Most folks know the basics of arriving prepared for a Hot Yoga or Bikram Yoga class. Jake Goertzen, is a Bikram Yoga certified instructor who has been teaching for 9 years and expounds below upon the “shoulds” of being a good yoga practitioner and yoga citizen.
* Editor's Note: This article was updated in July 2017 by the Athletic-Minded Traveler Staff.
There are two major areas of controversy with respect to the practice of yoga: 1. Is it a sport? 2. Is it religiously affiliated? We'll leave the second question for now and tackle the first.
Yoga has become a mainstay in our culture and the benefits of a regular practice are undeniable. Connecting with your yoga community and sharing a space where you can move and breathe together can be an unparalleled experience. But let’s face it – many of us can’t always carve out the time in our busy day to drive to our favorite studio or teacher. The good news is that no matter where we are or how much (or little) time we have, online yoga services have made accessing top studios and teachers as easy as entering a password.
It started innocently: one day the Bikram Yoga room felt a little cool and I had come to get my sweat on! C’mon. What was going on here? This is Bikram Yoga. You know, the “torture chamber.” Here I was, being tortured by a cool breeze and goose bumps.
What to do? Add clothing. Problem solved.
It took a year before we were sold.
But even at the very beginning we took notice. There was never, ever, a wet spot under our mat. Ever. Wow. We are BIG sweaters. Big. Ask anyone. We pour. At one point in our Bikram Yoga practice, we were offered a 3rd towel. We sweat that much. So having a mat completely impervious to liquid is a wonderful thing.
But it is what we noticed after a year that has made us believers.
Some like it hot and some like it not.
Some like it hard and some like it soft.
Some like it early and some like it late.
Some like yoga and some are dumb. ;)
Our newest Athletic-Minded Traveler assistant editor, Daniel Gaz, wrote this post.
It's an overused term, but apt for the many who are denied athletic freedom by their Monday through Friday workweek grind. Come Saturday "Weekend Warriors" are eager and fearless despite unconditioned muscles, joints, ligaments and tendons.
Is yoga your workout of choice? Do you maintain your practice when you travel? If not, we have some ideas that could change that.
BRING THE EQUIPMENT
