Working out should be something you look forward to, but when your routine gets repetitive, you get bored. It’s underwhelming to run the same path everyday and your body eventually adapts to your routine, so it’s important to switch it up.  

I recently hit a rut, so I took a friend up on an offer to try Bikram yoga. This form of yoga is practiced in a room heated to around 108 degrees with 40 percent humidity. I had practiced yoga before, so I figured this experience, coupled with my love of running in the New Orleans heat, would make this a comfortable new routine. I may have thought Bikram wouldn’t be a challenge, but it was an excruciating 90 minutes.  

Participants are expected to follow the teacher’s specific dialogue through 26 poses, each repeated twice. Bikram founder Bikram Choudhury says the practice flushes the body of waste and toxins through sweating.

As I’m reminded each class, Bikram helps us “teach our mind by using our body and teach our body by using our mind.” I find that when I breathe through the poses and pain, I’m learning how to move deeper into the posture while also gaining tremendous focus and discipline.

Students are supposed to spend the 90 minutes engaging in a “moving meditation,” meaning they’re supposed to free their minds of extraneous thoughts. As my instructor said yesterday, “Take these extra thoughts and watch them float away.”

When sharing my experience with other workout enthusiasts, I have been met with doubt that yoga could be a cardiovascular workout, but this isn’t so. Bikram will get your heart pounding and can even burn up to 1,000 calories in one session. Your muscles will become toned and lengthened, and your flexibility will drastically increase. 

After eight consecutive classes, the pain in my arms, thighs, core and glutes speak to the toning power of Bikram yoga. I have found that I also feel extremely peaceful, balanced and refreshed when I walk out of class. If you’ve got the guts to push yourself through this amazing practice, here are some tips:

First, stay hydrated. Second, don’t eat two hours before class to avoid cramping.

Try Bikram with an open mind. This is a controversial, challenging form of yoga, but if you give it an honest effort, you’ll feel amazing when you leave the sweatbox.

Caitlin Spieker is a sociology senior and personal trainer who is working on a certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. She can be reached at [email protected]