By Thomas Tarapacki

At first, I was surprised by the heat.  Actually, it wasn't as hot as I expected.  Sure, it was warm, but it wasn't the kind of oppressive heat I thought I would feel in a room that was heated to a temperature of over 100 degrees with more than 40 percent humidity. Over the next ninety minutes, that would change.

I was admittedly a bit apprehensive the first time I took a class at Bikram Yoga on Elmwood Avenue. I had taken a few yoga classes before, but not "hot" yoga. I was somewhat prepared, however. In addition to my yoga mat, I brought along a large towel to lie on top of to absorb some of the sweat. I also had another smaller towel to wipe off sweat, and a bottle of water (although I was subsequently told that it's better to drink a lot of water before and after glass, rather than fill my stomach with water while doing the postures). As advised, I did not eat for a couple of hours before the class (which was a very good suggestion, I'm sure).

Bikram Yoga accommodates people of all abilities in the same class, so I moved to the back of the room so I could keep an eye on the experienced practitioners in the front row and (hopefully) follow their lead. I also let the instructor know that it was my first Bikram class (I think she already knew), and that I was recovering from knee surgery that might hamper my ability to do some of the postures.

It is a series of 26 poses performed in a room with temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Yoga Sessions start from Standing Postures, then the Backbends, Forward Bends, and Twists.  Each posture in the Bikram Method is designed to prepare you for the next one, with the overall effectiveness of the series relating directly to this scientifically-comprehensive and systematic approach.

It starts with Padahastasana, a standing deep breathing posture, which helps warm up the body. We then moved into the rest of the standing poses.  Each pose is usually performed twice and held for about a minute or so.  The slow progression of the postures makes it easy for a beginner to follow.

It seemed like standing exercises were performed for about the first hour (I can't tell you exactly because I wasn't wearing my watch-- it's not waterproof). By that time I was really feeling the heat-- literally.  I was drenched in sweat, so much so that it's a good idea not to have on any skin cream that might make your body even slipperier when combined with perspiration. I was sweating so much by the end that I thought my contact lenses were going to slide out of my eyes. Halfway through the standing postures I promised myself that, if I made it through the class alive, I'd never return.

There were people of various abilities in the class, so I didn't feel too uncomfortable when I fell out of a pose (more than once, in fact). However, with the intensity of the experience I was thinking too much about what I was doing to watch anybody else during the class. It's a non-competitive environment, and students are told to "Keep your eyes on your own practice" and "practice from the inside out." The teacher verbally describes the postures (along with providing encouragement), so you really don't have to watch anyone else. I didn't even want to watch myself in the mirror, though we were encouraged to do so.

It felt great to get to the floor exercises for the rest of the class. The heat was starting to get to me, but it seemed to intensify the experience and help me concentrate.

Still feeling the effects of my knee surgery, I wasn't able to do some of the postures, especially those that involved the bending of the knee. The instructor was able to guide me into some adjustments that compensated for my balky knees.

I'm not a person who loves extreme heat, but I didn't find the room to be oppressive.  Another observation: With all of the sweaty people in the room, the odor wasn't bad.  I managed to make it through my first class without stopping, though a couple of the first-timers sat down to take a break (anyone who feels dizzy or nauseous during the session is advised to sit down, but not leave the room).

I did notice that people at Bikram Yoga wear a variety of clothing to deal with the heat, and it seems that the better you are the less you wear. Some wear tiny Speedo-type shorts-- some of the guys, that is. The class of about 30 was mostly female, with 5 or 6 males.

We finished the class with the savansa, or "dead body" pose (you just lie on your back and act like a corpse-- I'm very good at that one). I decided that Bikram Yoga wasn't as bad I had thought about an hour earlier. It certainly was a "total body workout," as they say.  I felt that I had accomplished something by making it through the ninety minutes and promised myself that I'd return.

After that first class, I did return to Bikram. I discovered that, after that first class, it does become easier-- not easy, but easier. My ability to perform the postures is steadily (if slowly) improving, and knee is feeling better as well.