Anyone ever take Bikram before ? I am about to sign up for a class but I'm really not sure if I can do all the poses. I know I can do most of them but some of them are hard for me. Just wanted to know if anyone has ever taken these classes and how you were when you first started and if you enjoyed it

I have, and I had done other yoga before...I found the bikram yoga to be a lot harder...and the heat made me feel very ill...I will probably not do it again! (I went 3x to make sure)

I have maintained a regular (5ish times per week) Bikram practice for over 2 years now, and love it. Any good teacher will tell you, at the beginning, don't stress over what you can or can't do. Do the poses to the best of your ability, and you'll improve over time - after two years, I still have room for improvement in each and every pose. Don't compare yourself to those around you - they may be on their 100th or 1000th class, and their body and its history are different from yours. The first few classes are about learning to work out in the heat, so go slow, and if you need to sit out a posture or two, then do it - even experienced people sometimes have to sit down or lie down.

I don't check the boards all the time, so feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Enjoy your Bikram experience!

I loved Bikram yoga, but found the hot room to be pretty intense at the beginning. BRING WATER and a towel because you will sweat. I liked it because the sweating made it pretty cathartic.

I personally prefer vinyasa (flow) yoga, but Bikram is what got me started. I was dealing with some serious stress issues at the time and it was an excellent release. Don't worry about what you can't do - just rest and drink water if you can't keep up.

In my experience, yoga is infinitely accepting. In my class there were super-yogis who were like gumby, pregnant ladies, old people, fat people, young people, and lots of average people.

ETA: When I started yoga, I was at the higher end of my weight range (155-ish) and had to rest pretty often. I made some big improvements in my overall strength, flexibility and balance. The balance thing is pretty huge for me - I roll my ankles often and the yoga helped my running.

I don't do Bikram, but I do hot yoga. Just finished a two-week stint where I went 5 times weekly and now signed up for six months. I can't even express how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!

~CGH~

I tried. I read a nice informative article about Bikram yoga in Oprah (the article ran in the January and the February 2010 issues) and since Bikram is supposed to help with back issues, I thought I would give it a try. Here, first timers can sign up and they will get unlimited visits for two weeks for $30.

So I tried. Did I like it? ****, NO. It was torture of the first degree. I really hate the heat (although I don't need Bikram to tell me that). Perhaps I would hate it slightly less if I didn't sweat like a pig - granted, everybody sweats, but my personal issue is that sweat literally drips from my face and from my scalp. While the rest of my body is sweaty like other people's, my head looks after 20 minutes as if it was dunked in the toilet. I literally had to wipe off my face in between every pose and it still did not help.
I went 3 times during those 2 weeks. The decision, whether to cough up major $$ for further classes, was made for me - the yoga really aggravated my almost healed plantar fasciitis so that was that.
In any case, I suspect that I would get really bored because you always go through the same 26 poses in the same order .... yawn.
It's not that I don't like yoga - I do - I do 2 hrs of regular yoga each week. But Bikram is not for me. Of course, your mileage may vary.

I think it's awesome everyone should try it once even if you can't do all the poses. Who can do all the yoga poses in any kind of yoga?! So, go try and don't be afraid to walk out of the room if you get too hot. Newbies come in all the time and often have to take breaks but it's an awesome experience! Go try it!!!

I was thinking about trying this out, supposedly the heat makes this one form of yoga that actually aids in weightloss. For those who frequently do Bikram, did it effect your weightloss?

Either way I'll probably try it as a nice stretch and to increase my flexabilty.

I love bikram, I just wish it wasn't so expensive! All the bikram studios in my area run at least $150/month!

It's hardcore and you will feel like you are getting an intense workout. I suggest dressing in a swim suit or shorts with a fitted tank because you will be drenched in sweat. Bring a big towel to put over your mat and a smaller one to wipe your face if needed. It's definitely worth a try.