Focus Through Perspiration

At the moment when I thought I had reached my physical and mental limits, and could push my body no further.... I still had 80 minutes left in Bikram yoga.

Aaahhhh, Bikram.  I have practiced yoga since 2000, primarily forms including Vinyasa, Hatha, and even the occasional Yin class.  I love yoga.  I always feel amazing, even though I'm not flexible.  I get a good stretch, and in some Vinyasa classes I even get my heart rate up a little.  Bikram, however, is an entirely different beast.

For my birthday, a friend bought me a 30-day Bikram pass to a studio that opened up a mile from my house.  I was waiting until after Ironman to use my pass, knowing that I (stubbornly) wouldn't give up valuable training time to take on 30 days of Bikram.  I have been to Bikram classes before in Tucson and Tempe so this was not an entirely new experience.  I have never continued Bikram (for reasons to be revealed shortly), but I wanted to maximize my month long experience. 

Bikram yoga (not to be confused with "hot yoga") is a practice based on the philosophies of Bikram Choudhury.  He created a series of 26 postures, and 2 breathing exercises.  The series takes you through different regions of the body and creates a tourniquet effect on the area of focus by contorting into various poses.  When the tourniquet is released, blood flow is returned and toxins are flushed from the area.  The practice is done in a room of 105 degrees and roughly 40% humidity.  Each class is scheduled for 90 minutes in length, though I have heard rumors of classes running over by 30 minutes or more. 

My first day in class, I was prepared.  I showed up in my bra top and shortie shorts.  I laid my towel out over my mat and had my liter of ice water nearby.  None of this however could have prepared me for the jungle of torture I had just entered.  Throughout the class, steam is being pumped into the room through an overhead vent.  When the temperature dropped to a chilly 104, the heat would kick on.  The 4 fans on the ceiling of the confined room tinkled their laughter as I dripped water from every pore in my body.  I was pretty sure I was melting.

I survived that class, and went back for more.  Due to my work schedule conflicting with the yoga schedule I was only able to enroll in 3 classes per week.  This however, was more than enough.  The second class proved to be just as hard as I struggled to breathe.  I was sure the battery in my watch had fried because time was not moving. 

I am one of "those people" who hates to take any kind of medication.   I long ago gave up taking ibuprofen or Tylenol, reaching instead for arnica when I felt any pain or soreness.  I have struggled with allergies since moving to Arizona 7 years ago, and for many years was forced to take daily antihistamines.  I have recently given these up in favor of a neti-pot.  Bikram is practiced with nasal breathing, though when the heat kicked on in the second half of my second class, my sinuses instantly swelled and I had to resort to open-mouth breathing to make it through class.  (It's rather challenging to make it through Bikram with post- nasal drip I found.)  

I can usually survive the 5:30 am class pretty well.  I leave feeling rather revived, if not thirsty.  The 4:15 pm class that I took nearly killed me.  I had to keep stopping and just stand with my eyes wide open waiting for the dizziness to pass.  I have learned that the most important part of practice is to always keep your eyes open (even in Savasana) and breathe slowly.  The more slowly I breathe as I move through poses, the less likely I am to feel light headed. 

So, you ask, why am I not sold?  Well, a couple of reasons.

As I said, I am a huge fan of yoga.  But in every yoga class I've attended the instructor always warns participants to 'listen to your body', and stretch within your personal limitations.  Stretching should feel good, not painful.  In Bikram, the instructors routinely encourage people to push past limitations, beyond the point of pain.  As you probably also know, I'm a big fan of pain and I'm always pushing my limits.  But I'm not a fan of pain in yoga because I believe it's unhealthy and unnecessary.  I have a hard time accepting that I'm being a wimp by not forcing my joints into Fixed Firm Pose, when they are just not going to go there.  Ever. 

 The other problem, which actually hasn't been a problem this time around, is that in a heated room it's very easy to push your body beyond it's normal limit without even realizing it.  Previously when I've gone to Bikram yoga, I have always had back or neck pain for a week or more after.  I attribute this to pushing beyond what is normal or comfortable for my body due to the heat warming my muscles.  This time, I have a much stronger musculoskeletal system having routinely practiced strength training for the last 4 years.  I have not noticed any pain after class this round.  My knees, are another story, and I did have to give up Fixed Firm Pose, though I never made it anywhere close to the final pose. 

So, you ask, why keep going?  One reason.  Focus.

The biggest reason to practice Bikram yoga is to gain focus and control of your focus.  After class number 3, I stopped wearing a watch.  In my morning classes, I rarely even take a sip of water.  During class I literally focus on my belly button in the mirror in front of me, hearing only the orders barked out by the instructor as we move through poses.  My mind is clear and my gaze is unwavering.  There are no distractions.  I hardly even blink.  In my first class, during the instructor's monologue he would make remarks about how eventually you don't need water.  Or how you don't need to wipe the sweat off or scratch the itch on your forehead.  Even blinking requires too much energy taken away from your focus.  I thought he was crazy.  (He might be.)  But I found he was right.  When sweat is rolling off my body I no longer reach for my towel to dry my face.  I let it drip off.  And when I have an itch, eventually it goes away.  I only have to focus on my breathing.  The heat cannot distract me (though it really tries). 

I am hoping that this benefit will carry over into my other pursuits.  For example, when I'm traveling on foot 50 miles through the Grand Canyon (or Tahoe) and my lungs and legs are burning with each step of the climb out, I hope I can focus on my breath and not let the discomfort be a distraction.  And when I race my next Ironman, I hope to be able to turn my mind off to the negative, focus on the positive and perform as I know I am capable.