Dearest Belles,

If you are like my sisters, you love the gym and can keep a great workout routine going for years. I, however, get bored with anything once it becomes “same old, same old”. That’s why I am always looking to try something new. My latest find on Groupon has been Bikram Yoga. I found a great deal ($36 for 10 classes!) so I decided to try it. I was looking for a new challenge anyway.

Darlings, was I in for a surprise! Now, I’m not a complete newbie to the yoga world–I attended a few Yin Yoga classes at my old gym but those were more for meditation than for balance and flexibility. The first thing that surprised me was the humidity. Yes, yes, Bikram Yoga is by definition heated yoga, But I wasn’t expecting to break out my sweat mustache for at least the first 5 minutes! Turns out, it’s practiced in a room heated to 95–108 °F (35–42 °C) with a humidity of 40%.

And I thought Houston was bad…

Well, I got through most of the poses alright with the exception of the Patient Tree and the Bow postures, but it really made me realize how much flexibility I’ve lost since high school. I used to be able to touch my head to my knees and arms to my toes with knees locked! I definitely couldn’t do that anymore.

My towel was soaked and I nearly passed out at one point from keeping my muscles so taut but honey, it was worth it. I felt great and I looked great. For the past 90 minutes, I stretched in several ways that promote blood circulation and sweated out what felt like every toxin I had ever come into contact with, and I was glowing!

Don’t believe me? Here’s a photo I sent my sisters right after my workout.

I’ve been going every few days for the past 3 weeks and I’m still completely loving it. But alas, the Groupon comes to an end soon and I must flit like a butterfly to a new buttercup. Hmm… maybe I’ll try boxing next?

Hah! Keep it adventurous, Belles!

xoxo, Zahra