Day 9 — 30 days straight of hot yoga?

I didn’t want to write anything about this until I was sure that I was really going to do it, and now I am. I have just completed 8 consecutive days of Bikram (aka hot) yoga.  Above is a picture of some random class that has nothing to do with me, although maybe we could just pretend that I’m the blond in the middle because I think we can all agree that she and I pretty much share the same bod.

In some ways it has become prosaic to describe one’s 30 day Bikram experiences.  I’ve read at least one in Oprah (yes, I love Oprah and Oprah) and another in the Sacramento Bee (and no, those links aren’t to those articles, just to the publications, sigh).  But this is my experience with it as a 52 year old woman who has been doing “maintenance” level exercise for years on a non-maintenance body.

I’m telling people that I’m doing this because the articles I read convinced me that I might experience a real transformation in my system, get my endocrine and hormonal systems working smoothly (a real plus in the middle of menopause), speed up my metabolism and heal aches and joint pains.  But of course I really expect to come out of this (as one mentor puts it) “wearing a white string bikini” so I have to be suspicious of my motives.  I also have a tendency to start something new rather than concentrate on the business at hand, so this is what’s new for me.

So far, I’m struggling to stay hydrated (have added in some coconut water to replenish electrolytes lost–I’m not used to sweating!), to have energy and to find clean laundry.   Yesterday I wore a snappy tennis skirt to yoga, it’s come to that.  Also, I’m very sore.

On the up side, my persistent shoulder pain and carpal tunnelish-ness  has either dissipated or can’t be felt behind my overall soreness.  Also, I am finding a huge increase in my ability to stay present at least in during the hour and a half of class.  By that I mean, I am not constantly checking my watch or thinking about what comes next.  I’m just in that pose or another.

So, here we go!