bikram yoga (3)

the day i tried bikram yoga for the first time a.k.a. the day i nearly died

it was a most amazing but most horrifying experience i've had for quite a long time!
the studio was hot, but initially i didn't think the heat was that bad. but as time passed, it became more stuffy and i got more and more claustrophobic and i felt like i couldn't breathe. it became suffocating and by the 5th or 6th standing pose, i began to get quite dizzy. eventually everything went white and the room started to spin. i stopped and rested for a while but couldn't stand properly without feeling dizzy. eventually the nausea set in and the rest of the practice was a torture to endure to the finish.

of the 26 poses, i only managed to complete half properly. half of the remainder was completed but not satisfactorily cuz i was feeling faint. the rest, well, i was almost blacked out on the floor so i couldn't even attempt them. it was a challenge even to breathe.

anyways, having said that, i must say the class started very well, though i'm not sure bikram yoga was the only thing the instructor was sellling. he came into the class and ripped off his tee shirt leaving only a tiny pair of trunks and remained that way for the rest of the class. having witnessed that, i realised why the ladies kept returning for his class - no doubt for the many health benefits, but the eye candy was certainly a motivation! =)

i emerged from the class red as a lobster and feeling incredibly sick. i spent the rest of the day trying to ease the queasiness in my stomach and appease the migrane that would not go away. even now as i'm typing this post my head's light and body weak. according to the teacher, this was normal for first timers and it is a very good sign that the body is detoxing. i didn't perspire too much, no surprise there, but i don't think i'd ever go back for bikram or even hot yoga. it's just too traumatising and the stuffy heated studio is really not my cuppa tea, no matter how many extra calories it may help to burn.