street in our gym clothes and flip flops. Little beads of sweat were already dripping down my forehead. I think I had drunk so much liquid in the last few hours that there was no more room to contain it.

 

The entrance of Charlottesville’s studio is a little yoga shop. It is a small carpeted room with stretchy capri pants, tiny shorts, and sports bras hanging on the walls and mats, bags, and water bottles lined up along a bench. If you walk through to the back you’ll find yourself in a makeshift locker room with open cubbies, a drawer with clothes for the instructors, two showers, two bathroom stalls, and a sink. Oh, and a box fan–crucial. Just outside of the locker room are the double doors leading to the room where all the magic happens. As newbies, Allison and I checked in with a girl at the desk whose entire torso was probably the size of my leg. She was wearing shorts and a top that were basically a bikini. She had us sign our lives away, then told us we could wait until after class to decide if we wanted to pay for the day, or a reduced rate for a week of classes. I was doubtful that I’d even make it through one session, but I took the offer anyway.

 

The room itself was peaceful. It was carpeted (ew, sweaty) and had mirrors on two walls, and a large window (maybe floor to ceiling) on a third side that let afternoon sunshine in. You’re not supposed to talk, so a few people were lying down on their mats in meditation. It was definitely hot, but didn’t feel as bad as that imposing, rolling heat we get some summer days. It certainly wasn’t bad when you were just sitting or lying there.

 

The girl who had been sitting at the desk came in and announced to the class that there were four first-timers; we were asked to raise our hands. I don’t really like people knowing I’m new, or that I’m even there for that matter. If I could, I would be lost in the middle of the crowd and no one would wonder how my first time was going, no attention would be on me if I needed to leave the room.

 

The goal for your first class is to stay in the room for the entire hour and a half. The instructor walks around as she guides everyone and fixes your technique if you’re having problems. The first time we bent into a forward fold, I was shocked to see the little streams of sweat trickling down my shins; I had no idea I was already sweating this much…was anyone else sweating this much? The poses were not too difficult in principle, but the heat made them more challenging, especially if you had to grip your arm, leg, foot–anything slippery. The towel I had put down on my mat was already soaked within the first fifteen minutes. At one point, when lying down on our backs, my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest, which was surprising considering there was very little cardio work in our set. I wondered if I was going to die today, if an hour and a half and 105 degrees was the recipe for a burst organ…but here I am now.

 

At the end of class, the instructor congratulated the new students and everyone clapped. Allison and I silently high-fived as the room emptied, and we started to talk about the experience. Thanks to my pro gatorade-guzzling, I didn’t get dizzy during class, though the heat did really start to feel imposing at one point toward the end. Allison had felt a little dizzy/nauseous at one point, but seemed fine now. A woman rolling up her mat near the door told us we did great for our first time. “My first time, I had to run out of the room because I thought I was going to throw up,” she told us.

 

The world seemed so chilly after exiting that room. Allison and I exchanged a look when we realized the seasoned students had brought shower items and changes of clothes. We’d just be stuck with our disgusting selves for an hour or so as we got smoothies for lunch. No type of food really sounded too appealing for a while, and I ended up sleeping most of the afternoon. We both payed for a week, though, and I have to decide when I can go back in the next few days. Like I said, I still haven’t decided if this practice is actually good or bad for you, but I liked the feeling of sweating as much as I did. If you’re going to try this, make sure you take it easy! Check out the video so you know what to expect.