A Month of Bikram Yoga

Bikram yoga has finally arrived in Shanghai. Often likened to practising yoga in a sauna (because classes take place in a room heated to 40°C), each 90 minute class utilises the same 26 postures and two breathing exercises, taught by instructors specially trained for the task by the format's mercurial founder, Bikram Chouhury.

Let me start by saying this: I am not the kind of person you would typically think of when you hear the words '30 Day Bikram Challenge'. An absolute Bikram novice who exercises semi-regularly and has a major penchant for both wine and cheese, I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided (after only a handful of classes) that I would undertake such a challenge.

Part of the impetus was the freezing weather weighing heavily on my well-being. This is my fifth winter in Shanghai, and I have hated every one of them. After my first 90 minute class at Jing’an's months-old specialised Bikram studio, the toasty warm feeling of euphoria that stayed with me for hours afterwards was enough to have me hooked.

That's not to say that getting to class every day for a month was easy. For one thing, between Mandarin classes, work and life, two hours out of my day for yoga (the 90 minutes of class, plus travel time to and fro) is rather significant. Secondly, doing Bikram yoga every day is exhausting and will almost certainly result in some aches and pains. In my case, muscles in my back, hips and hamstrings each took turns letting me know they weren't huge fans of my newfound yogi tendencies.

One week in, I was hanging in there and was reasonably impressed with how well my body was holding up, but mentally, the challenge was taking its toll, and I was finding it harder to live my life normally alongside the demands of yoga. At this low point, I was inspired by the online chronicles of other challengers, who unanimously agreed that a turning point for the better was reached at around day 15.

It turns out, they were right. Halfway through the challenge, I was a whole new woman. With only 15 days to go, I felt invincible, ready to do another 100 days of Bikram without hesitation. Although it's often cited as a downside of the practise, I really liked the fact that each class was made up of the same postures in the same sequence. Obviously not ideal for those looking for a workout with variety at its core, but this consistency helped me get through the classes, going through the motions without having to concentrate too hard on what I had to do next.

The repetition of the same postures is also a helpful way to measure improvement from day to day. After only a few weeks, I felt as though I had made some major breakthroughs with some of the more difficult postures. Physical contortions that I felt were literally impossible for me to achieve when I began my challenge were suddenly doable. That's not to say that Bikram has become easy for me. Each class is still equally as challenging, it's just that the challenges are evolving as I am physically able to do more.

Unfortunately, a successful end to my challenge was not to be. On day 25, as I was turning into the home stretch, the heating at Shanghai's only Bikram studio failed me, and took a week to fix, leaving me an excruciating five days short of my goal.

Although it was frustrating at the time, I realise with hindsight that the actual 30 day mark means relatively little. My leaner, firmer frame and major improvement in mental outlook had already convinced me that the challenge was not something that would end for me, it was merely a step along my Bikram journey. Within a relatively short period, I have already passed many milestones, but that is nothing compared to the challenges and achievements that lay ahead.

Bikram Yoga Shanghai runs multiple bi-lingual classes daily for students of all levels. 3F, 81 Jiangning Lu, near Beijing Xi Lu. Tel: 3256 0929. Web: www.bikramyogashanghai.com