Fitness-Bikram to Yin

January 13th, 2016

When I first met my husband, he exposed me to Bikram Yoga. It is a yoga class composed of 26 postures, each done twice, in a VERY hot room. The postures basically stretch and twist your body, massaging your internal organs and removing toxins from your body. You will sweat no matter what. You must bring a mat, a towel and a tall bottle of water. Some people come prepared with a face cloth to wipe the sweat dripping off their nose or chin. I always felt energized after a class but my husband felt drained and had a headache. He went because it helped clear his mind and, later in the day, he would get a boost of energy. We eventually got into a routine of going to yoga three times per week. It was challenging as the Bikram poses test your flexibility, your balance and, your endurance.

Rama Lotus has been the most consistent provider of Bikram classes. Over the years, a few Bikram Ottawa studios opened up. They only offered Bikram. One was on Bank street, the second was on Sparks Street. They never last which is sad. The franchise and training costs of Bikram are staggering and I am sure the hydro bills must be high given the heat of the room which must be maintained. Some yoga studios offer hot yoga but there is no progression through the 26 postures. There is something about the order in which those specific postures are done that is quite addictive.

When Vincent and I moved to Stittsville, getting to a Bikram class got way more complicated: the distance, the schedule, parking, traffic etc so we settled for a weekly class on Sundays. Once I got pregnant, I stopped going to the classes. After we moved to Kemptville, it was mostly Vincent going to an early Sunday class after he'd dropped off my mom at her apartment in downtown Ottawa.

I was eager to get back to Bikram and, when I returned to my job at the college, I tried to squeeze in a class after work. I sat in the hot room, on my towel and mat, excited to be back. I was completely unprepared for what happened next. As we were lead through the postures, dripping with sweat, straining, holding, balancing, pushing, I realized this style of yoga no longer suited me. How could this be?

One day, I was taking Fallowfield instead of Hunt Club to get onto the 416 on my way home. I noticed a yoga studio, Mountaingoat Yoga. It was close to work which was convenient. I checked out their website and decided to try a Yin Yoga class. It is the opposite of Bikram which is a Yang yoga. I loved the gentle approach. It focused on paying attention to your body and letting go into the postures. You are not pushing your body, you are settling into it, inhabiting it, communicating with it. Again, I felt energized as I left, oddly optimistic. The instructor, Julie, was amazing. She reminded me of my favorite Bikram yoga teacher, Luc.

Both Luc and Julie were happy to be there, they were down-to-earth, authentic and had a great sense of humor. They communicated with the group throughout the class and made it fun and intimate. I wondered why I was responding so differently to Bikram, craving a gentler approach. I have always enjoyed pushing my limits. The answer came to me over time.

When I was a young woman, it was fun to test my body. After two childbirths, years of sleep deprivation and breastfeeding, I knew what my body was capable of, I had a great deal of respect and admiration for my body. I felt grateful to my elders for their great genes. I guess, what I wanted was some self-care. I felt like thanking my body and being gentle with it. Yoga became an act of self-care and Yin was the best approach for me in the headspace that I was in at that time.

There are so many approaches to yoga, each has its own merits and suits different people or, as in my case, the same person at different times in her life. I encourage everyone to try yoga. There is a class out there that is perfect for you.

Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org