Did you know that many yoga studios and gyms offer hot yoga classes, but none of them are Bikram Yoga. If you would like to try Bikram (and become hooked like I have) than you should seek out a Bikram Yoga studio. And luckily for us, there is a new studio in Glenview IL which opened last summer, 2012.
Sisters Heidi Bernover and Holly McGregor have been practicing Bikram since 2005/06. They decided to leave their careers behind (Heidi as a financial planner and Holly in advertising) to become certified Bikram instructors a few years later. Training is an arduous 9-week session with the still-living Bikram Choudhury that all instructors must complete.
They chose Glenview for two reasons: because there were no Bikram studios between Evanston and Milwaukee and they felt it was a good central location. They also grew up in Northfield and wanted to give back to the area that they knew and loved.
Bikram is a very specific type of yoga practiced in a room heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity. There are 26 poses, done twice, and performed in the same, specific order each time over a 90 minute period. The reason? By completing the class, you will have systematically worked all your muscles, joints, tendons, glands, circulatory system and also improved your balance and strength. There are seven reasons for the heat and humidity but the two most important are for detoxification (sweating) and helping the body be more malleable. Bikram says "you can't bend cold steel."
And after cooling down you walk out of the studio feeling refreshed and reinvigorated (and ready for a great shower.)
Currently, Bikram North Shore offers 32 classes (Bikram North Shore class schedule) and has students from all over the North Shore as well as Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights and Lake Forest. They recently added child care once a week during the day and they may consider kid-centric classes.
For me, the heat was only an issue for the first class - after that it was just background noise. Holly told me she enjoys seeing the changes in her students - some have lost several waist sizes, another student felt disc pain relief and I have felt an improvement in mental clarity and concentration.
Give Bikram North Shore Yoga a try - they offer a great first-time special - $25 unlimited one week. It's a challenging workout - but worth every sweaty minute.
Where: Bikram Yoga North Shore
1926 Waukegan Blvd.
Glenview, IL 60025
847-998-6030
info@bikramnorthshore.com
Insider Information:
- Classes start promptly and doors close 2 minutes before class begins
- Bring large towels along with your yoga mat - they are mandatory. They are offered for rent if you don't have them.
- Please remain quiet in class - no fidgeting or talking
- Wear light clothing
- Try not to eat for 3 hours before class
- New students should arrive 20 minutes before class time
- Drink lots of water on the way to class. Plus, the night before, I fill a water bottle 3/4 full with pinch of salt and freeze it. In the morning, I fill it up all the way and it stays cool throughout class.
Get hot - get sweaty - feel great!
