How to survive 90 minutes of Bikram yoga?

My second lesson of Bikram Yoga in Milan was as tough, hard and "terrible" as the first one last week. Just after 15 minutes I started to feel dizzy, Few times during the class I felt like fainting and once I almost got panic. All because of the heat. But I wasn't alone in this. Some people just sat the whole class while some where more dramatic and started to hyperventilate.,tried to rush out (but was stopped by the teacher and dragged in again), someone (I guess?) vomited and some panicked but manage to stay inside anyway.

The teacher kept saying that people in much worse physical and mental shape than us has survived Bikram all over the world so why should't we do it? And I kept that in my mind, I am fit, I am light, I am quite strong and quite flexible so I just must be able to survive the Bikram yoga class and I did. I tried not to think of how hot it was even if it hard. Like last time I did do all

Suggestions says that during Bikram yoga it is important not doing any extra movements at all. The idea of Bikram yoga is to hold still each pose as long as possible and then catch up the breath during the resting pose (standing or lying still) that comes after each yoga pose. To do some extra stretching my yourself, fixing your clothes, your hair of whatever is just total waste of well needed energy.

Everyone sweats a lot. We are walking out in clothes and with a towel as wet as if they had been thrown in a pool. I actually sweat more than I have ever done in my whole life. But that is normal so no need to waste energy thinking about it, get distracted about it or try to dry it away with your towel.

Another important thing to keep in mind is to always keep the eyes open. It is easy to feel like closing them but it won't help at all, actually it can just make you feel dizzy and to loose your concentration.

Yesterday I felt much better after the class than I did last time. I think it was because I drank a water mix of salts and minerals both before and plenty of it afterwards. And thinking logically, with with the sweating we all loose not only liquids but also salt so some extra salts during the day might not be a bad idea. And then it is obviously important to both eat and drink well during the whole day both before and after the Bikram yoga class.

xoxo