I have a love/hate relationship with yoga. I love the meditation, the flow, but I hate that I can’t just let my mind relax and truly discover the benefits of it. I don’t know if it is the slow pace or what, but everytime I attend a yoga class at my gym I think about my grocery list, what I have to do for work tomorrow and even what I’m going to wear. I was mixed about yoga, until recently that is!

Something I love about sites such as Groupon is that they often allow me to try new things at a fraction of the cost. That is exactly what occured here. I had heard of Bikram’s yoga before, but at $20 a class I felt that it was pricey. I’m cheap, what can I say?! A few months back Groupon had 2 months of unlimited Bikram’s yoga for $49. Now that is a price I can afford!

Have you ever taken a Bikram yoga class before? No? Well here’s a little Bikram 101. “Bikram Yoga is the original hot yoga that’s been featured in the press and on television, famous for it’s miraculous healing ability. It is a very specific 90 minute series of 26 yoga postures and breathing exercises taught in 105′ heat. Each pose is a challenge based on personal abilities; each pose addresses a certain area of the body, bestowing specific and powerful health benefits. The class is designed for beginners as well as for those students who have a regular practice. Every class is open to first time students.” Sounds crazy, right?!

There’s more. “By the end of a Bikram Yoga class, you will have worked every muscle, tendon, joint, ligament, internal organ, and gland while systematically moving fresh, oxygenated blood to 100% of the body.”

This was the part I was hoping for actually. As previously mentioned, I didn’t get very much out of my other yoga classes. I wanted a challenge. I think they knew that when I walked in there.

Here’s some tips that I learned from Day 1.

• Drink water! Do this the night before if you are taking a 6 am class like I did. Drink it all night. With dinner. Before bed. Whenever you can. If you are taking a class at night, drink water all day before. Trust me, it makes a world of difference.
• Dress appropriately. I’m an idiot at times. It was cold so I had on sweats. Thank goodness I had a pair of shorts in my car. 105 degrees in sweats probably would have killed me. I did notice that many of the women in the class wore sports bras and work out shorts. The gentlemen work speedos. I giggled. I love me a man in a speedo.
• Don’t be afraid to sit. I was dizzy and thought at one point I might pass out. I’m stubborn as all get out, so I refused to stop. The teacher noticed this and encouraged me to have a seat for a rep, then proceed when I felt better. Even taking that breather for a minute helped immensely. They encourage you to stay in the room, too.

All in all, I’m a newfound Bikram yogi. I loved it. The best part was, at the end, I was actually able to relax. Seriously. That very rarely happens! I shut my eyes and next thing I knew I was out like a light.

After the first class I was exhausted the rest of the day. However, after class number 2. that feeling definitely passed. It’s amazing what this class will do. I don’t know if was all the sweating or the heat, but I only wanted healthy foods the rest of the day. I had a salad when normally I’d scarf down a Boca burger with fries. Perhaps there is something to this yoga thing afterall.