My Experience with Bikram Yoga

I am not an expert. I have never practiced Yoga. March 2, 2010 was my first experience. I do not know how to meditate. My ability to concentrate is poor. I have puny self discipline. In 39 days, I have completed 40 beginner sessions. I am not an expert, I am merely a beginner.

Why the disclaimer … to emphasize that this testimonial is my own personal experience. For example, if you and I were to sip from the same glass of wine, we’d taste the same thing. However, your sipping experience will be waaaaay different.

My personal experience with Bikram Yoga will be different than yours, but it’ll also be the same.

On March 1st, 2010, I was in many respects spiritually, emotionally, financially and physically unfit. On March 1st, I was midway through my 39th year of living; the downward velocity of life was remarkable. A close, trusted friend encouraged me to join him for a hot yoga session. I declined, opting to re-watch an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

On March 2, 2010, I accepted his offer.

A brief, personal, pre-Bikram physical account:  My ribs were hurting due to pressure from fat stored behind them.  I had reached the last hole on my leather belt.  I found it hard to discern where my chin ended and neck began.

At 33 yrs old I herniated my L3/L4 disc.  Several months later, apparently unsatisfied, I ruptured, tore, decimated, etc. the same disc.  My solution was a standard western medicine approach.  I got an steriod epidural.  I took pain pills.  I used a heating pad.  And I stretched every day, just a bit.  I continued along in life – with less physical activity – as if nothing really bad happened.

I was born with severe allergies (inflamed skin, red eyes, straw breaths, killer sinus, etc).  Living in LA in the early 70′s made it exponentially worse.  Moving to Detroit in the late 70′s didn’t help either.  By the time I reached Austin, my allergist exclaimed “Damn, you’re the worst I have seen!” A compliment for an early teen.

Prior the spine injury, I was undaunted by my ailments.  I became a superstar at indoor rock climbing gyms.  I ran marathons and ultra-marathons.  I did 20 fully extended pullups in DC to get a Marine t-shirt (had no idea they’d be calling me for a year afterward.)  Having asthma increased my lung capacity. I could hold my breath for 90+ seconds.  At 33 years old, I was in pretty dang good shape.

Then my previously mentioned disc exploded.  I gained at least 40 lbs between 2005-10. Doctors thought I was depressed, so they prescribed SNRIs and sleeping pills. [Unrelated: Hallucinogenic NYTimes Article]

Aside from health, I lost a few other important things. But this post is more about what I gained.

Without anything better to do, I went to Austin’s Downtown Bikram studio.  Following are a few, life enhancements that have materialized before reaching my 60th class in 60 days.

1. The belt that I wore in my 30′s became too big.  I am now wearing the belt I wore in my 20′s.  I think I lost 10 pounds yesterday.  My body was becoming more balanced.  My ribs don’t hurt anymore.  [An aside: When a dude's ribs begin to hurt, is Eve to blame?]
2. I can take deep breaths.  I can feel fresh oxygen entering my system.  Instead of my trained puff of albuterol, I relax and breathe.  Unless it gets really bad, then I take a puff off the inhaler.  I don’t want to croak yet.
3. My mindset is different.  Prior to Bikram, I perceived my ailments as a controlling force of my actions and decisions.  At this moment I am the manager.  I control my ailments.  I tell them whether it’s OK or not to flare.  Well, sort of.  The pollen season this year was pretty dang rough.
4. I can concentrate.  I can sleep. I can balance on one leg. I can go deeper with a smiling happy face.  I can lock the knees, I can lock the knees, lock the knees (even if the ligaments and muscles in my thigh and calf are getting shredded).  I am eating better foods.  My senses are heightened.
5. Newton’s 1st and 3rd laws are real.  Well of course.  Theoretically, these laws make a a lot of sense.  Yet, knowing the theory and actually seeing it demonstrated are entirely different.  In accordance to the 1st law … my body was at rest and was tending to stay at rest.  Then, my aforementioned friend (acting as a physical force) set my booty in motion.  With regard to the 3rd law: It’s plain to see that anything that really sucks has the potential to become super sweet. Lemon flowers are sweet; but the fruit is not.  My life was sinking toward a nadir, then rocketed with Bikram toward an unanticipated apex.

At first, I scoffed at the shiny, happy motivational stories about Nixon, Kareem, McEnroe and others.  ”Yeah, whatever!” I thought.  The scoffer was taken to school.  The skeptic is now a believer.  I have transformed.  I have personal evidence it works.

I don’t want to jinx myself and write more.  I don’t want to fall into the trap of confident complacency.  I want to go for 120 classes in 120 days.  My back still hurts.  I still have wicked allergies.  I still have a bit of a buddha in my belly.  I can’t yet get my freaking forehead on the ground (almost there!).  Can’t bite my toes on the penultimate pose. I fall out of postures.  I gasp for air.  I even started crying one day. Crying! But no-one could tell because my face was red, eyes already bloodshot.  And finally, I haven’t done my taxes yet.  So I really have to stop.  I have 4 days left.

And the best for last.  I know when I go to class today I will be taken care of.  The staff of BYDAustin bear witness to the sweet fruits of continued practice.  Mardy, Nora Jeanne, K(C)athy D(M), Karen, Donna, Jonathan, Ashley, Ice Pick Edy, Susan, Suzanne, Jeff, Tyler and all of my sweaty peers inspire me.  When I am feeling really super duper crappy, and I drag myself into the studio, hiding my eyes with my oversized hat, I feel welcomed.  Warmly welcomed.

Postscript:  Here are a few not so obvious guidelines I followed to get to 60 sessions in 60 days.  They are silly, like this post, but pretty dang serious too!