Anyone do Bikram?

[persa]

I did a search but nothing pulled up.

Anyone do Bikram? Tell me about your experience: time commitment, injuries, weight loss, tips, etc.

I'm not on here much but y'all are a great resource of info! TIA!

[namasteak]

Do you want to do Bikram or just hot yoga?

Time commitment: 90 minute class + 10 minutes before class + 10 minutes after class + travel

Injuries; Don't push yourself into a posture that hurts. Their script says to but don't, its a recipe for disaster.

Weight loss: When I do hot yoga regularly I want to eat better so there are weight loss effects from that.

tips: drink a liter of water during the day before class and a liter during/after class. Replace your electrolytes by purchasing electrolyte powder or drinking coconut water.

[papie]

I tried it and hated it.  I realized after taking other hot yoga classes that although I'm not a fan of hot yoga in general, it's the Bikram philosophy that I truly hate.  They won't let you drink water until a certain time in the class.  They won't let you get out even if you are clearly suffering (you are not locked in, but they'll talk you through and do anything to convince you to stay inside), etc.  Fuck you, I do what I want.  

I'm obviously very bitter still, lol.  Even though I never felt ill myself.  

[Deleted]

I dislike bikram. I like hot yoga every once in awhile but prefer vinyasa yoga. I did injure myself in bikrim but you can get super warm and bendy in regular hot yoga as well. Bikrim is too military for me. I have a friend who enjoys it a lot though because it's routine.

[dreamcrisp1]

I do hot yoga not bikram. from previous comments, bikram sounds awful and not like what I've experienced.

I love hot yoga. I also do power yoga which is slightly heated. My body is in amazing shape and I feel so strong. I've also lost quite a bit of weight from it. Some classes are 60 mins and some are 75 mins. I drink water throughout the class and I go into child's pose if I need too. The instructors are all really great at my studio and so relaxed and accommodating. I love it.

[gerberdaisy]

I've only done it a few times, we didn't have a studio near by so couldn't go more often. I enjoy hot vinyassa yoga, but do not enjoy bikram. They call you out by name when you are wrong, it is SO hot and smelly in there and just not enjoyable. Don't think I've ever sweated that much in my entire life and you're encouraged to not drink water except for a couple times.

[neonpink]

My classes are not so stringent and they ask you to wait until after the warm up section to drink water when needed and to rest or ask for help if you need it. I do yoga 2-3 times a week and one classes is always Bikram.

For me I loose weight when I combine it with flow classes. However I have had injuries and could only do the bikram class. I have damaged ankles the standing postures really helped me strengthen them and I can now wear shoes that I couldn't wear before. It also brings me a mental clarity that I don't get from other classes. I take a 6am class and it's the one part of my day that is just for me. Overall I notice that I am more flexible, my balance is much better along with my posture.

[namasteak]

I know some people find the set series of postures boring but I love it. It allows me to really focus and it becomes almost a meditative experience for me.

[cabbagecabbage]

I did it in my mid twenties and loved it. I felt awesome and strong and limber. It seems it's a love/hate thing and you'll only know if you try. I never got hurt.

It's way too expensive for me now or I'd love to go back.

[janegold]

I did it for a while with a friend and I truly hated it. (I love vinyasa.) The studios I went to were WAY overheated (above the Bikram recommendations; they would cover the thermostats with paper) and some instructors would block the door and shame people for trying to leave or laying down, even though you might very well feel like you may pass out (they said they don't want you to leave for your safety, but I felt like it was a prison). Many of the studios were carpeted which was plain disgusting. Instructors tend to have the same weird ways of saying things (WTF is a Japanese ham sandwich?!) and tend to be pretty bootcampy (I had some that I enjoyed though).

And finally, my main complaint is that I don't think most of the positions are actually all that challenging or beneficial. I prefer the variety, movement and flow of a vinyasa class. You leave a Bikram class feeling like you had an amazing workout because your heart was pounding the whole time, but in truth, your heart is pounding because your body if fighting against passing out for 90 minutes, not because it's a great workout. Sometimes I feel the same way sitting my ass in a sauna for too long.

Anyway, I think it's pretty scammy so I didn't stick with it long enough/frequent enough to see real results. I'm sure many people do lose weight but I think that has more to do with the heat and other factors than the workout.

[HiC]

I hate Bikram, but I love hot Vinyasa. Having to do the same poses exactly in the same order, all the time, makes me nuts. And the instructors that I have had in the past were all douche bags.

[FastHands]

May 19, 2016 14:15:49 GMT -5 @aliciaroset said:

I do a hatha style. I'm most interested in alignment and doing poses properly. Most of the studios I've gone to do not give enough care to alignment and people get hurt. I have a chronic back issue and have to be extremely careful with what I do. Bikram isn't for me.
I've been a dedicated yoga student for three months and it hasn't resulted in weight loss but I am so much stronger and more flexible. I can feel my body getting stronger in places that running and lifting dont touch.

That's really interesting. I don' t know much about yoga but I'd really love to do it more. I have some beginners DVDs, but even the "modified poses" are sometimes too hard for me, and even the poses that I can do, I always question if I'm doing it right. I keep looking into finding classes, were an instructor who knows what they're doing can be like "girl, no" and correct my shit before I get bad habits. So I get discouraged and just stop. I also broke both of my wrists and need help modifying some of those poses or learning correct hand/finger placement blahblahblah. Basically I'm a yoga failure.

[slcjess]

I do bikram 2-3 times a week and I love it. Ive never had any injuries. The class is 90 minutes. Try not to leave the room, even if you sit some poses out. Drink a lot of water the day of and the day before and take ice water with you. I don't notice a ton of weight loss, it does happen but more slowly.
That being said the studio I go is very laid back and doesn't shame people for sitting postures out (wtf??) so I find it very relaxing. I'm also focusing so much on not falling over or farting that my little overthinking brain can leave all the stuff I'm stressed about out of the class so it's a nice break.

Oh and a Japanese ham sandwich is just two pieces of bread with nothing between them (so in that posture there should be no light or air I between your chest and thighs. Unless you have a big belly like me and it gets in the way. Haha) I learned that the other day, I was always confused by that too. Lol! I don't remember who asked that above but there's the explaination!

[panicfoot]

I do Bikram every morning and I love it. My class is 5:30-7, so it's a little over two hours with drive time and room time.

I started years ago the day after I quit smoking and I think it really helped to detox my body. I got over my addiction much more quickly and easily than MH did.

I had to quit for a while after moving far from the studio and having a baby, finances, etc. and just started again last month. I've gone every day but one and I'm feeling so great. I've lost weight, not sure how much, maybe 15 pounds? But I know that a lot of that is due to not eating or drinking as much crap because I just don't want to feel like shit the next morning for 90 minutes. I wear a fitbit that tracks your heart rate and it says that I'm in the cardio zone for usually 60 of those minutes and estimates that I burn 500-750 calories. I am fat, though, so I will burn more than most. I've read the same thing that jenny1980 said, that it doesn't burn as many calories as you think it does because your heart rate is just up trying to cool your body down.

For me, I like that it's the same postures every class and I like the military style. It helps me to stay focused and sort of meditate. I've done other hot yoga classes and felt like I was flailing around and never had the chance to perfect a posture because I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to be doing. With Bikram, I know what I'm supposed to be doing and try my hardest to do it. I'm kind of a control freak so knowing what's up next and what's expected of me is really motivating.

The studio can smell, but mine has cork floors now so it's much better than when it had carpet. Really though, it's hard to notice once you're in the thick of it.

I've had one instructor who is kind of a condescending asshole, but really, I find most of them to be really warm. They are all really supportive and kind. They will call you out if you need a correction, but I like that. I want to know if my hip pops up because that means I'm in the posture incorrectly. They also call on you if you've done something really well. My teacher the other day said, "elegant triangle, panicfoot!" lol. And if you have to leave the room, like for a bathroom emergency, you can, but I think they want you to know that you're not going to die. If you just sit down, you'll feel better. If they didn't discourage people from leaving, people would be leaving all the time.

I've never had any injuries from Bikram, but I do get sore when a joint is opening up. I've sprained my ankle and wrist so those are hurting now as they're opening back up, but as long as I got everyday, it doesn't hurt for long.

I recommend wearing sweat wicking clothes and as few of those as possible. NO ONE IS LOOKING AT YOU so don't be afraid to show some skin. Don't eat two hours prior and don't eat anything heavy prior to that. Hydrate as much as possible. Bring towels.

[slcjess]

Oh, and I don't do postures to the point of pain, my instructors have always been very clear about that. Uncomfortable, sometimes, yes. Not pain though. It's not for everyone, try it and if you hate it try something else! It's expensive. I don't know if I'll be able to keep going after this month and I'm sad, sad, sad. Lol.

[janegold]

May 19, 2016 14:41:15 GMT -5 slcjess said:

Oh and a Japanese ham sandwich is just two pieces of bread with nothing between them (so in that posture there should be no light or air I between your chest and thighs. Unless you have a big belly like me and it gets in the way. Haha) I learned that the other day, I was always confused by that too. Lol! I don't remember who asked that above but there's the explaination!

Lol, well that makes more sense than the expression!  Thanks, it will bug me less now

[slcjess]

janegold, I always wondered too! For like two years I was internally screaming 'what is so special about a Japanese ham sandwich? What am I not getting here?!?' Haha. Turns out it's a joke. I guess I don't get bikrams humor!

[duff]

I'm a hot yoga junky and teach several different hot classes. I've done Bikrim a couple of times, but I really didn't like it. I didn't feel like a prisoner or anything, but the studio I went to was very strict on water breaks. Even if I don't NEED water, I don't like someone shaming me for having a sip. The main reason I won't step foot in a Bikrim studio though is because Bikrim Choudhury is a giant dickweed and I just can't support him (Google him if you don't know).

Injuries are definitely possible. I always recommend that students show up ~15 mins early to lay in the room and acclimate. Know your body. If you can't easily touch your toes in a regular temperature room, don't force yourself in a hot room. Yes, it's easier to go deeper into postures, with that kind of heat, but you never want to force anything. Take it easy, modify when you need/want to. Like someone else said, you may feel uncomfortable in some poses, but you should never feel any pain.

I would suggest finding a hot studio and taking either a beginners or a warm class (my studio does Warm & Gentle), and work your way up to more strenuous classes. Even after 5 years, and teaching several times a week, I know I'll be taking breaks when I go to one teacher's classes (we lovingly call them Hot & Furious classes).

I loooooove it. I've been practicing for 5 years and finally did my teacher training a couple of years ago. I can honestly say it changed my life.

[wambam]

Anther vote for hot power yoga. It is my faaaaaav. It's a lot of strength work and then I'm super warm and flexy in time to hold stretches. We have a power flow jam class that has music and I really just zen out to that.

[rugbywife]

I have done Bikram and other kinds of hot yoga. My first class ever was a yin class (so mostly stretching)...I think that is the best place to start, just in terms of the heat. I did like how hot Bikram was...I like hot yoga to be hot. Overall, I prefer a good Hot Power class to Bikram.

[spedrunner]

i really dislike bikram. I prefer hot yoga, vinyasa

Bikram was very strict, regimented and my studio felt very "UN-yoga" like. I was not happy

[carrotsmakemefat]

I'll just talk weight loss and overall health.

I'm starting back some hot yoga (not bikram). I'm doing it to sweat it out, but I don't push myself. I prefer the vinyasa type classes.
I like it, don't love it. I prefer non hot yoga classes.
I do think that yogis can fall into multiple categories, and there really is a semi cult following of bikram people. I would just say that if you don't like bikram then that doesn't mean you won't enjoy another kind of yoga or studio. I actually wouldn't recommend you start straight off with a bikram class at all. Start with gentle flows/vinyasa.


Plus, when it comes to injuries - I wouldn't push yourself. Your body will tell you what you need to know. I take a vin class every Saturday and I swear it's helping my joints. But at my studio they are very clear to listen to your body and to mod if you're feeling shooting pains.

Weight loss - I have been noticing that my waist line is strinking (not doing hot yoga, more gentle practice). Part of that is the eating habits that come with yoga (you don't eat heavy before, and I'm not as hungry after). I have other health issues at play so I won't say it's all yoga. I've always found weight loss is directly related to diet anyway, not exercise.

And I know you didn't ask, but make sure you use a yoga towel. You don't want your mat to stink :/

[carrotsmakemefat]

May 19, 2016 14:31:12 GMT -5 FastHands said:

May 19, 2016 14:15:49 GMT -5 @aliciaroset said:

I do a hatha style. I'm most interested in alignment and doing poses properly. Most of the studios I've gone to do not give enough care to alignment and people get hurt. I have a chronic back issue and have to be extremely careful with what I do. Bikram isn't for me.
I've been a dedicated yoga student for three months and it hasn't resulted in weight loss but I am so much stronger and more flexible. I can feel my body getting stronger in places that running and lifting dont touch.

That's really interesting. I don' t know much about yoga but I'd really love to do it more. I have some beginners DVDs, but even the "modified poses" are sometimes too hard for me, and even the poses that I can do, I always question if I'm doing it right. I keep looking into finding classes, were an instructor who knows what they're doing can be like "girl, no" and correct my shit before I get bad habits. So I get discouraged and just stop. I also broke both of my wrists and need help modifying some of those poses or learning correct hand/finger placement blahblahblah. Basically I'm a yoga failure.

I'd look for the right studio fit. I really think the right studio and instructors make the difference.
I've got some pretty bad health days, and I swear my studio is so supportive. Instructors know me know but when I started going, I always asked ahead of time for them to show me mods (or even add it into their normal sequence). Now it comes naturally to me. I can't downward dog? I'll tabletop...that kind of thing.
Yoga is YOUR practice. Once I realized that I wasn't in competition with anyone but myself, it got easier to relax, follow my breathe, and not give a shit if I needed the wall to balance a tree pose. It's very freeing.

[FastHands]

May 20, 2016 6:23:39 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

May 19, 2016 14:31:12 GMT -5 FastHands said:

That's really interesting. I don' t know much about yoga but I'd really love to do it more. I have some beginners DVDs, but even the "modified poses" are sometimes too hard for me, and even the poses that I can do, I always question if I'm doing it right. I keep looking into finding classes, were an instructor who knows what they're doing can be like "girl, no" and correct my shit before I get bad habits. So I get discouraged and just stop. I also broke both of my wrists and need help modifying some of those poses or learning correct hand/finger placement blahblahblah. Basically I'm a yoga failure.

I'd look for the right studio fit. I really think the right studio and instructors make the difference.
I've got some pretty bad health days, and I swear my studio is so supportive. Instructors know me know but when I started going, I always asked ahead of time for them to show me mods (or even add it into their normal sequence). Now it comes naturally to me. I can't downward dog? I'll tabletop...that kind of thing.
Yoga is YOUR practice. Once I realized that I wasn't in competition with anyone but myself, it got easier to relax, follow my breathe, and not give a shit if I needed the wall to balance a tree pose. It's very freeing.

Is it the type of thing (my only comparison is Zumba, where this is very true) where the instructor can completely change the practice? Or is it more about the type/school of practice? I'm assuming both.

[duff]

May 20, 2016 8:30:11 GMT -5 FastHands said:

May 20, 2016 6:23:39 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

I'd look for the right studio fit. I really think the right studio and instructors make the difference.
I've got some pretty bad health days, and I swear my studio is so supportive. Instructors know me know but when I started going, I always asked ahead of time for them to show me mods (or even add it into their normal sequence). Now it comes naturally to me. I can't downward dog? I'll tabletop...that kind of thing.
Yoga is YOUR practice. Once I realized that I wasn't in competition with anyone but myself, it got easier to relax, follow my breathe, and not give a shit if I needed the wall to balance a tree pose. It's very freeing.

Is it the type of thing (my only comparison is Zumba, where this is very true) where the instructor can completely change the practice? Or is it more about the type/school of practice? I'm assuming both.

It's very easy to add modifications to the sequence, and I really think that a good teacher would automatically offer mods.  I generally describe and show a mod the first time we do something (like, I'll drop down to my back knee in the first lunge we do for the class), and then periodically remind the class that they can drop to the knee if they need to as we continue through the class.  But, I also don't really plan most of my classes ahead of time.  I like to be able to quickly adapt and change things based on the energy level of the class, specific requests students have given me, whatever inspires me, etc.  I'll go into it with a basic outline, maybe a sequence or two I'd like to try, but not much more than that.

But, all of that is about me.  I've noticed that most of the teachers at the studio I primarily practice at are also able to change things up quickly, but I can't speak for all studios/teachers.  

[persa]

Sorry I totally posted and ran!!

Thanks for everyone's input. I didn't mention that I've been back to exercising since February after gaining a lot of weight AFTER my twins were born (stupid domperidone!) and I've lost a little over 20 lbs with stopping domperidone and diet changes and semi-consistent exercise. I've mostly been doing yoga, pilates and some barre and spin. The yoga I've been doing has been mostly Vinyasa/flow and the rooms are variably heated, some to 80, some to 90's and one "hot yoga" class at 100. (I do something called ClassPass so I get access to studios all over town, I LOVE it!)

But I just went to my first Bikram classes this week and it was...interesting. First, I didn't die from the temperature and I think the fact that I've been doing somewhat heated classes recently helped with that. I knew about the poses and I heard about the smell but man, still stinky (one studio was worse than the other).

What I did NOT expect was the kind of drill sergeant-y aspect of it. The instructors were both nice enough but I wasn't expecting the constant comment and instruction throughout the whole class and yeah, I guess they have a "script" cuz the two different instructors at two different studios said some of the same things. A funny: the second class the instructor was this adorable Mexican girl with a thick accent (I'm not being racist, she's from Merida Mexico) and I occasionally had a hard time following her. Like she kept saying "Poster" and it took me a while to realize she was saying "posture". And lock your knees came out sounding vaguely like "log your niece", lol

And yeah, I was a little bored too and it SO LONG. I did feel like I got my muscles moving but I feel stronger with Vinyasa, particularly the upper body stuff with the chatarangas, like jenny1980 said. And I didn't get the yoga "peace and calm and in tune with your body" feeling I do with other class, kind of like incogneato said. I think I'm mostly going to stick to the heated vinyasa or power vinyasa classes or "hot yoga" but I might do Bikram here and there if the mood strikes me.

Thanks again for all your comments!!

[persa]

May 20, 2016 8:30:11 GMT -5 FastHands said:

May 20, 2016 6:23:39 GMT -5 carrotsmakemefat said:

I'd look for the right studio fit. I really think the right studio and instructors make the difference.
I've got some pretty bad health days, and I swear my studio is so supportive. Instructors know me know but when I started going, I always asked ahead of time for them to show me mods (or even add it into their normal sequence). Now it comes naturally to me. I can't downward dog? I'll tabletop...that kind of thing.
Yoga is YOUR practice. Once I realized that I wasn't in competition with anyone but myself, it got easier to relax, follow my breathe, and not give a shit if I needed the wall to balance a tree pose. It's very freeing.

Is it the type of thing (my only comparison is Zumba, where this is very true) where the instructor can completely change the practice? Or is it more about the type/school of practice? I'm assuming both.

If you're talking Bikram, no it's the same damn thing every single time. But yes, for most other classes, there's variability, even in the same "type" of class in the same studio and instructors. I haven't got the "script-y" feeling from any other yoga classes so far. 

[persa]

May 20, 2016 15:58:44 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

May 20, 2016 15:44:04 GMT -5 persa said:

Sorry I totally posted and ran!!

Thanks for everyone's input. I didn't mention that I've been back to exercising since February after gaining a lot of weight AFTER my twins were born (stupid domperidone!) and I've lost a little over 20 lbs with stopping domperidone and diet changes and semi-consistent exercise. I've mostly been doing yoga, pilates and some barre and spin. The yoga I've been doing has been mostly Vinyasa/flow and the rooms are variably heated, some to 80, some to 90's and one "hot yoga" class at 100. (I do something called ClassPass so I get access to studios all over town, I LOVE it!)

But I just went to my first Bikram classes this week and it was...interesting. First, I didn't die from the temperature and I think the fact that I've been doing somewhat heated classes recently helped with that. I knew about the poses and I heard about the smell but man, still stinky (one studio was worse than the other).

What I did NOT expect was the kind of drill sergeant-y aspect of it. The instructors were both nice enough but I wasn't expecting the constant comment and instruction throughout the whole class and yeah, I guess they have a "script" cuz the two different instructors at two different studios said some of the same things. A funny: the second class the instructor was this adorable Mexican girl with a thick accent (I'm not being racist, she's from Merida Mexico) and I occasionally had a hard time following her. Like she kept saying "Poster" and it took me a while to realize she was saying "posture". And lock your knees came out sounding vaguely like "log your niece", lol

And yeah, I was a little bored too and it SO LONG. I did feel like I got my muscles moving but I feel stronger with Vinyasa, particularly the upper body stuff with the chatarangas, like jenny1980 said. And I didn't get the yoga "peace and calm and in tune with your body" feeling I do with other class, kind of like incogneato said. I think I'm mostly going to stick to the heated vinyasa or power vinyasa classes or "hot yoga" but I might do Bikram here and there if the mood strikes me.

Thanks again for all your comments!!

If you live near a CorePower studio I really like their Hot Power Fusion class. It's the same sequence each time and includes a lot of the bikram poses, but there is also some flow as well. And it's only an hour and has music. 

Yes I do! We have several here and I signed up for one via ClassPass but I accidentally went to the wrong studio and they had core power 2 about to start so they just let me do that class instead. I definitely want to try HPF. I went to a "power vinyasa" class at another studio today and man, the flow was SO fast paced.

[persa]

May 20, 2016 17:06:23 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

May 20, 2016 16:52:01 GMT -5 persa said:

Yes I do! We have several here and I signed up for one via ClassPass but I accidentally went to the wrong studio and they had core power 2 about to start so they just let me do that class instead. I definitely want to try HPF. I went to a "power vinyasa" class at another studio today and man, the flow was SO fast paced.

I am a ClassPass junkie! LOL I love it so much! I used to belong to CorePower but switched to CP so I can do barre and other non-yoga things as well. Definitely give HPF a shot! I generally use my three CorePower classes/month on that class bc I love it so much. :-)

Yes! ClassPass is the best! My gym membership is totally unused now but I can't cancel till this summer. I finally realized that I was never going to go do 30 mins on the elliptical or some crap like that.

And I'm excited that I can use it out of town, I have to look to see what/if they have ClassPass in Chicago for my trip up there in July.

[persa]

jenny1980, I just did the HPF class today and it was good! Very Bikram inspired but shorter and without the smell, lol. I love my Vinyasas so I'll probably do a mix of heated vinyasa and hot yoga classes, mixed in with spin and Barre.