The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › General Hot Yoga Discussion › Frequency of Practice › First two classes
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I started Bikram yoga classes yesterday and had my second class today. It’s been ‘interesting’ so far. I have never done yoga of any kind before so it’s kind of new to me, but I’ve been reading about hot yoga on the internet for the last month or so and have become intrigued enough to give it a go.
Last week I tried to join a Hot Yoga studio close to my home, but it turned out it was woman-only and I’m a man.. so.. that was embarassing. Anyway I decided to go to the authentic Bikram studio here instead which luckily accepts both men and women, and even though it’s really expensive I’ve decided to give it a try. I was worried on my first day that I might be the only man (though I know one of the 6 instructors is also a man) however luckily there was another guy in the room as well. I don’t think I’d care now, but I was a bit worried about how I’d be perceived on the first day if I was going to an all woman’s class haha. I don’t think I’d worry if I was the only guy in the future though, now I’ve tried a couple of classes.
The first day I found it really quite tough but stayed in the room and attempted every pose without taking any extra breaks and did reasonably well at some of them (like ‘corpse’ haha). I found it hot, of course, and during the last 20 minutes the heat was really getting to me but I stuck with it and felt good at the end.
Today however, it was so much harder! I think it must be because it’s more humid outside today and this made the studio more humid too. I think the humidity level was somewhere between 70-90% and so was really quite uncomfortable. Today I skipped a couple of the second sets and ended some poses a little early because the heat had drained me so much. I felt bad about this because I managed to attempt EVERY pose and repetition yesterday – I thought today would be similar or possibly easier, but it wasn’t. After the first hour I felt dizzy a couple of times and had to take a couple of rests, which was disappointing.
Anyway, I think I’m enjoying it so far, though I’m beginning to ache a bit now! My plan is to go Wed-Sat this week, then Mon-Fri/Sat from then on, at least until my 1 month special-offer-unlimited-classes is up. I hope I have the energy to go tomorrow and Saturday, and that it’s less humid!
A question: I get shaky legs during some of the standing poses. I’m guessing this is simply because they’re not strong enough yet, right? I’m guessing this will improve, though it makes me look kind of ridiculous at the moment I think.
Another question: The fast breathing exercise at the end.. scares me. It looks to me like one is trying to hyperventilate or something! As I had a bad experience with hyperventilation earlier this year that left me hospitalized and having to endure a battery of tests I’m now scared of fast shallow breathing. Can someone explain this breathing method to me properly, and also what the point of it is? I’m sure the teacher is going to tell me off for not doing it right soon haha.
Last question: What’s the time frame for becoming accustomed to the heat? Although I think I’ve done OK so far (better than another lady who started yesterday too^^) I found that I wasn’t actually trying as hard as I could in some of the poses simply because of the heat factor.. I was worried I might pass out. I’d like to be able to try harder in some of the positions but find the atmosphere is holding me back somewhat.
Oh and if it’s relevant, I’m a 29 yr old male. I was doing kickboxing and a bit of stretching last year, but haven’t done any substantial exercise this year at all. I’m trying to fix that now though.
That’s all I’ve got to say for now, so thanks for reading, and thanks to anyone who can give me some pointers on the above 3 questions =)
Hi David
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on beginning your hot yoga practice. Thanks for your detailed account of the last 2 days and what has been going on for you in your body and mind.
So let’s take a look at answering those questions!
Regarding shaky legs:
You are likely correct. Your body is learning how to balance and for extended periods of time. This does improve in time. You will probably notice that the movements are quite gross at the moment but in a pretty short amount of time the movements become finer and finer and you will shake less and less.Your comment about “looking ridiculous”: might that be that you are feeling a little conspicuous? May I offer that the term ‘ridiculous’ is a value judgment and I can just about bet my bottom dollar that no one thinks that about you.
I have the answers to your other 2 questions which I want to spend a little time on. The family is on the way out the door so stay tuned I will finish this soon.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂I know Gabrielle is going to answer your questions much better than I could, but I wanted to say something too. First, I have been practicing bikram yoga for almost 4 months, going to class 5-6 days a week. I’ve only recently noticed that the heat is not as much of an issue for me, so I guess you could say it took about 3 months of really consistent practice to get used to the heat. Although, I do live in Austin, TX where it has been over 100 degrees EVERY DAY for the past 2-3 months and it’s pretty humid as well so that may have affected how long it took me to get accustomed to the heat.
The shaky legs are most likely due to your muscles getting used to the exercises and building muscles. I have problems with keeping my weight properly distributed over my standing foot, and have weak ankles, so I am often wiggling around quite a bit as well!
To answer your question about the final breathing exercise, I totally relate to your apprehension, as I have struggled with panic attacks in the past and shallow breathing can freak me out too. All I can say is to do what your teachers say, that is, ONLY focus on the exhale from the belly, and the inhale will happen on its own. I remember that it took me at least a few weeks of classes before I felt comfortable that I was doing this exercise properly.
I also wanted to say that you should be so proud of yourself for doing this! It has really changed my life and I know it will do the same for you as you move along in your practice. I think your goal of going 5-6 days a week is awesome! I went 6 days a week for 10 weeks when I started and I really believe it got me in shape fast so now I can move along quicker than if I had only gone a few days a week. Don’t judge yourself or think that you look “ridiculous” although this will probably fix itself as you continue going to class. I know that I was much more aware of how I looked and self-conscious when I first started and now I don’t really care! Know that no one else in the room cares, and probably doesn’t even notice the things that you are worried about! They are either so absorbed in their practice, or they are too absorbed thinking the exact same things about themselves! Good luck!
Thank you for your kind and helpful comments.
I’ve now attended 2 more classes and each was better than the one before. I think I understand the breathing at the end a little better now, and was much better at it today. The leg shaking is also not as bad, I think that is perhaps 50% leg strength and 50% learning to balance properly.
The heat was MUCH better yesterday because it wasn’t as humid. Today I think the heat might have been a little lower than 43c even.. there were 4 first-timers today and perhaps the instructor was being kind.. either that or I’m getting used to the heat quickly!
Oh and with regards to “might that be that you are feeling a little conspicuous?”, Gabrielle, I AM a little conspicuous. I’m a white guy in a room full of Asians, so I DO stand out and people stare at me a bit before class starts. But it’s OK because I’m used to people stopping and staring at me in public after 5 years of living here now =) Anyway during class everyone is too focused on their practice to worry about me luckily. When I’ve taken martial arts classes here before there was lots of staring though haha.
Thanks for your comments guys. 4 classes done!
Hi David
Just wondering how you are going now that you have had the chance to attend a few more classes.
Your natural physiological heat-acclimatization process should by now be making it easier to be in the room. How are the “shaky legs” improving? Strength and stability can build surprisingly fast. I wonder how much having some classes under your belt would have improved your experience with the final breathing exercise.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi,
Yes I’m doing much better. I think the problem with the second class was the humidity.. it was probably close to 100% that day and it made it much tougher. Now summer is over here so even if it rains it shouldn’t get that humid again until next July!
My legs are still a little shaky sometimes.. but much less so I think.
I understand the final breathing exercises much better now. I am fine for the first set, but find I can’t really go fast enough on the second set, but it’s getting better!
I signed up for 4 more months yesterday (Buy 3, get 1 free special offer) so I’ll definitely be doing this for a while! I hope to continue to improve!
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