I have heard many wonderful things about the world of Yoga, so last night I thought I would see what all the hype was about. I was told Bikram Yoga (Yoga in a very heated room), was the best type so I went with my friend Saj to South London to participate in a relaxing night of “exercise”. It can’t be that hard, right? I mean how difficult can stretching and breathing be?

Since I was diagnosed with RSI (repetitive strain injury), my physio’s have recommended I do less physical exercise (Kung-Fu, weight training etc). This sucks as my attitude has been “if it doesn’t bring you to sweat, then it’s not exercise”. ie, Darts (Even though I am the biggest Phil “The Power” Taylor fan).

Before I get into what happened let me quickly explain a few things about myself:

• I’m not supple, and I cannot touch my toes.
• In the last two years I have become very accident prone for some reason. I have suffered from RSI, had an operation on my wrist, torn ligaments in my foot, sciatica, lower back pain, pelvic dislocation and whiplash.
• If you have dreadlocks, a ridiculous amount of sweating is not good for your hair.

So I walked in and my first thought was “4 guys and 20 women? This is going to be fun!”…Then the class started. First exercise was an easy stretch of arms while deep breathing. All good so far but very hot (t-shirt comes off). Then for the next hour and a half, it involved the most intense amount of stretching and twisting of the body known to man. Standing on one leg, arms twisted, head up, looking forward (See image below). Or sitting on your bum with legs to the side, lean back until your back hits the floor and hold the position. Or lying on your front, grabbing legs with hands, stretching until both legs are off the ground, arms in the air and neck niiiiice and high…all this while breathing in and out through your nose.

I’m not going to lie, it was tough and my body is feeling it now, but it was fun and I think with a few more lessons I will see the benefits. Quick question though, what are the benefits of Bikram yoga?

I think the main reason why I enjoyed it was because of the similarities to Kung-Fu, even though physically they are at different ends of the spectrum. Both can be very therapeutic and relaxing, due to the importance of breathing. Both teach patience and both push your body to do stuff you think you can’t do. (Check out a similar post about Martial Arts and the work place).

So my overall review of last night’s events was definitely a thumbs up. Any guy who is thinking of doing it, I recommend you try it at least once. If not for the exercise, go for the women (like I mentioned before, there were 4 guys and 20 women).

A few questions:

• What are the benefits of yoga?
• If you do yoga, what type do you do?
• Do you have any cool yoga stories?