I did it! (and lived to tell about it…..barely)

This morning I took my first Bikram Yoga class at Bikram Yoga Chicago. There was a brand, spanking new studio opening right next door to my home, and the first classes were held yesterday evening, and the first morning class was this morning. Once I found out the opening date, I worked myself up because I was so nervous about taking a Bikram class. I am a bit particular about my yoga classes. I’m not a fan of power yoga or the other rough stuff. I prefer Hatha yoga, and a nice paced class where I’m not struggling and getting pissed off. For those of you wondering what the hell Bikram Yoga is, it is yoga in a studio heated to 105 degrees. 105 !!! My bedroom is 62 degrees. Ummm, that’s a big difference.


The class is 6-7:30. I arrived a bit early to sign up, and get set up in the studio. Their website recommends arriving 20 minutes early to get yourself acclimated to the heat, and if I am anything, I am a follower of rules. I laid there and thought, “This isn’t too bad, it’s not as hot as I thought it would be.” Then class started with the breathing exercises, and that’s when I started to sweat. Yup, just breathing made me sweat.

The teacher was really nice, and during her directions and corrections, she even said, “Natalie, you’re a natural.” In my mind, I was like, “Ah Jennifer, you say that to all the yogis.” But what I’ve come to find with yoga, is that certain positions do not like my gut or my boobs; they’re just in the way.

I’d say I got through 90% of the class. There were a couple times where I had to sit down to catch my breath, and one time, I got a bit dizzy, and had to sit down. But, can I just tell you, I sweated my ass off! Really, I have no ass. Here is the only picture I could think to take. There was no way I was going to post a picture of my bright red, serial killer face, so you get a picture of my shirt. Yeah, those dry spots crack me up; every other stitch of clothing was soaked.



The new studio is gorgeous, the locker room is very nice with free lockers, and the staff is very friendly and welcoming. Here is the funniest line I heard all morning: as I was leaving, Jennifer said, “See you tomorrow morning.”

Hilarious, right?