Since discovering the original form of hotyogasix years ago, Bikram has been the one constant in my life.
Cities, jobs, and boyfriends have all come and gonebut Bikram has been my rock.
There are few things in life that make me happier.
After dipping my toes in, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
The rules were simple: Practice 30 times in 30 days.
Piece of cake, right?
Two breathing exercises to rid any toxins, a warm-up sequence, and alotof sweat.
Heres what went down in 30 consecutive days of Bikram.
I became physically and mentally sharper.
Yes, sometimes class was exhausting.
Bikram is not your average workout!
On two occasions I missed class, which meant two days of doubles.
The further along I got in the challenge, the more productive I became.
My emotions ran wild.
I had my good days and my bad days, but Week 2 was the most intense.
I cried during class about a fight Id had with my mom years earlier.
I realized how great it is to let go of your feelings, though, or succumb to them.
Yes, I lost weight.
I didn’t do the challenge to lose weight, but I inadvertently did.
Ninety minutes of sweating and a series of cardio-based asanas will do that.
I was regular as clockwork and my normally prominent sweet tooth vanished.
Upping my water intake was a challenge, but I wanted to verify I didnt dehydrate my body.
My flexibility took me to new places, which made me more confident overall.
I even began taking the advanced class, which I never thought Id get to do.
I was stretching muscles I had no idea even existed!
I took my meditation to the next level.
Bikram involves active meditation.
You are fixated on yourself for 90 minutes, looking straight into a mirror.
Time flew, and with it so did any problems that were floating around in my head.
I learned a lot about my practice.
We all have our favorite postures, and we all have postures that we dread.
But practicing for 30 days meant no escaping them, and you know what?
Some of those dreaded postures became bearable.
I even looked forward to some of them because I was making progress.
I learned that I’d subconsciously stopped listening to my teacher and needed to connect with the dialogue again.
On day 31, I was a little sad.
But two weeks have passed, and my yoga journey is in an entirely new place.
I feel stronger than ever and go to class with vigor each and every time.
The connection remains strong, and I cant wait to keep taking my practice further.
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