| rev:text
| - Bikram Yoga, the kind of yoga that makes most people recoil in horror when mentioned. You
either love it or hate it; my feelings about it are complicated. My Bikram practice has been off and on for about three years and this is the third studio, and nicest, in the valley that I've visited for classes.
What's a Bikram yoga class like?
- the studio is heated to 105 degrees and kept at 40% humidity
- 90 minutes long
- 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises. The class is led by an instructor who talks students through the 90 minutes of class.
- SWEAT. There's a lot of it from you and all the people around you.
- Feelings of dizziness and nausea are normal. I've seen people leave class after ten minutes because they can't take the heat, literally. BUT, I've never, ever seen anyone pass out, even though that feeling has crept up on me before.
Bikram yoga has been described as militant because the same 26 poses are taught by certified Bikram teachers using the same dialogue/script. After taking classes for this long, I'm used to the script and don't consider it that weird anymore, even though I still don't know if my body looks like a Japanese ham sandwich in hands-to-feet pose. I don't think I've ever seen a Japanese ham sandwich; is it that different than an American ham sandwich?
Bikram Yoga Las Vegas is super clean and the studio itself doesn't smell like dirty feet, even with all those sweaty bodies in one place for so long. There are free lockers in the ladies' room. The staff is friendly and, best of all, John Salvatore teaches at this location. Mr. Salvatore is part of the "Jersey Boys" cast and I've had the pleasure of being his student at another studio in town. He teaches classes with humor and energy, but also with a lot of heart, ever respectful of how this yoga practice can revitalize and renew the spirit. He also brings his theater background into class, flipping the Bikram script upside down; it's hard not to laugh when you're trying to concentrate on some of the harder poses. You should take his class at least once. Yes, every time I go, I have to get mentally ready for 90 minutes of heat and stretching. I make sure I don't eat for at least three hours before class, lest the meal makes a reappearance during Triangle Pose. I'm not bendy or flexible like other people in the classes; I still have to modify some of the poses because of tight hamstrings. I sometimes still feel dizzy and feel like I'm going to keel over. But, I keep coming back because there's nothing like the feeling of having completed another session in one piece, having sweated out at least two pounds of water, with a friend or two suffering/practicing next to you. I actually do feel revitalized and renewed. And, Bikram Yoga Las Vegas is the location I choose to practice this crazy, controversial, but personally fulfilling type of yoga.
*If you want to try it for yourself, Bikram Yoga Las Vegas offers classes for $7 every 3rd weekend of the month. Maybe I'll see you next month at John's class. Check the schedule on their site: http://bikramlasvegas.com/
Namaste.
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