A Phenomenology of Thailand

Your jail-cell window to Bangkok.

Saturday, June 12, 2004

Bikram Yoga

One of the nicest things about living in Bangkok is the abundance of physical activities like badminton, frisbee, yoga, and even outdoor (yes, outdoor!) aerobics. Unlike Manila where even physical activities are a fad, there are a lot of choices here.

I saw a flyer on Pris' fridge door about Bikram Yoga Bangkok and decided to finally give it a try. I've always been curious about yoga, but never had the motivation to actually do it. I thought that I'd fall asleep right in the middle of the session since it has minimal movement -- or so I thought.

Truth is, the yoga positions in magazines are not as easy as they look.

Bikram Yoga is done in a heated room -- felt a bit like a conked-out sauna that produced minimal heat. At the beginning of the class I was trying very hard to not giggle as a guy in yellow shorts near the mirrors was doing the poses with level 3 enthusiasm. A few times I'd get lost with all the instructions tha were being given: butt out, straight back, knees bent, arms straight, stretch... good thing Pris was right in front of me so it was pretty easy to play copycat.

At the end of the 90-minute class, I was as stretched out and sweaty as a 2-hour badminton game. I never thought yoga was this difficult and yet addicting -- here's to hoping I get thru at least 3 more sessions!