| rev:text
| - Last year I scored one of those cool Groupon deals for three unlimited months of practice at the Bikram Yoga Pittsburgh studio. It was a great deal and I really enjoyed the classes.
First off, I think that practicing in a hot room during the cold winter months in Pittsburgh is a great way to spend your time and money. It was refreshing and throughout the season I felt like I had a really nice buffer against my usual cold hands and feet. Bikram might not be for everyone; the room is really hot and it can be overwhelming to some. My husband had a hard time pushing through and doing the movements because it was so hot for him. I on the other hand really liked it, so it might depend on chemistry. It is worth a shot if you are interested through. I will be going in this week to get my winter fix. If you are on the fence about it, check their website and get on the mailing list. BYPGH runs specials regularly and you can usually find a deal to take some classes at a discounted rate, especially if you are new.
I attended classes regularly between December and February and the studio got quite full at times (particularly over the holiday when people return to Pittsburgh to visit family). My work schedule was varying at the time, and I got to try classes on all days and times offered. I'm not sure if it still is, but the studio was carpeted at the time, which to Serena R's point seems strange because there is a lot of sweating going on. I enjoyed the teaching (particularly, I liked Zeb's classes) and even when classes were big the instructors still made point to compliment and constructively correct students, which is the point of attending a class so you can get better.
Some other things that are good to know:
+DRINK A LOT OF WATER before you even arrive. 90 minutes in a seriously hot room means you are going to sweat. You don't take drink breaks during the class because the point is to focus yourself through a series of 26 positions. Drink a lot before and bring a canteen for after.
+Bring a yoga mat and a towel big enough to cover the whole mat (or close to it).
+There's a men's and a women's dressing space with bathrooms, a shower, and cubbies to put your belongings during class.
+The studio sells some drinks, like water and coconut water.
+The studio rents mats and towels if you forget yours.
+Dress: a lot men seems to wear swimming-like trunk shorts, running shorts, or speedo-like briefs. Shirts optional but formfitting usually. Women wear sports bra-like tops, running shorts (spandex or standard), formfitting tank tops, etc. Generally, not much that will hang loose or anything heavy enough to make you feel too hot.
+Parking: can be tough depending on the time of day (night is easiest for parking). I think they suggest arriving at least 10 minutes early for class but I would leave at least 15 minutes extra for parking and walking to the studio.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)