I decided I would go for it; I was going to attend my first Bikram hot yoga class with my daughter. I stood in front of a mirror, sweat dripping from my blood-red face. And this was just while I was getting dressed for class.
I entered the yoga facility with lots of energy and a desire to show my daughter that I wasn’t too old to master this feat. She had described the session to me and told me it was pretty difficult. I said, “I’ve been a woman for 52 years. That’s pretty difficult too. I’ll be fine.”
So I walked in the door with my 24 ounces of water, my flip-flops, and my informal yoga outfit which consisted of shorts I’ve owned since college and a dri-weave t-shirt that describes my life . . .it says Eat, Drink, Run. I felt qualified to wear the t-shirt having conquered two of the three words.
We put our shoes under a bench, walked to the locker room, dropped off our bags and took our towels, yoga mats and water into the yoga room. One foot into that room and I wanted to run, screaming, in the other direction. It was like I had stepped into the inside of my body during a hot flash.
“How hot IS this room?” I asked my daughter, who saw the panic on my face. She dragged me out of the room since I was not supposed to be talking in there, much less panicking.
“It’s 105 degrees, with 40% humidity. The class lasts for ninety minutes and you’re not allowed to talk or leave,” she said. How did this place know my two greatest fears?
“What do you mean I can’t leave? What if there is an emergency? What if I have to suddenly go to the bathroom or drive to Taco Bell? There are a lot of reasons to leave this room,” I said. ”And, by the way, I can’t be silent for ninety seconds, much less ninety minutes. What if I see a black widow on the person in front of me or a rattle snake in the corner? What about that? I can’t even warn those people?”
My daughter ignored me and gave me one final warning through gritted teeth, “Just . . .don’t . . . leave . . . the . . . room.” So, we walked into the furnace and I faced my certain hell. Would I burst into flames when a hot flash hit?
I put my mat and towel by the door so I could feel the cool air under it. There would be times during class when I actually pressed my face against that small crack between the floor and the bottom of the door and frantically sniffed the nectar of cool air like a dog.
After twenty minutes of exercise, sweat was dripping off of me and I was telling myself, “Don’t leave. You can do this. Stop thinking you’re taking your last breath. You can breathe in here.” When the man in front of me put his stinky feet in my face, I dialed up the self-encouragement.
I Survived, I Thrived, I Showered
Ultimately, I LOVED the experience. I’ve since taken three more classes, and my frozen shoulders and aching feet are, miraculously, feeling much better. I not only survived the silence but found it incredibly calming. The ninety minutes seems more like thirty minutes, and the instructors were amazing.
Our Dame fitness experts Kathy Phillips and Lorri Hanna are right — exercise makes a huge difference with aches and pains. These maladies seemed to go away. I swear I’m even a little taller.
Bikram hot yoga is awesome!!
Any Dames out there ever tried this? Or maybe some other form of exercise that you loved?
Shirley - that's funny but what you are saying is true about the men...first sex, then a little company, then back to the dating sites. :) There are too many fish on line to stick with just one so they go back to see what else is available. I am a me
I may be close to the extreme example of leaving everything behind. Divorced after many years, kids, memories and so on. I could not stand the thought of suddenly being single among my married friends, so, as I had dual citizenship I chose to move 
You're upset.... Well, your son is an adult, and knows perfectly well what happens when you have unprotected sex. The consequences are, that he has a child on the way, and you are going to be a grandmother.
I suggest that you stuff your anger, 
Wow! I have been hesitant because of fear I will go into a full body hot flash and the sweat dripping from others close to me may freak me out a bit, but if you feel taller, that may sway me to a class!
I’m telling you, I think I’ve gained 1/2 an inch already. Probably because I’m finally standing up straight. And the sweat is a little freaky at first, especially when you see it flying. But it’s SO worth it!
I’m with you on this one… I didn’t think I would like it, but I did and still do!
Thanks for the comment – isn’t it amazing? My back, my shoulders – everything feels better!
Great description! Similar to my experience with Bikram. I managed to stay for the whole 90 minutes without throwing up! I felt great afterwards but have not been back. Jury is still out on whether or not I consider this an actual enjoyable experience or not
Hahaha – so true. Every class I repeat “Don’t throw up” about five times, particularly when we do Cobra right after I take a sip of water. Thanks for the comment!
I have been doing Hot Yoga for just over 2 years now it is wonderful , I used to be a gym rat and then moved across the country away from all that I was so familiar with .. when I first moved out here I tried the Gym just wasnt working for me so ended up not doing much structured exercise for close to 2 years .. my weight was creeping up .. my period had ended and the tire around the middle was growing..my son was bugging me about trying yoga I thought bah thats not for me all that chanting and meditating no way but He convinved me to take a 2 week trial ( I did) tried flow.. vinyasa..Yin.. & Hot Yoga.. the I did a 30 day challange 30 classes in 30 days with both n my kids.. I was the only one to complete.. during that challange I realized that I ” Loved” Hot Yoga it is easier on the joints the classes are yep 90 minutes you sweat like crazy sometimes you get a little dizzy but you stay you go into a childs pose or lie down .. it passes it gets better way better and the results are great for the mind and body.. ” donut’ dissapeared around the middle.. yep hot flashes can be a bit painful i am sure that there are times i have them during a class but I work through it… amazing how Yoga is so very calming so wonderful for my stress level…I am 54 and let me tell you ladies try it you will be amazed at the benefits it will bring….
Mudder: It is so good to hear of someone who has had the same experience. My daughter dragged me in, and I’ve been happy ever since. However, I have NOT done the 30 day challenge. I am so impressed that you did that!! Maybe that will be my next step
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Thanks for sharing your experience.
Love love hot yoga! I have been practicing for over three years now and I have been getting positive comments. I grew an inch (my posture has improved immensely!) , a lot of people including my own children say that I look a lot younger than my age, and my hayfever is gone. I am energetic, healthier and happier! I think I will be doing hot yoga for the rest of my life!
Homestaymom: How encouraging!! I would LOVE to gain an inch in height. I have noticed the posture improvement already. Thanks for sharing your love for hot yoga!
It’s been a little over a year since I started practicing Hot Yoga, at age 52. Prior to yoga, I stayed fit primarily via traditional gym workouts & weight training. I was resistant to giving up the weight training as I just didn’t believe that yoga would suffice, but I eventually saw the light! I did find that doing only Bikram yoga for 3-4 months, my upper body strength lessened, so I started alternating Vinyassa (Power) with Bikram & gained my strength back, as well as stronger abs. I just finished the 45 in 90 day challenge this summer!
AgelessJen: Thanks so much for your enthusiastic comments. I’m glad you mentioned the upper body thing. I have noticed the same thing, and am going to work in some light weights at home to compensate. Keep yoga-ing!!
I tried my first Hot Yoga class when I turned 50 (I’m now 60), and I immediately fell in love with it! I feel cleansed when I leave class. Now, I have to admit that eating beforehand is not a good thing. And if I’m not feeling perfectly fine, I have to crawl out of the room. But I miss it when I’m gone too long….and will always keep it as part of my spiritual and physical routine.
Randi: “Cleansed” is a really good description. I agree that the eating thing is really precarious. I have a hiatal hernial, so if I eat too close or drink too much water it’s really uncomfortable. And, thank you for admitting the crawl thing. I have had those sessions where I sat in the locker room and wondered when my legs could get me to my car! Keep up the good work . .
Well, I tried Bikram at 67 and managed to survive and actually gained strength! When exhaustion came I simply sat. What a high when you leave – but financially it is over my budget in this area and believe it to be more beneficial when done at least 1-2 times a week. I had 10 sessions on a “special” and would do it again at nr 69. Even my regular yoga teacher -Kapala – noticed a difference too.
Cameronsunshine: Thank you – I needed your message today. I was letting a bag of Cheetos, reruns of Master Chef and a Diet Coke talk me out of hot yoga this afternoon. It is a little expensive, I have to admit, but I realized that what I’m saving on food (because I eat very little on the days I do it) was kind of covering it. Kind of. Your encouragement was perfectly timed, and I hope you get back in there. I have a friend that does regular yoga 3x a week with one of those times being hot yoga. She does it on Friday because she says it cleanses her for the weekend. Thanks for sharing!
I read, I laughed and I loved it. Thanks for your sharing a tenacious spirit and a great sense of humor.
This was good excersize for my funnybone.
Pammy: Thank you for your note. I love your reference to laughter as exercise. I’m going to start telling people that I’m a funny fitness instructor
. You made my day!
Just think – hot yoga comes with a free systemic cleanse, all that sweating!
Seriously, though, it’s wonderful for clarifying the skin… I have all those tiny blockages on my thighs that clear up when I have one of those nasty herbal cleanses (really works, though) and during extended sweating opportunities. I’ll look and see if there are any classes in my area
I found a class nearby. The local write-up says “heated room” – I’m glad I read your article! Now I’ll be more prepared with my stamina set to a higher notch
Thanks!
MissCharly: Good luck!! Let me know how it goes. Some days I love it, other days not so much, but the benefits are worth every bit of heat. I hear that in winter it’s pretty nice since you’re cold going in.
Keep me updated!!