Exercise Review: Bikram Yoga, Perth!
March 6, 2010 | Posted by Annette @ Wellness WA 
♥
According to the flyer, the health studio “Bikram Yoga” (or heated yoga) provides a certain type of yoga that is conducted in a room heated to 38 degrees celcius, so that the muscles are warmed and a deeper workout can occur!
To put it simply: you’re gonna sweat.
Bikram Yoga is a 90 minute program of 26 pre-determined poses & postures, plus 2 breathing exercises. The benefits of Bikram include:
♥ Stretching and strengthening muscles, joints & more.
♥ Increased mental clarity & stress reduction.
♥ Stimulation of the organs to cleanse & provide fresh oxygenated blood to the body. This helps restore all systems to optimal working order for total health.
At this stage, the concept sounded so unappealing, what with all the talk about mass sweating.
As I entered the zenly decorated reception area of Bikram Yoga (complete with small fountains), already I could feel a slight rise in humidity. The instructors were extremely friendly as they explained to me the concept and goals of their company and they were extremely open as they answered any questions I had.
Set with a yoga mat, a beach towel and two bottles of water, I stepped into a room that was similar to a sauna minus the steam. During the briefing, the instructor urged us to try our hardest to stay in the room for the whole class, even if it was just lying down on the mat if we felt like we weren’t handling the environment well. The point of this class was to focus solely on yourself without worrying about what other classmates are doing and, contrary to regular yoga, the eyes must be open the whole time.
The class started well enough with some of the typical yoga positions such as the half moon pose. At this stage I was thinking, this isn’t so bad I can totally do this for 90 minutes! However about 30-45 minutes into the class, the room was 10 degrees hotter than when we first started and that’s when the sweating really began.
I was also thanking my mum in my mind as she convinced me to bring a beach towel instead of a tiny face towel. Around this time I started to feel a little light-headed and so I decided to sit the next few poses out, trying to gain some energy back and convincing myself not to step out of the class. A few people decided to rest around this time too, reassuring me that I wasn’t the only one struggling.
After a few minutes of resting I joined the class again, keeping up surprisingly comfortably. Going against the rules, I looked around at the class, and everyone, including myself, was sweating insane amounts! Towards the end of the class the temperature cooled mildly and before I knew it the class was finished.
The poses performed in a Bikram Yoga class.
It may seem that I didn’t enjoy myself in this class but in reality, I loved it! I felt rejuvenated and fresh walking out of the studio and I could breathe easier too. Another benefit was that my skin felt softer (after a good shower).
Overall it was a very intense 90 minutes, very very challenging but incredibly worth it as there are plenty of benefits for your body (as above).
My advice is that you have to listen to your body and take it easy if you’re doing it the first time, especially if you haven’t exercised in a while. The yoga experience combined with the friendly and welcoming instructors has definitely convinced me to come back for more!
They have a special offer for newcomers who are local to Perth, $20 for unlimited Bikram Yoga over 10 days! Unbeatable value and a fantastic way to find out if it suits your lifestyle 🙂
Bikram Yoga – http://www.perthbikramyoga.com.au
Location
NOR
158a Vincent Street, NORTH PERTH
On the corner of Vincent and Fitzgerald Streets
SOR
248 Leach Highway MYAREE
(beneath REBEL Sports)
To find out more, contact Jenny Sterpini, certified Bikram Yoga Instructor on 0403 496 422.
Article by Hanna Baradja
Have you tried Bikram Yoga? Too scared? Want to know more? Leave a comment! xx
Categories: Exercise, Inner City, North of River, Reviews, South of River | 
Tags: Bikram Perth, bikram yoga perth, Features, Hot Yoga in Perth, Perth Yoga Reviews | 
17 Comments »
I don’t know if I could do Bikram! I hate being hot, and 90 minutes seems like a really long time, I heartily commend anyone that can get through it though 🙂 Maybe when I master regular yoga I can dip my toes into this new crazy world… maybe!!
So proud of you though Hanna! x
I so so so want to try this. I’ve done yoga for years but due to short hamstrings find some of the poses quite difficult. I’m hoping the heat will increase my flexibility. However I’m really worried about my asthma causing me to y’know… faint. Think I’ll need to train before I try?!
Oh gosh! BE CAREFUL!! Read the disclaimer 😉 haha! I think we all have our own personal bodily limitations and heat or not isn’t going to increase the length of your musclies! If you’ve been doing it for years then you’re likely doing really well within your own body!
I have computer posture so that’s what I work on mostly in class and most people who go have great posture! So we’re all working on different things I think. I’d check with the doc before you head off to a sesh, as other friends I’ve spoken to have said it’s really NORMAL to feel like passing out and nauseous the first few times you go, so like I said be careful! xo
I’ve been to a few classes here. They pack you in one room like cattle. In one of the classes I was almost sitting ontop of the person next to me and couldn’t do a lot of the moves because I would have kicked the person behind me or next to me.
Besides the lack of space, the instructors were good.
I completely agree with the overcrowding at this studio. The lack of space is very distracting!
Totally agree with the overcrowding too. It does make it more difficult and arriving for a class 15 minutes before I was turned away due to it being full…don’t know that I can be bothered with it for that reason alone. Perhaps we just need more Bikram yoga classes/centres in perth – anyone??? Could be very profitable for someone!
I have to agree with the comments above. They recommend you arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of class to guarantee a place. However, in many instances this is not early enough and you are left waiting a long time to find out there are no spaces left for the class. Even more frustrating is the overcrowding in the class, so much so that you can hardly focus on the poses you are supposed to be mastering. It is also rather difficult to know if you are in the correct position for the pose if you can’t see yourself in the mirror – and due to the overcrowded nature of the classes, catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror is near impossible. The more i practised bikram, the more i began to question if it is really a form of yoga that provides me with the body, mind and soul nourishment I require. I would recommend all to try the introductory offer if you are curious, however, it is not a style of yoga that suits everyone – and did not suit me.
Really interesting comment Sef, thanks for your input!
I personally prefer a Hatha style of yoga… I’m not sure if Bikram is targeted at the mind & soul benefits like the others are? I believe it’s more ‘body’ 🙂
The instructors and staff at Bikram in North Perth and Myaree are very professional and very friendly and helpful. I desperately want a studio closer to home as I am absolutely loving and feeling the benefits of these classes but it takes 3 hours out of a day. I attend the 6pm in North Perth or Myaree and it takes me 1 hour to get there. Add that to the 90 minute class, trying to arrive 20 minutes early and 30 minute drive home that is a lot of time away from family. I am so so so suprised that one has not been opened in Vic Park, Cannington, Canningvale or THE HILLS. Anyone with a few dollars to open a studio and employ the staff would benefit greatly with the amount of interest out there in this style of yoga.
Definitely Jen. The more yoga the merrier! It is fantastic that we have access to this at all in Perth though, and I’m sure that more studios will start to open up – maybe in Winter when everyone wants to warm up more!! 🙂