Bikram vs. Hot Yoga

As you guys can tell if you’ve been reading the blog lately, I’ve been taking full advantage of Breathe‘s 40 days for $40 offer that I bought earlier this month.

Last week I went to my first hot “tapas” yoga class there, and tonight I attended my second, so I thought I’d write about my findings.  The class isn’t called Bikram because in order to be designated a Bikram class, the instructor/style has to follow the method developed by Bikram Choudhury – “a set series of 26 yoga poses, including two pranayama exercises, each of which is performed twice in a single 90 minute class.” ( source: http://yoga.about.com/od/bikramyogahotyoga/a/bikram.htm)

I’ve taken Bikram at YogaSource many times with many different teachers and enjoyed the predictability of the class.  It’s always the same 26 poses, done twice.  The first time held longer than the second.  Bikram is very athletic – you’re striving to hold the pose, reach deeper, or wrap stronger.  I know that if I attended that class on a regular basis, I would get inspired by my progress with each pose.  Since it’s always the same exact ones in the same order, my improvement would be measurable. As it is right now, I can get into some of the poses, but many of them require me to significantly modify the original pose.  Which I’m fine with, because I know I’ve worked to the best of my ability.  Even as a sporadic student, I always leave the class feeling accomplished.

With hot yoga, it’s just that – yoga poses done in a heated room.  The class that I attend on Tuesday nights is very relaxing and therapeutic, just as you’d expect a yoga class to be.  The teacher, Joan, is so supportive, encouraging, and gentle.  She reminds us constantly throughout the class that whatever we can do is where we should take our practice.  Very non-competitive.  I leave feeling better about myself.

I’m planning on taking the Thursday night hot yoga class this week, which has an entirely different teacher, and it will be interesting to see if/how that experience compares.

Both classes help the body release built-up toxins, though sweating.  I walk out of each studio feeling as if I’m floating – like I’ve just risen from a sauna or steam room.  The benefits of both Bikram and hot yoga are clear:

Practiced regularly, this deep body cleansing practice will give you better circulation, a stronger immune system and higher energy levels.”

At this point, I can’t really say that I like one practice over the other.  Each has their place in my heart for different reasons.  My competitive side likes the challenge of Bikram, while the side of me that needs encouragement and soothing loves the hot tapas yoga.  In both, I love the feeling I have as I’m driving home – one of complete contentment, relaxation, and calm.

Plus, you really can’t beat the calorie burn with heated yoga – look it up on any calorie calculator and you’ll be amazed.  I burn well over 1000 calories (1156 in a 75 minute class, 1387 in a 90 minute class) each time.  Of course individual results vary, depending on how much you weigh, but no matter what, the burn you can achieve doing something this good for your body and mind is remarkable.

I highly recommend trying some form of hot yoga – if I can attempt it, you can, and should, too.

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Just Breathe

They say that the way that you spend New Year’s Day is the way that you’ll spend they year. Well, if that’s true, 2012 is going to be the year that I learn to breathe with yoga!

  This morning (ok, it was noon, but on New Year’s Day, noon is still morning, right?) I went with Kim, her husband, and my sister to Kim’s yoga studio, aptly named Breathe. They were having a New Year’s Day/1st Anniversary special – free yoga all day. I hadn’t been to the studio before, and I have to say, I really loved it there. It’s not as large as the studio I normally go to, but there’s something very comforting and peaceful about this space.

The front desk area - very warm & welcoming

A blurry photo of the tea house sign. I love that they have this option for a pre or post session cup of tea.

A shot of the store and decor. If you look to the left, you can see a class.

The wall of buddhas.

My favorite thing - by far - was this waterfall wall with the word "breathe" in all the different languages of the world. From Sanskrit to Italian and everything in between.

The best part of the day, though, was the Yoga Basics class taught by Su Wong.  Su was an amazing teacher – very knowledgeable, but also very lighthearted and playful in her teaching style. She was excellent about demonstrating the poses and then walking around and slightly adjusting the students as she saw we needed it.  She kept reminding us to be grateful for the way that our bodies  could move, and she kept reminding us not to take it all so seriously.  She repeated “let go” throughout the class, which was an excellent way for me to begin the new year living my mantra of release.  Sometimes things work out so perfectly that you know they just can’t be an accident – they’re absolutely meant to be. 

I left the class feeling uplifted, refreshed, and so energetic.  All the little kinks from the week’s workouts had been worked out, and I was ready to tackle the rest of the day, which consisted of a light lunch, a long walk with Sofi, and now some quiet time writing and listening to Buddha Bar Rebirth & Rejoice.  I bought these CDs back in 2004 and used to listen to them all the time, and then sort of forgot about them, so it’s been nice to rediscover them today.  They definitely have the calm, world music, electronic vibe.  Later tonight I plan on taking a long, luxurious bath, because I want to make that a weekly habit on Sunday evenings as a way of ending the weekend and beginning the new week.

To continue this yoga practice, one of my friends saw my post about going to Breathe today and let me know that next weekend my favorite studio, YogaSource, is offering free classes both days.  The studio is moving to new, 10,000 square foot space, and I can’t wait to check it out.  I’ve signed up for yin yoga on Saturday (after Zumba, I figured a little peace and spirtuality would be nice) and then Bikram on Sunday. I’m so glad I’m able to take advantage of another weekend of free yoga classes.

 

I also plan to take advantage of the fact that my local Lululemon store offers free yoga on Sunday mornings at 9:30am.  I think that sounds like a great new habit for 2012.  In the summer they take the yoga outside, which sounds fantastic.

I wish yoga wasn’t so expensive. In my area, a monthly membership is well over $80 (limited sessions) and closer to $115/mo for unlimited. That’s just not in my budget. But with as many yoga studios as I have in my vicinity, I could probably spend the next year paying very little by just taking part in these intro deals every month or so. That way, I can check out all of the studios I’m likely to go to and figure out which one I like the best.  Once I do that, I plan to buy some class packages, which helps me save a bit on the drop-in cost, and allows me to take my favorite class – Bikram – more often.

I think that 2012 is going to be the year that I explore my inner yogini even more! And by doing so, it will also be the year that I’m finally able to fit into some Lululemon yoga clothes.  Namaste!!

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Weekend Update – Getting it Done!

What a great weekend I just had! It was an excellent mix of fun, organization, planning, exercising, and healthy eating. I love weekends like this one because they make me feel like I used the two days off to the fullest.

Saturday

The weather was gorgeous and I shot out of bed really early for a Saturday (early for ANY day, really) at 5:45.  Why?  I have no idea other than the fact that my back was feeling much better and I got enough sleep the night before.  LC and I took the pups to Bark in the Park and had a great time.  Lots of sun, lots of wagging tails, and lots of walking. I think I was as worn out as Sofi, so I kept things pretty mellow for the rest of the day – laundry, reading, tv, bed.

Sunday

Today Sofi and I were up and at ’em early at our Puppy Kindergarten class, at which she makes me one proud puppy-mommy every single week.  I like that the class is at 9am every Sunday, because it forces me to get up and out of the house early.  No lazing around on Sundays, which is good for me.

After chatting with my sis for a while (our weekend coffee klatch), I headed to Yin Yoga with a colleague.  My yoga studio is offering a great “gift” to their members in honor of their impending move to a bigger, better studio – throughout the month of September I can bring 5 friends with me to a yoga class and both they and I get to attend the class free.  Such a great deal!  I have plenty of friends who said they’d like to try that studio, but few of them seem to want to make an actual date with me.  So strange, but I guess everyone is just so busy.  I’m really hoping I can get a few more people to join me, because it’s a great way to be social and get a free yoga class.  Win win.  The yoga class itself was a new one for me, and I really enjoyed it.  It’s all about holding deep stretches for long periods of time.  I could feel my tight muscles eventually relaxing, and it was great.  The teacher was awesome, and promoted a calm, spiritual atmosphere in the class.  Sort of a combination of church/therapy.  I liked it enough to want to make it a habit – I’m not sure I can afford to go every single week, but I’d like to go biweekly, if possible.  I left the studio feeling great physically and mentally.  Really uplifted and serene.

The rest of the day was spent getting organized (grocery shopping, meal planning, folding laundry) and taking care of me (going for a long walk with Sofi, waxing my brows/lip, and setting out my outfit for tomorrow, and making a good dinner).Getting everything all set and organized is the best way I can insure that I’m going to have a great week.  If I don’t have to think about my dinners, I’m one step ahead of the game.

I plan on spending the rest of tonight lounging around, watching all my Sunday shows, including: RHWNJ, Drop Dead Diva, and a DVR’d version of Ali Vincent’s new show, Live Big.  Have you guys watched it yet?  I have no idea if I’ll like it or not, but I figured that since I like all things BL, I should at least give it a shot).

But before I sign off to get in front of the boob tube, let’s talk about this post’s title, shall we?  I did get a lot done this weekend, that’s for sure, but what I’m really referring to is my “get to pre-op weight goal” plan.  Doing what I need to do to get it done.  This was my first weekend following the exact same food plan as I do during the week:

• Breakfast: Premier Nutrition Bar
• Lunch: Premier Nutrition Shake
• Snack: protein-dense (a choice of : raw almonds, laughing cow cheese, light string cheese, hummus with veggies, etc)
• Lean and Green Meal: Last night I had TJ’s Marinated Ahi Tuna with zucchini and tonight I had a hamburger patty and spinach salad with tomatoes, blue cheese, and oil/balsamic.

My calories stay under 1200 and I make sure to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in each day.  Today I had 2 hours’ worth! I’ve been getting in at least 64 oz of water (today I was way over that), too.

I’ve found the main thing that keeps me on track on the weekends is staying busy.  I can’t allow myself to have too much down time, otherwise I start wanting to eat.  Even if I’m not hungry.  Since that’s the key, I’m going to make sure that I don’t allow myself too much time to just laze around, especially these first few weeks while I’m building the habit again.

It really hasn’t been difficult at all, and I’m enjoying the lighter feeling I get from keeping my carbs in check.  I’m not saying I’m never going to eat pasta and rice again before the surgery, but I will say that I’m going to make those foods a treat rather than the norm.  Because once I start with carbs, I want more, more, more.  When I don’t eat them, I don’t miss them at all.  There’s definitely something to that.

So that’s my weekend.  If I could hit “repeat” on this weekend for the remaining months of 2011, I gladly would.  I’m going do my best to make sure that every weekend left in this year feels as balanced and as accomplished as this one did.

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