I'm trying Bikram (hot) Yoga for the first time Saturday morning. Is there any advice you can provide me?

I just read someone's blog that scared me, she said she felt terrible and sick the next day. If that's common, I don't think I should do it for the first time when I have things to do the day after.

Or maybe this person had an unusually bad reaction?

I would love to hear any advice or tips. Thanks! :)

Hi,
I'm an avid Bikram Yogi but my first time was really hard. I actually managed to stand the whole time and do all the postures. I should say here that at that point I wasn't doing a whole lot of working out or exercise in general. So it was quite a shock to the system. I finished the class, thought it was one of the hardest things I've ever done (yet somehow it felt great!) and came home around 6pm. I sat on the sofa and passed out! I never nap and am generally a night person but was exhausted. That being said I didn't hydrate before the class and I didn't eat a big (but healthy) meal about 4-5 hours before class. I didn't feel sick at all and the next day I was super stiff but somehow managed to go back to class.

The thing to focus on is that every body is different and you won't know how your body will respond until you actually go and take a class.

My advice is to hydrate plenty before class. Remember that your goal in your first class is to stay in the room. That's it. Your body is adjusting to the heat and it will take up to 10 classes for your body to really get used to working out in a hot space. So if you need to sit down, sit down. If you feel nauseous, that's normal. Your body (via sweat) is releasing toxins and sometimes that will make you feel sick. It's temporary, sit down and have some water and relax.

Also, class is 90 minutes long and they typically give you plenty of time after class to stay in the room and get your heart rate back down to normal. I would suggest you give yourself plenty of time after class ends to shower, get ready, etc. Don't schedule something right after and be forced to rush.

I'm sure you'll do great. It's an amazing work out!!

Make sure you hydrate yourself well before the class. That means drink plenty of water for several hours before the class, during the class, and after the class. It is very likely your friend had a bad reaction because she ended up dehydrated.

I very much enjoyed my first hot yoga class, but was forewarned about making sure to be hydrated. It is also a good idea to just be in the habit of drinking plenty of water every day. Not soda, not tea, but water. Not sparkling water, that's carbonated and still more work for your body to deal with. Give it straight water, so it doesnt' have to do any extraction to make it go to work for you. :)

Go easy, if your heart rate goes up, just rest a little, and voice any concerns you may have with the yoga instructor before the class begins (so go a few minutes early so you can talk to her or him). That always will help, and the instructor may have some tips for you to help you have a great experience and a good day the day after.
If the person writing the blog didnt' keep drinking water after the class to help flush toxins, that may be what caused her to feel so ill. I would deem it very likely.

good luck, and enjoy your class!

I have been to hot yoga. It is really hot. the key is making sure you are staying hydrated the whole time. i remember bringing like a big jug of water and i didnt have like enough, i was still thirsty. a lot of the positions you do are kind of not upside down, but like downward doggg or things like that where blood is rushing to your head so you may feel lightheaded, and you hold the positions for a very long time. I wasn't too fond of it, it was just too hot for me, and the class was too long. But one of the guys i work out with him and his wife love it and they go every saturday morning. It really helps you improve your strength and its great. Wear a tank top though and shorts, youre gonna sweat your *** off! Make sure you eat something before like ur going to a regular work out you want to have energy to do the class! But if you do feel like light headed at all or not feeling well just take a break, especially if its your first time. the instructor (at least the one i went to) really like focuses on helping you to make sure youre doing everyhting right and says like you take a break when you need it. So just listen to your body and you should be fine! dont kill yourself its the 1st time!

Bring a towel, bring some cold water, and if you start feeling light headed, then take a rest. It is really hot in there and you are going to sweat a lot. Some people say they have gotten sick after the first few times, but that didn't happen to me. Just take it somewhat easy, just in case! But I have never really seen anyone have a bad experience doing it, so don't be too scared by those horror stories!

Depends... on how well you deal with heat. It can mess around with you body and sometimes blood pressure if you are sensitive to heat stress.

That being said, I know lots of people who LOVE it. My own tastes run toward Ashtanga yoga.