S t r e t c h

I’d like to say that clasping my ankles behind my head in manner of contortionist-slash-sex kitten is as easy now as it was when I was 21 however, the truth is, I can’t even reach my ankles anymore. Some days, with legs outstretched in front of me, I’m lucky to touch my knee caps – hamstrings as tight as a violin bow and likely to ping at any moment.

Tight muscles, sore joints, lower back pain, sciatica… slowly they have crept up on me and despite being very flexible and active in my earlier years, I must admit I am what my children claim: “an old foggy” – and old foggy who can’t touch her toes to be exact.

On advice from my doctor to try and increase my mobility, flexibility and strength I searched around for something that would suit me – no jumping up and down, no loud music and no intimidation from young whipper snappers in g-strings. On recommendation from a friend, I thought I’d try Bikram Yoga.

Let me start by saying, I have never really liked yoga. Or more accurately, I have never seen the point. However, there was one thing that attracted me to Bikram Yoga: it is done in a sauna. The class is taken in a heated room (38 degrees) in order to warm your muscles, allowing for a deeper safer stretch, and to assist the body in its cleansing of toxins. You get so warm before even starting that your body turns to lycra without the attendant of pain; and you sweat buckets which feels fabulous.

As one would expect of an exercise sauna, the room smelt like sweaty feet which is a bit off-putting but when you have 30 people sweating in a dark sauna day after day, it is inevitable that the room will have a slight tang. But, smell aside, the gentle quietness of the room was appealing and the fact that each person was so absorbed in their own experience that there was no intimidation was an added bonus. The room was hot, dark and quiet; even the first breathing exercises got my heart pumping much to my surprise. I have always subscribed to a rather traditional paradigm that raising the heart beat required cardio of some sort and was extremely relieved to discover that yoga can get that same heart beat going without impacting frail joints on a treadmill.

The postures are easy and you can take them to any level of difficulty that you feel you can handle. The beginners’ class is a series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises for all ages and levels of ability. Each posture leads safely into the next by stretching and strengthening specific muscles, ligaments and joints. The Bikram series also stimulates the organs, glands and nerves, systematically moving fresh oxygenated blood to 100 percent of the body. The result, apparently, is restoration of health to all systems.

The claims of the instructor during the class bordered on ridiculous (ie; “if you do this you will never get a disease or cancer”). I appreciate her enthusiasm for the art, but it does border on the unsafe side of ‘loony’ to make such claims. But, not one for throwing the baby out with the bathwater, I ignored the mighty claims of being cancer-free for the rest of my life and just enjoyed the massive sweat session, the stretching and strengthening. As the weeks pass, the increased flexibility of my muscles is becoming quite apparent and I’m gaining strength in limbs that I had long given up on.

If you are not flexible this yoga is for you! The most common misconception that prevents people from coming to yoga classes is that they need to be bendy. Yoga is not about how flexible you are; it is about stretching your body and spine to increase your flexibility.

For more info go to:
www.bikramyoga.co.nz (Wellington)
www.bikramyoga.net.nz (Auckland)

Article by Emma Sutcliffe.