Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Tips for a Bikram Yoga Challenge

It's been about three weeks now since I've finished my first Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenge. It was definitely a challenge, but I am very happy I did it as I have seen A LOT of benefits in my well-being (physical and mental) as well as my yoga practice. I recommend doing a challenge like this to anybody who is considering it!

So if you're interested, my tips for you would be:
  • tell your friends/family/coworkers about it! You will not have much time for them during you challenge and you might have to leave work early on occasion to make it to class. If they know that (and why) you are doing this challenge, they will probably be much more understanding/supportive.
  • plan your outfits and laundry day! Doing a Bikram Yoga Challenge means tons and tons of laundry. Before you start, figure out how many yoga outfits and yoga towels you have. I personally like to have 4-5 outfits, so I only have to do yoga laundry 2-3 times a week.
  • expect dietary changes and plan for them! Even before the challenge starts, stock up for your increased need of water, electrolytes, protein, vitamins, and food in general. You will have less time for quick trips to the grocery store once your challenge starts, so buy as much of what you'll need beforehand. I recommend: yummy spring or mineral water, electrolyte supplements or at least lemon and salt, nuts or whole wheat snacks or protein bars, fruit or multivitamin supplement, snacks to satiate possible increased hunger. Your body needs good nutrition to transform itself!
  • plan to concentrate on yourself as much as possible! Don't plan any big trips or changes for the duration of your challenge. It is supposed to be a time to concentrate on yourself (your Self), your body, and your yoga. You will be plenty busy, especially if you work full-time or have other commitments you cannot get out of.
  • plan to take class every day; don't plan to do many doubles! I have seen many people miss classes multiple times each week, and then do doubles and triples on multiple (consecutive!) days to catch up. This is not really what a Challenge should look like. A Challenge is meant to be a commitment to focus on your yoga every day, with consistency. No offense to the folks who had to do multiple doubles and triples to make the Challenge. That is great commitment, of course! But is also adds unnecessary anxiety and stress to it, while the point of doing a Challenge is the opposite: de-stressing and adding stability to your life. (This is my understanding of a Challenge, so no offense intended!)
 If you have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to ask :)

Namaste.

    10 comments:

    1. Small hint for everybody following this blog: Posting comments seems to work only with internet explorer. I've had no luck with firefox and I tried it a lot of times :-)

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    2. Hmmm, Simmm speaking... Thank you for the hint, Anon. I will let other readers know that they should try IE if they're experience any posting issues.

      I'm on Firefox 3.6 and it seems to work for me though... *head scratch*

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    3. Pls recommend good place to buy yoga clothing. A description for a female clothing will be appreciated.

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    4. try mika yoga wear online.

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    5. Hi Anonymous! Are you in the US? If yes, I suggest checking out http://www.shaktiactivewear.com/
      The side string shorts are definitely my favorite yoga shorts!

      For cheaper alternatives, try Old Navy, Target, or the sales racks at Dick's or other large sports stores.

      Hmm, maybe I should do a post on this soon...

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    6. Hi All! I've written a separate post about Bikram Yoga clothing for men and women here: http://simacrosstheocean.blogspot.com/2011/04/bikram-yoga-clothing-tips-for-men-and.html

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    7. Hi there great to see your tips on getting through a Bikram challenge I am half way through my first Bikram Challenge and so looking for any advice to get through :-)

      To the person looking for yoga clothes, I found it really hard to find cool yoga clothes so recently set up my own website selling yoga clothes and accessories. If you still need some cool clothes to wear to Bikram check it out:

      http://www.myescape.co.nz/

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    8. Hi Suzy! I'm glad you like me tips :)

      Congratulations on reaching the half way point in your challenge!!! That's a great achievement and you have probably gotten through the hardest part already... getting used to going every day and overcoming the inner resistance :) Hooray!

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