When I first imagined Bikram Yoga, I pictured a solemn yogi posing in a warm room. Apparently I am bad at vividly imagining what 90 minutes of 26 different yoga positions in 105 degree heat with 40 percent humidity feels like. 

Well, it feels like your body is screaming at you to drink water and seek air conditioning quickly. But, as I eyed the door during my first Bikram class yesterday at a local Bikram Studio the instructor called me out and told me that even if I couldn't make it (survive) the different poses, I could just lie there because the heat still impacts you. Boy does it. I lied down on my yoga mat and towel for the last 15 or so minutes of the class, drenched in sweat and desperate for water (which, I was drinking but the more water you drink, the more nauseous you get), and my heart was beating as if I was running on a treadmill. 

When the class began, I was feeling warm, but enjoying the stretches and breathing exercises, although I have to admit I grew dizzy about 15 minutes into the class. It had been awhile since I had done regular yoga so the difficult balance poses seemed even more difficult that I remembered them to be. And because of the pressing heat, they all felt like I was balancing at a dead sprint. My heart was throbbing in my chest so I opened my mouth to get some air but the instructor again corrected me and said "Alex, close your mouth and breathe through your nose. It's part of the process and it's better for you." So I did.

I didn't have to lie down until we began doing floor poses, which are significantly easier than balance poses, but just sitting up from a lying down pose made me start to black out and prepare to faint. 

I remember staring at the clock - 10 minutes left of class - and making a mental note never to take Bikram yoga again. I finished up the last few poses in class and hobbled out into the comfortably chilly lobby sore, dehydrated and dizzy.

I still felt horribly nauseous and was beginning to get a bad headache, which the instructor said was normal. I waited an hour for the nausea to subside and was instantly starving. (I read that Bikram allows someone to burn between 500 and 1250 calories depending on the intensity)

Once I showered and ate, I contemplated giving it another shot. After all, isn't every new workout tricky the first time you try it? But I still can't shake that horrible feeling of the heat pressing down on me as I struggled to breathe through my nose and looked around for a place to politely throw up. I have to admit though, my muscles felt toned and my body felt relaxed (albeit beat) the morning after.

So anyone who is daring or has had some recent yoga experience, I would encourage them to try it. A lot of the men and women in the class love it. Some have even done two classes in a row in one day (God bless them and their stamina) but if you are faint of heart (literally) and can't handle temperatures above 100 degrees, you might want to stick with a different workout.

Namaste.