I am probably one of the least athletic people on the planet, but every winter I get this idea into my head that I’m going to try Bikram yoga again.

If you’ve never heard of Bikram, it’s a 90-minute yoga class that takes place in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, with 40 percent humidity. Every Bikram yoga class goes through the same 26 postures, so no matter where you take it, you go through the same exact poses in the same exact order. Lots of yoga studios and gyms have “hot yoga” classes that take place in a heated room, but Bikram yoga is different because it has to follow these specific requirements.

A couple weeks ago, in the middle of our depressing Chicago winter, and being inspired by another mom friend who was actually waking up at 5 a.m. to exercise every morning (even while traveling!), I decided I needed to try doing yoga again. I found a studio that had a introductory special for a month, dusted off my yoga mat, and found my way to the first class.

The first thing I noticed was that there was a wide range of abilities and levels in the class. This was comforting, since it had been such a long time since I had done Bikram. You have the amazingly fit and flexible students in the front row, and in the back like me, some people who were struggling to make it through the class.

Unfortunately, about halfway through the 90 minutes, my mom who was supposed to be picking up my daughter from preschool, left a voicemail saying that her doctor appointment was running late and that she might not be able to get her on time. Yes, I had my phone in class, which is a total no-no, and even worse, I had to leave in the middle of the class, which I think is pretty much prohibited. To be fair, I think this is because they just want to make sure you don’t faint as you leave, or have any other medical issues, but in this case, I had no choice. So embarrassing as it was, I packed up my mat and towel and tried to leave as quickly and unobtrusively as I could. I’m sure it looked like I was just booking it out of there because I couldn’t take the heat anymore!

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Somehow, I managed to get back to the studio a couple times after my first disastrous class, and discovered that I actually really do like Bikram yoga. Some of the reasons I enjoy it:

  1. The structure is familiar. Since it is the same 26 poses every time, you know what is coming up and you can easily see your improvement over time.
  2. The heat. I’m the type of person that is always cold, loves saunas, hot baths, etc… so the heat is actually something I look forward to.
  3. The sense of accomplishment. Honestly, you may not be burning that many more calories than in other types of exercise, but the feeling you have at the end of a 90 minute class is pretty satisfying. And addictive. Which is why I guess so many people keep coming back to it.
  4. The stress relief. I don’t know if it’s just a combination of the heat, the breathing, or the concentration that it requires to get through a class, but when I am feeling my most stressed out, going to a Bikram class does really seem to de-stress me more than I thought possible.

Here are some of the reasons why I find it hard to continue taking Bikram on a long-term basis, though:

  1. The time commitment. A 90 minute class is a really long time. Especially if you try to go three times a week. Factor in the driving time, and you have to block out 2.5 hours out of your day. Not the easiest if you are a working mom!
  2. The expense. After the introductory special, a monthly unlimited pass usually comes out to about $100-$150 month, which can really add up. Or you can pay per class, for a little less than $20 per class in our area. Comparing that to the cost of just doing T-25 in your home, it really has to be worth it!
  3. The strictness. I think this is both a good thing and a bad thing. I love how devoted people get to Bikram. And I love that you totally focus on it for 90 minutes and block everything else out. But realistically, I feel like I have too much going on right now to become a committed Bikram yogi anytime soon. For now, though, it’s been a nice reboot to my lack of exercise over the past few months.

Have you ever tried Bikram yoga? I’d love to hear about your experience, or if you’ve found any other exercise programs, yoga or otherwise, that are working well for you in 2016.