I've been a Bikram devotee for over 3 months, now. I must admit that I am less diligent about my practice nowadays (at $12/class) than when I optimized and maximized on the $40 for 30 (days) deal. However, the benefits have stuck around.
After moving back home from North Berkeley (a crack house equivalent for running addicts), I got out of the swing of things. Ice cream sundaes in bed with then significant other rocked my socks more so than 13 milers in silicon valley's ticky tacky flat-land. When it came time to up my happy chemical levels via running, my knees cried. I could barely complete 3 miles! I knew I needed something new and fresh to throw myself into. My friend's passion and enthusiasm for Bikram inspired me to give it one more shot. In the past, 90 min Bikram sessions had given me either A) migraines, B) nausea or C) the stellar combo of both of the above. And it was like that for the first couple weeks of practice in Palo Alto. But something made me stick around. I had faith that my body could handle it and would be able to pull through. And it did! Towards the end of those 30 days I felt like a better person both physically and psychologically. Talk about sense of achievement! I slowly started experimenting with running again and found out that I could push myself much farther than my knees allowed earlier that year. I went on my first sunrise 60 minute run in Cupertino's Rancho San Antonio sometime in November. Completing the run was such a glorious experience for me that it brought tears to my eyes. yes, I'm a very sensitive kid when it comes to such things. Recently, on the morning of the 24th birthday, I completed a glorious 7-8 miler through the Stevens Creek Trail/Baylands. It only keeps getting better. Thank you Bikram.
In addition to regaining my running bragging rights, I am also able to:
Do a bad ass eagle pose even after a six drink night at the Nut.
Wear smoking hot dresses. Swimming and weight training didn't really help out in the conventional-proportions-dept.
Get free back cracks from my favorite back cracker. You know if you Go.
Multitask by obtaining a decent workout* while getting my Zen on.
In some ways, be even more flexible than I was during Rhythmic Gymnastic days. Forehead to knees!
*According to my HR monitor, 90 minutes of Bikram burns 600 kcals. With certain poses (oh Triangle how I love to hate you) getting me to over 90% of my max HR.
So the moral of the story is...
Bikram: get on it.
I'll be attending Johnny's 6:30 class tonight after work.
