I have never wanted something to end so much!  Well maybe that time during basic training where we went into the gas chamber, filled with tear gas and had to remove our gas masks and then stand there till the drill sergeants thought we were ready to leave, but other than that nothing else has ever been so hard, it's a million degrees and the heat weighs on you, assaults you!.



They give you a mat, a big towel, a little towel, and a bottle of water.  The big towel goes over the mat, the little towel is to wipe the sweat off your whatevers or use as a strap in some of the poses, the water bottle is your manna from heaven.  After about 15 minutes, it's of course warm water.  My towel was sopping wet.  If I were a wrestler trying to make weight, 90 minutes of this would move me down two weight classes.  I was doing this pose, feet about 4 feet apart, hands gripping my ankles (kissing my a$$ goodbye!) head on the floor, ok head near the floor, and I look back and sweat is pouring off my shorts between my legs, not dripping pouring.



I'm pretty flexible, can do a reasonable split, I'm familiar with all of the poses that we did and can do most of them, I have weak ankles (too many sprains over the years) so the one legged stances are a challenge but I was able to wobble through them.

Anyone who has ever taken my blood pressure has always commented on how low it was, I've always taken that to mean I can eat all the salt I want,  in the second half of class, when we were on the mat, we would rest in corpse pose, and then raise our arms over our heads and do a sit up, and then move into the next pose, each time I'd have this wave of light headed-ness wash over me that I would have to pause before moving into the pose.


When it was over, my throat was so constricted I couldn't talk much above a whisper.  I drained a juice box of coconut water, and 2 two liter water bottles.

Driving home, I realized I had never felt so incredible before! It felt like every cell, every muscle was charged up and alive!

Bikram two

Session 2 at 10 am this morning 
Studio one (the gas chamber) had an intro offer for $20 you get your first two classes if used within three days.  I went on a Tuesday and planned on going again Thursday.  An unfortunate run in with jello shots on Wednesday night left me a little to wobbly to attempt class on Thursday.  Friday an incredible thunder storm rolled through with hail and torrential rain, I rushed home to rescue my ponies.  They of course were perfectly fine, I think that the worst of it bypassed them.

Found Studio 2 near my home, they have an intro offer, $30 one week unlimited use.  So I signed up for that because Dawn says I really should go 6 days in a row, what she didn't say was and then you die.

Got to say, did not get the same warm and fuzzy feeling from this studio two as I did from the gas chamber.  The instructor was working the front desk just as at the gas chamber, but seemed far to distracted to explain the procedures, me with one whole class under my belt is still not sure of the etiquette nor did he seem able to focus on my questions. 

Once class was underway he offered no corrections, now it could be that I'm a bikram savant and got everything right, but considering he did often say that first timers should just concentrate on getting a taste for it, perhaps thinking that the attrition rate is so high among first timers that he needn't spend to much time with them untill they commit?



I have to say one of my biggest fears or concerns was actualized, not by me luckily, and I no longer have that to worry about.  Coming out of Standing separate leg stretching pose, this large gentleman nearby farted, two, loud wet, blubbery farts in quick succession.  Imagine sweat soaked cheeks flapping in a rippling duck call.  AND NO ONE LAUGHED!  I have to admit that I have been afraid that while concentrating hard to maintain a pose that I might inadvertently squeeze one out, so I now know that I don't need to be embarrassed.  However given the way I sweat, it is not going to be pretty.  Then I had to hold back a giggle...because what I pictured was his shorts ballooning out with the trapped air!  Like mens bathing suits will do when you dive into the water.  I had to cough to hide it.


I did get light headed again, in the camel pose.  I couldn't do them today, and stayed with my hands on my hips but that was the only time that happened.  I remembered Dawn's tips, to smile when it got tough to trick my mind into thinking it was having fun, and to chant, didn't remember her chant exactly but came up with something close enough breathing in "Eeeeevvvvveeeeeerrrrrryyyy cccccccccceeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllll" breathing out iiiiiiiiissssssssss aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllliiiiiiivvvvvvvveeeeeeeeee".  That worked, and I kept my eyes open, when it was tough I tended to close my eyes, which I think contributed to feeling light headed.

Once again the sweat flowed out of me like the tap was left on, my towel was sopping, I don't know what they do with those floors but I can't imagine it's very clean under that carpet.

Finished up and with the exception of camel pose, did everything and hung in there.  Class 3 is tomorrow, I'm trying for the 8 am because it should be a bit less crowded. 

Ok..so it seems farting is pretty common. Or I am on a streak. There are times besides when I have my hockey equipment on that not having a sense of smell is a blessing. Someone near me, not the same person from yesterday, had a flatulence issue! Nearly every time she bent at the waist....


Better teacher today, very upbeat, kept the tempo going by talking throughout the poses even serenaded us at the end with a song, he has a very good voice.

One of my concerns (there are many) is the amount that I sweat, I don't think it's normal.



When I mentioned that before signing up they just laughed and said everyone sweats, don't worry about it. But I don't see anyone else with sweat running in a stream off of them, I don't see anyone else with a towel leaving a trail of water as they walk out of class. Which begs the question what is the proper procedure for exiting so as to leave as little a sweat trail as possible?


What do you do when you're in stick pose and you realize you are dripping on the water bottle of the person in front of you? Do you discretely mention it? Do you offer to buy them another? Not that either will do them any good during class, do you do as I did, hope no one else noticed and move slightly?

They don't cover any of that in the FAQ's.

Most likely class 4 tomorrow!

Bikram #4


I've noticed that I've been eating better food and less of it too as of late.  Last Monday we had a office party, they served fried everything.  I took a plate and was looking forward to digging in, but after a few bites, it just felt gross.  So I dumped it and got a salad.  I've dropped 6 pounds in a week and my body fat pct is down around 11.  I have been tired on my runs and played the two worst games of hockey this week that I've played in awhile.

OK I'll get right to it, no one farted!  Brings the average down to 50% of classes someone rips a few.

When I took my first class at this studio, they said to grab a dry mat off of the rack to use.  Afterwards I asked where should I put it, and they said "on the rack".  I had assumed that they were drying off after being cleaned (the first studio cleaned them) not drying off from being soaked in sweat.  It seems like I should be grossed out by that but I'm not really. 

The teacher last night was the friendliest of the three I've had there, but I had overheard her talking to someone and saying that she hadn't practiced much.  Would have thought that was a prerequisite.

This was by far the toughest class...it wasn't just me as afterwards several people asked if it was hotter than normal.  No was the answer, the highest the temperature got was 102 but the humidity was higher than normal.  So it's true, it's not the heat it's the humidity. 

I know I am belaboring this, but geez it's amazing the amount of sweat I'm coming up with!  At pose eight the river starts to flood off the hem of my shorts, last night it started at five. 

AND WHATS WRONG WITH MY ARMS?  Why is it so hard to hold them up?  My shoulders are killing me.

I had more trouble than usual  doing one legged poses last night, I'm guessing that my muscles are tired and are having a tougher time handling balancing poses.




By  the time we got to camel, pose 22,  I was feeling dizzy and stayed down for them both. 




Wonder what it is about that pose that gets me every time.  Moving from laying down to being up on my knees?

The guy in front of me had white scabby looking things on his feet, really made cobra more challenging then it needed to be. 



Then doing the situps, put your hands over your head, fingers clasped, my hands kept hitting his feet!  EEEEEEYYYYYYEEEEEEEWWWWW!  I kept scooching down my mat till finally my feet were on the wall! 


But then I'm sure it's no picnic standing next to the human sprinkler either!



Ok, I'm going to have to dip into the testosterone for a moment,
 "WHAT??? MORE!  YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FARTS AND BODILY FLUIDS FOR THREE DAYS"
 Yup one totally male observation coming up, there is an added dimension of beauty and grace brought to yoga by a woman wearing only a sport bra and boy shorts, IMHO.

(sorry no pictures)

Bikram class 5

I've noticed that the right front corner seems to attract the most limber practitioners. 



Today there was a tall, well long woman in that spot today.  Come to think of it the other classes that space has been occupied by long women.  I had gotten there early so I sat for about 20 minutes getting acclimated and unwinding.  This woman did the most amazing upward bow!  then added the variation where the leg goes straight up.   I watched her do some pushups earlier, and I thought after class I'll mention the 100 pushup challenge, well then she went to the wall, and did inverted pushups.


I figured she didn't need any pushup challenge.  At least in the 100 range.

Another new instructor, four classes four different instructors.  Instructor #3 was on the mat next to me today and didn't seem particularly advanced.  This instructor, while talking about how difficult the poses can sometimes be, and how it's hot and all, said I've taken a few classes.  So three and four both intimated that they hadn't practiced much or long,



and I've noticed that there is a certain repetition to the instructions throughout class.  So I wonder if I memorized the lines, could I instruct?  Dawn any thoughts on that? From the way you described your training it sounded intensive, much the opposite of what I'm sensing from the last two instructors.

I've noticed my balance poses have gotten better.  I can do, at least the basic pose without getting all wobbly and having to catch my balance.  It would be great to move into the more advanced part of the pose, maybe next week :)

AND NOW MY FAVORITE SUBJECT, sweat!  I noticed a dark spot around the center of my space today, where the tidal surge of sweat overwhelmed the ninth ward of my towel and darkened the carpet.


Just out of curiosity I wrung my towel out in the sink afterwards...next class, I am going to bring a measuring bowl with me, and see just how much comes out of my towel.  It was impressive! 

As long as we, ok me, is on bodily fluids, let me talk about urine.  Being a runner, I know that the color of your urine is an indication of your hydration level.  The clearer the better.  Now I have had some long training runs prior to a marathon where I have had urine the color of coke-a-cola. 


If  it had lumps in it I wouldn't have been surprised.  This past week, it hasn't been that bad, but it's been a very dark yellow.  Somewhere near a black & tan beer.



 No, that's too dark, more like a J W Dundee Honey Brown ale.



To combat that I have been drinking a lot of water, and yet I can't seem to keep up.

I also figure that the cramping I've been getting in my feet



 has to do with my hydration level and perhaps a potassium deficiency.   So I've been working on those two.