Bikram 60 Day Challenge

Image from here

I have decided to finally do a 60-day Bikram Yoga Challenge. As many of you know, I went through a Bikram-tastic phase during law school because I was looking for a form of yoga with little to no sun salutation action since my wrists were injured. I went faithfully during that 4 year period, but haven't been since I moved to Norfolk for my first job out of school. After I moved, I went to a couple of other yoga classes, including hot yoga classes in Virginia Beach, but it just wasn't the same and didn't really "stick." I have been meaning to go back to Bikram since I moved back to Richmond, and have even bought 2 Groupons for classes, but just haven't gotten my pants into gear!

For those of you unfamliar with Bikram, it is a type of yoga where the classes are 90 minutes long in a 104 degree room with 40% humidity. It is supposed to make you more flexible because your muscles are hot, so you can go deeper into the yoga poses. I do like the increased flexibility, and I LOOOOVE the hot room especially on cold or rainy days. But the real reason I love Bikram is that when you are finished , you are so hydrated (from chugging) and so loosy goosy that there is no room for anxiety in your body. ANYWHERE.

The Challege officially started on October 1, so I am starting 4 days late. My first class will be tonight, and I am going to try to go to just one class every day this week, to get back into the groove then maybe start doubling up next week to make up for lost time.

I am really looking forward to the whittled obliques gained from Half Moon Pose,

and the superfun backbends in Camel

and Standing Bow (the one pictured at the beginning of this post). I love those poses, which are hated by less flexible folk, because they are easy for me.

I am NOT looking forward to Balancing Stick

or Standing Head to Knee pose,

because they require actual strength and balance, which I have none.

I read this series in Oprah about a new challenger, and I have also recently learned of this blog, and I am curious as to what kinds of results I will have--physical, spiritual, mental? Maybe by the end, I will look like the picture...which is going to be my desktop for the next 60 days as motivation!