Hi borismom! I'll have to come back and give you a good, thorough answer later. I have to leave here in a sec...

I'll be back this afternoon!

Borismom, you should SO do it!!!

I am a begiiner and have only done a few classes but after the 90mins I feel so relaxed and happy.

I can't do all the poses, so just try as much as I can or skip what I can;t for now.

I love the fact that my skin feels clear after it too (because of all the sweating).

I would say go for it!

I'm gonna start a 30 day challenge the place near me does... will be hard!!!

ok, n/m, I don't need to leave now, lol.

Well, girl, I say do it! After 3 weeks I definitely saw improvements in my practice. Things I couldn't do the first class I can kinda do now. It's amazing to see the progress you make in yourself. Like BMV said, you do what you can, sit out a pose if needed, but as long as you give your full effort (even if it's only 10%) and do each pose as correctly as you can you will benefit from it. It is hard, I won't lie, it's uncomfie being in the heat, but if you go 5-6 days a week you do get used to it. I have found that I crave it like an addiction I feel so good afterwards. Each of the poses is designed to heal your body inside out and part of that is the blood flowing thru your body as you rest between each pose. This is when the healing, rest, and strength happens. So you give your maximum effort and push thru as far as you can go (w/o hurting yourself) then you rest as the blood flows back thru the muscles and joints. What I don't crave are sweets and diet Dr Pepper, fatty foods...I crave really clean foods because eating otherwise will make your practice more difficult. It also helped me that I would go in the late evening and so my last meal of the day is 3 hours before. You need to go on an empty stomach, or you will become queasy during class. Afterwards, I would crave a juicy fruit like grapefruit, so that would be my snack when I got home. You drink so much water that there isn't much room for the bad stuff. You have to drink twice what you think you need. If you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated, so that's how you know you aren't drinking enough. Your skin clears up, any bad knees or back, or neck, are healing, you become stronger...

it just rocks!! But it is not a breezy, easy-peasy thing to do. It is a practice that can becomes your lifestyle - more than just a workout or a hobby.

The weight loss will happen quickly at first of you have a lot to lose, but then will become steady at 1-2 lbs per week IF you eat 1200 calories or so a day. 1200 calories doesn't seem like much but you truly don't crave foods the way you did before. It's like your body knows just how crappy you will feel again if you eat that fried chicken, or even drink a diet soda, or eat a candy bar. I felt sick at Easter eating chocolate. You will slowly gain muscle, so the weight loss is not so apparant at first, but after a month your clothes will fit better, your body starts to take shape. It's a beautiful thing. For you to transform yourself you have to keep doing it...forever. It becomes your life. But you will be fit, and healthy and live a longer life. It's about the long-haul not the short term fix.

Please read/watch this guy's story and watch him go into the asanas. (click his website link at the bottom of the article I linked to below.) He is such an inspiration. I don't think I will ever be at that level, but that is ok. Each person's practice is an individual one and there is no judgement by the instructors or other students of how well you can do an asana. They have all been at day 1.

Joseph Encinia

You will feel so happy all the time, too! I stopped Bikram this week as I'm having a procedure that will keep me from exercising for 6 weeks! I am so bummed! But I will go back!!! I love it too much not to. I already feel physically down or sad not going *nearly* everyday. I can't tell you how elated I felt to finally be able to do a few asanas that on day one I could not do. It is so rewarding! So afrer go back after 6 weeks I'm sure it will be like starting over. But I don't care, I love it. Do I wish the weight loss was quicker? Sure. But I'm getting so much more in the process than just dieting, and running on a treadmill.

DO IT!! Just begin.

So borismom, did I scare you from trying it? You really should try for a month and see.

Nope Flash, I meant to answer earlier but got distracted... My son was diagnosed with ADD, and I recognize some of the symptoms in me.

Anyway, it sounds really interesting. I read that website you linked to, and it does sound like a way of life, and those asanas (are those the poses?) look intimidating... Right now I'm a plump size 14 and look more like the Michelin Man... I also struggle with drepression and I seem to be in a funk. I also have sciatica, which makes me not want to excersice sometimes...

I have to go to the bank tomorrow, and it is conveniently located in the same strip mall as the yoga studio! So I will go in and inquire about costs and schedules. And see if they have a demo class (most gyms around here give you a free class, or free couple of days so you can see for youself if you want to commit).

I keep reading about "enlightment" and how some people get their groove and I would love to get mine too!

Well i have heard about the bikram yoga which is very useful for fitness and and also for memory improvement . Moreover, It is also beneficial in weight loss . I would be pleased to know from you about bikram yoga .

Borismom, try not to be intimidated by the asanas (poses) or other people in class. Yes, you may not be able to do some of them at first (unless, you happen to be really flexible) but you just do what you can and at least attempt them at full effort each class. The point here is to get your heart pumping while you do them. Also, there will be people in the classes of all different fitness levels. When you see a skinny little bendy girl in front of you whippin thru them with ease try and be inspired, and know she is not paying you no mind! Everyone in class is so focused on their own practice to notice you. You will grow in your practice if you keep going! I was so dang proud of myself when I was finally able to hold the bow pose without falling out! It took me 3 weeks to to so, and I still can't hold it for long on the other side! Even the dead man's pose, which is the resting pose, can be difficult! I would fidget, wipe the sweat, drink water...my elbow would feel funny so I would readjust, or my towel would bunch up under my ankle and I would move. But by the 3rd week I was not fidgeting, didn't need water, and I no longer wipe the sweat off my face - I let it go! Don't wear makeup or cream on your face as it can sting your eyes, btw.

As far as your sciatica. Well, I couldn't bend my neck back at all. 3rd week? I can bend it back 3/4 of the way without pain. I have a bad back...but I can now do a back bend about a foot back. Day 1 I didn't even attempt it. Other poses I could only go half way, or one, I can do the whole pose even though it's modified by spreading my knees apart vs. keeping them together. Eventually, as I get stronger and my knees heal, I will be able to do it. It's a process!

This will be YOUR practice and there is no comparing it to anyone else's. You have to do it forever, and you will want to because you will feel amazing. It can be expensive, but if it is important to you you will find a way to do it.

There are NO scales, weight loss booklets, etc. It is not about weight loss really, although if you follow the practice and eat healthy weight loss will be a byproduct of it. It is about healing and caring for your body from the inside out. Treat yourself like a fragile plant, water it, fertilize it, and certainly, don't pour Diet Soda on it! I haven't had DP in a month and I was addicted. yup.

Lastly, but most importantly, you will become enlightened with time. But you will immediately feel better - not during class so much, but AFTER class. You will have a newfound sense of purpose. I do feel also that it helps with the blues as it helps to heal your body, mind and soul. I love it.

lol, you def won't feel better in the class. I often felt like I wanted to either throw up or sleep in the class, but after was a different story.

Good for you Flash, for going still and keeping at it. After 6 months, I know that is a long time, but your body is so transformed, it is really amazing.

I am a yoga instructor and I just cannot hang with Bikram Yoga. LOL I teach Yin Yoga which is pretty intense in it's own right as it is holding each specific pose for 5-10 minutes per position. While this practice is very intense to some, it is nowhere near as physically intense as Bikram Yoga, in my opinion. Mentally intense yes, but physically no, no, no. LOL

My Yoga motto is never to do anything that I find extremely physically intense as, for me, I utilize my practice for it's mental benefits. If I become physically exhausted my mind does as well.

I do yoga to relax myself and free my mind from the day to day madness as I am high stress. The physical benefits I have achieved just seemed to come along with the stress relief. I'm certainly not complaining

I know quite a bit of people that love Bikram yoga. I can understand the health benefits of the practice but I just can't bring myself to stick with it.

I've tried it about 5 times and thought I was going to die each and every time. My hat goes off to those that can hang with it and reap the rewards.

Borismom - I can explain what the "feeling" is for me. Well, to the best of my ability I will try to explain.

I've been practicing yoga since I was 6 years old. My Mother taught yoga and that was how I was introduced to the lifestyle. I practiced about 2 times a week until I moved out of my parents home at 18.

Over time, I began neglecting my practice and ultimately stopped practicing all together for about 10 years. One day, I noticed that my life had become this chaotic, repetitive cycle of stress. I kept asking myself what I had changed to become such a stressful person. How did I become this person that had to take pills every time I got stressed out? And then BAM the light came on one day and I decided to find the time to learn my practice of Yoga again.

The "feeling" for me is instant stress reduction. Almost like an IV shot of ativan. I can feel my heart rate slow down and my breathing instantly becomes deep and steady when I practice Yoga.

I've now been serious with my practice again for 5 years and my life is very different today than it was when I was not practicing. I am fit, healthy and level headed. When stressful situations arise I feel like I have more patience, compassion and understanding.

I truly believe in the practice of yoga and the benefits it brings to the body, mind and soul =)

BTW - Flash, your posts are so encouraging and you definitely sound like you've grown to know your practice well and how things work best for you. A fellow Yogini I see in your words of encouragement =)