Hot Yoga

So it really took me months, and I am not even pertaining to just 1 or 2 or even just 3 months, but halos bordering over a year of petiks mode na when it comes to my physical activities. I do get a lot of walking (especially when I go out to attend events and alay lakad talaga ang commuting from the south)... But aside from that, waley na. Most of my days, asa harap lang ako ng laptop or my work-table, making accessories, so in short, hands ko lang ang bukod-tanging may exercise, haha. :p

Anyway! So what made me decide na mag balik-loob sa sweat machine (or routine) are the onemilliontweets I've been reading every single day na pinagkaloob ng diyos on these sprouting new (and not so new) "alternative" exercises aside from the usual gym--there's Elorde for boxing or Muay Thai, or Plana Forma ang exercise ng bayan, or yung 360 circuit training for the busy bees. I've also heard about the more extreme alternative physical activities like lambitin peg anti-gravity, paka-sexy-much pole dancing or belly dancing, cool-mo-dude surfing, etcetera etcetera. I went for Bikram Yoga:

What made me decide to go for Bikram (aka Hot Yoga)?
Hindi niyo natatanong (lol), I was actually part of the UST Yoga Club! :) I am not an expert, but it's something na I really enjoyed while kaya ko pang dayuhin ang USTe. I actually stopped nung napagod na ako sa layo ng location (I attended kahit graduate na ako).

Sadly, I have no pictures of my UST Yoga Club days, but I have these circa 2006 photos of one of our inter-school events in a hotel function room in Manila. It was a full day of get-together of all yoga orgs from different schools, where everyone enjoyed festive music, watched hatha yoga demos, and, of course, "pig" out on vegetarian buffet.


My UST Yoga Club Family. :)


Convenience
Aside from choosing something na alam kong I've tried na before, I also went for Bikram after learning about the Bikram Yoga Alabang studio, which is ang pinaka malapit na from my place (tric-jeep-walk away). The BYA is in Commerce Center, right across the Acacia Hotel--a long (but fun, cardio-ish) walk from Festival Mall's Commerce Avenue exit. (Yun lang, walang jeep / commute sa area--pang mayaman! :p).

The temptations sandwiching my paradise, hehehe. BYA studio is at the second floor of the Commerce Center, and lahat ng katabi niya mga restaurants. May time na napaaga ako sa sched (must be there 20 minutes before the class para masanay muna sa heated room--aka chill time, e I was there mga 40 minutes ahead pa. :p), I actually ate muna sa Army Navy. Bad idea pala yun, better to come to a yoga session with an empty stomach (Mistake #1). Just come to class ng well hydrated. (more tips here).

I saw this "Hot Room Etiquette" posted in every cubicle of the female locker room in the BYA studio. On my first day, I didn't read the whole thing (tamad), thus we arrive to Mistake #2, which is, spraying perfume before going to class. :p With the 26 Poses of Bikram Yoga, more than half of these include bowing your head down, with the chin touching the chest. Sweating 10x more in the 40 degrees heated room, I was suffocating from my sobrang-bango-shirt, I swear kulang nalang hubarin ko nalang t-shirt ko bilang lahat naman halos ng classmates ko - young & old, fit & flab - naka sports bra!

My bikram essentials include: my own yoga mat and huge towel (required, to cover the whole mat), a bottle (or 2) of water, padlock for the locker to leave my things (especially my gadgets, na hindi pwede sa hot room), and my No Stiff Emu Oil--not required, but an essential for me.

Everything else, pwedeng i-rent (mats and towels at P30 ea) or buy from them... But for my post-yoga muscle pains, JTomas No Stiff Body Massage Lotion does the job of soothing stiff and painful parts brought by taxing activities. Sarap din langhapin ng mint-y scent noh? May time na hindi ako makakatulog ng walang emu oil, in short, amoy lola daw ako. Lol.

Lotion form sha, actually. You can buy a bottle sa Landmark or Watsons, and other leading dept stores and supermarkets nationwide. (Lakas maka-commercial noh? Hehehe.)


This is me, post "workout", ready to take my long walk again! :) 

I am actually enrolled in their 10-day program for beginners: Ten consecutive days na you can take unli classes (kahit i-umaga-gabi, pwede daw!) for only 1000 bucks! :D Medyo expensive na after this (inquire here for rates), but bikram yoga is something na I really enjoy and look forward to already. Wala shang feeling of obligation, naalala ko tuloy sinabi sa amin ng instructor namin yesterday--it doesn't have to be a debate in your mind if you're going or not. 

I'd love to talk more about the benefits of Bikram Yoga, but since ang haba na ng post nato hehe, you can read more HERE.

Visit http://www.bikramyogaalabang.com/ if interested ka din to take classes. :) They'll resume after the Holy Week, schedules include 6am, 8.30am, 6pm, and 8pm on weekdays, and 9.30am and 3pm on weekends. I usually take the last class on weekdays. :)