| rev:text
| - Absolutely love this studio!! This studio tops them all. But before I begin lets clear the (humid) air.
Yes it is hard! Yes it is silent! Yes it is hot! Yes it is very humid! Wait, why do I love this without be a sadomasochist? I'll explain a little lower in my review. It's in my option harder than *almost* any other type of workout I've tried. I'm 100% serious when I say that. Whether you go all the way in each pose or just stand/ sit in the room. There is SO MUCH to benefit from doing bikram yoga.
I've been an athlete my entire life (from the time I can remember and per my parents photos even before that - hello jungle gym). Anyway, to keep it short, I've broken/fractured a few bones in my life... recently and decades ago. All were in not so awesome places like my feet, back, hand...femur. I thought I'd have to quit rock climbing, running and cross fit. Thanks to this studio and bikram yoga all of my pains are gone. My foot pain would wake me up in the middle of the night for years. It stopped after my 2nd week here (about 10 days total practice). After my first class my feet were sore! I never thought that could happen but now I know the muscles were weak and were contributing to the pain. I even saw two podiatrists who recommended killing the nerve in my foot. I'm glad I tried yoga and didn't go with the Dr's recommendations. I'm blown away as I already had muscle, worked out daily and ate healthy before coming here. I also would get occasional back pains from another injury that I haven't had since I started practicing bikram. I can even do camel pose (knelling backbend) without any pain or discomfort. SO COOL!
I like all of the instructors, but I think my favorite instructor is Audrey. I'm not sure how she does it, but at the exact moment when I close my eyes she'll firmly state "keep your eyes open". In the back of my head I'm thinking 'Was she watching me? No way, I'm not even facing her.' And of course right when I'm getting lightheaded she reminds everyone to breath. Again, another thought in my mind asking if she's watching me or if she's just that good? All of the instructors repeat the same exact movements, how to perform them and then how to go further. I like this approach as it's very methodical, controlled, predictable and allows me time for move without injury.
The yoga room has carpet. Some people say it's gross, I really like it compared to the wood floors. I've managed to accidentally do the splits on wood floors in other yoga studios... super ouchie... totally embarrassing. They allow the new students to sit in the back to watch others and to get some of the cool breeze when someone walks through the exit door. My first yoga class here was really difficult. I thought I was going to pass out several times so I ended up sitting most of the time. It really amazed me to see how you can get such a workout from something that seems so easy and simple. It took about 4 classes(in a row) for me to be able to keep going and not have to sit down.
The instructors are compassionate about yoga but make sure their student are always ok. I've seen them bring Kleenex, water, and coconut water to people who were definitely in need of these items. Sometimes I think people get overwhelmed by the class because it's different and sometimes can be packed. Anyhoo, I can completely focus on one thing and let everything else go for the 90 minutes while getting an amazing workout. It truly is "me" time. Not to be selfish but I look forward to it everyday and miss it when I can't make it.
|