Well. It took me a total of three hours but I walked to Kailua Shopping Center to take a yoga class at Bikram Yoga Kailua. It wasn’t bad. The sky is gray today so I can imagine that on a sunnier day the walk would be pleasant. But I didn’t mind–the street wasn’t busy and I caught up on my Left, Right, and Center podcast.
In all my time doing yoga I’ve always steered clear of Bikram (hot) yoga. I tend to overheat quickly and I thought the style would be bad for my knees. Surprisingly, I felt stronger after class. My knees felt less sore or tender. I don’t know that that’s one of the benefits of Bikram. For example, Iyengar yoga is meant to be more rehabilitative and good for the injured. Bikram, like Ashtanga, always seemed similar in that their suited for people in tip top shape. Contrary to all of that, being hot made my joints more supple. The class pace is slow and not very intense (except for the sweat pouring off you). I liked it. I signed up for the new student offer 30 days for $30. That’s even better than Open Space!
The format for class is a little weird. The room is small. The teacher talks you through the class sometimes demonstrating if you’re having trouble. But the weird thing is that she uses a headset–as in a microphone. Like Madonna. It was funny but it makes sense. You shouldn’t be struggling to hear the teacher. The other thing is that you face a full wall mirror the whole time. I was wary at first but then I liked being able to make adjustments based on how I looked and not just how I felt.
Last night Sarah and i took class at Manoa Yoga Center. My picture makes it look like a prison complex but Manoa is so lovely. A very picturesque residential area. We took class with Ray, one of the owners. He’s certainly the most experienced teacher I’ve had class with here in Hawaii. I think we’ll go back again, mainly to take a more intermediate class.
Sarah showed me Punahou School where she, Sean (and Obama!) went to highschool. There’s a carnival coming up at the school organized by the junior class and staffed by students, alum, and parents. It sounds so fun- food and rides in Manoa!
Three One Nine 