Moksha Yoga vs. Bikram Yoga

I started doing Moksha yoga July 9th.  I have been doing around 4 times a week.  I have been doing it to replace Bikram which is difficult to get to since it is not near my house anymore.  I love Bikram it just is so hard to get to since my studio moved.  Moksha is similiar to Bikram (as if it were a first cousin) but there is a lot of upper body work to it that I am not used to. I feel very weak in my upper body especially in Downward Facing Dog.  I also feel weak in the  lounges and warrior poses.  The poses I am used to doing in Bikram seem to come by sooner and last only a short amount of time.   I am committed to Moksha for now because it is near me and the studio seems to be a lovely.  I am committed to work on my upper body strength in Downward Facing Dog.  I am also going to try to do Iyengar to keep my posture good.

Bikram Encino

I went to the Bikram Encino Studio for the first time in years.  Somehow I thought they didn't have showers so I had been avoiding it.  It is the closest studio to my new job.  All I can say was it was amazing.  I remember last time I was there I really enjoyed the heat.  It is very moist over there and there is a big window overlooking the mall but somehow it is kind of pretty even though you are in a mall.  There are a lot of trees outside the window. 

The studio wall color is very pretty somehow a kind of a turquoise.  On one wall it says Bengal Tiger Strength and on the other wall it says Bulldog Determination.  How amazing!!

The studio isn't overcrowd like downtown LA.  It was so refreshing.

I had the best Bikram session I had in a long time.  I even went down for toe stand which I haven't attempted in a long time.  I felt so flexible in there (for me).  Amazing!!  I felt so beautiful.

Day 14 Bikram 30 day challenge

Today I finished day 14 of the 30 day challenge. I am feeling like I have a little more energy than earlier in the week. The only pose that I feel like I've gotten better in is half moon. I am a little disappointed.

Day 3 - O.K. Class

Today is Saturday. I went to the 8:30am Bikram Class. I generally very stiff in the morning but this class was the best one so far this week (although the week hasn't been very good. I didn't get the slight headache I got in the standing series on Thursday and Friday (I forgot to write about that). I did have the same calf pain. I did ok in Tree (much better than last night). Still a lot of problems in the 2nd and the 3rd part of Awkward Pose. I kicked out a little in standing head to knee (Dandayamana-Janushirasana ).

Here are some notes on Awkard (UTKATASANA) from the Portsmouth Bikram website


"Strengthens and firms upper arms, abdominal muscles and all muscles of thighs, calves and hips Makes hip joint flexible
Firms the upper arms
Increases circulation in the knees and ankle joints
Relieves rheumatism, arthritis and gout in the legs
Helps to cure herniated disc and lumbago in the lower spine
Increases inner thigh strength, promoting a healthy knee joint
Awkward Pose aligns the whole skeletal system back into center and opens the pelvic area. It aids in digestion, helps combat obesity, corrects immune disorders, arthritis of knees hips and ankles, and strengthens the lower limbs while relieving sciatica and menstrual disorders."


I think Awkward really taps into what is weak in my knees I really have to work on it and get it for my healing.

I did abs this morning and last night. I have a lot of belly fat and fat on my back.

I weighed myself this morning and I am 169. I was done to almost 150 last fall and I was around 160 for a long time. I hope Bikram can help me get myself to my goal weight of 150. I guess we will see.

Day 2 - Ate too Much

I didn't do my Paul Grilley work out or my abs so far today. I went to 4:30 Bikram. It's hard to find the time to do 2 workouts. I had a job interview this morning that took up a lot of time. I think you can only do it if you do one first thing in the morning and the other late in the day.

I felt sluggish and like I wanted to quit most of the Bikram class. I don't know how I will ever get to be a teacher. But I didn't quit and went through it slovenly. I had calf pain during the standing series. My Awkward pose was atrocious and even my Tree which is usually my best pose was very stiff.

I have a lot of belly fat that was just hanging out because of the ill chosen yoga clothes I wore.
I can only hope it will get better. I can only hope I will get thinner.

I am not half as strong as when I went to the East Coast. I can only think it is the plane and the 12 hour drive to Maine that destroyed my legs and my flexibility. Hopefully after I get 10 classes under my belt I will be a little better.

Day 1

Today is my first day. My goal is to go to Bikram yoga atleast 5 days a week for 6 months so that I can go to Teacher Training. I am a little fat right now. I hope that with the regular practice of Bikram I will lose some weight.

I did the Paul Grilley cd this morning - Yin Yoga hips series. I need to get more flexible. I don't think anyonne is going to want a yoga teacher who is not flexible.

It was hard for me to hold many of the poses for 4 to 5 minutes.

Tomorrow I will try to do the spine series.

Thursday Evening

I went to Bikram Downtown LA today and I bought an unlimited pass. I was shakey during the standing series with some calf pain. I had lots of problems with the Awkward Series. My right shoulder popped a lot in the different poses. I wasn't able to do as much as I usually can. I think it was the plane ride and so much time in the car driving to Maine. I will see how I do tonight.