Sweat - It's Good for the Pores

Ever heard of hot yoga? It's really a variation of Bikram yoga, which has been around forever. Just a couple of blocks from my house is the Bikram Yoga Sarasota, and today I decided to try it out. WoW!

I have done plenty of exercise classes over the years and this time was the first time I was nervous about going. I mean, working out in a room that is heated to 104 degrees! What was that going to be like? I have low blood pressure and was worried about keeling over, so I drank jugs of water before I got there, threw in some gator aid and V8 juice. Aside from having a full bladder,  I felt confident I would be hydrated enough not to pass out, and I didn't.

What I did do was sweat! I have never before dripped or sopped up so much saltwater coming out of such minuscule orifices. Forget worrying about fainting, I should have remembered I have rosachea. What with the sweating and the heat, I was bright red at the end of the 90 minutes. I looked like a white rabbit with allergies! However I took comfort by looking around the room and seeing others in a similar state. I was the overall red face winner, but there were several second and third place winners. How could there not be! It was sooooo fr-ing hot!

I spent the second half of class on my back in savasana, I was very freaked out by the color of my face, plus it was starting to sting a bit. I diligently created affirmations like, " This heat is making my skin glow. I look beautiful and younger by sweating. Getting rid of toxins by sweating this way will make me so healthy," and on and on. Anything, to stop me from visioning my face broken out in pustules, brilliant red blotches and small children running away when they looked at me.

Now, six hours later I can say I survived and feel good. My face has returned to it's normal northern European pale color, I have no soreness and I want to do it again. My ah-ha moment? I love to sweat. It does feel as if it is purifying me and getting rid of that wine and Cheetos which I all to frequently indulge in.  The room being that hot really does make your body more flexible and pliable.  Well, to be honest I was so afraid of knocking over my classmates I barely exerted myself, but I did stretch some parts of myself that whimpered a bit as I did so. That counts, doesn't it?

So, I will stay tuned to the condition of my skin. I am vain enough  not to do Bikram yoga if my face is oozing from doing so. But I am confident that my whipped together mantras have protected me from bad facial juju, and the over-ridding positiveness of the exercise will only enhance my MEness, strength and vitality. Stay tuned.