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Bikram yoga

One of my best friends turned up at mutual friend's wedding and nearly upstaged the bride with her healthy glow and svelte figure. It was almost enough to stop me asking her to be my bridesmaid, but instead I forced her to tell me her secret: Bikram yoga

This is why the first Monday evening of the year with sunshine and blue skies, found me sandwiched in a room heated to 40 degrees celcius with 30 other very sweaty people, armed with only a towel and two litres of water. Trying to look unfazed I commented that it didn't seem that hot. My 'friend' grinned. 'Just you wait,' she said.

Now I was a little nervous as I'm not the most flexible of people, but I was assured that the heat warms the body, allowing you to stretch that bit further and it encourages you to sweat out toxins so your skin will be blemish-free and glowing. The discipline took its name from Bikram Choudhury, who used yoga to rehabilitate himself after a weight-lifting accident, so I comforted myself with the fact that if I was really bad I could say I was rehabilitating too.

The classes mix everyone in together irrespective of age, fitness levels and gender. You can spot the lean and toned regulars in their skimpy outfits, but there are also people in baggy tee-shirts and shorts attending for the first time (me included). Thankfully, as a beginner you're encouraged to take it easy and are reminded that it's not a competition. This was lucky for me as my neighbour seemed to have the body of a contortionist.

The 90-minute class began with a breathing exercise; we interlinked our fingers and placed them under our chin, elbows pointing down. Then as we breathed out slowly we had to lift our elbows and tilt our heads backwards, then slowly return to the start position. It was weird, but also strangely relaxing.

I could feel my body starting to unwind, which meant that I must have been doing something right; the mini sequence of moves at the beginning of the class is designed to open your spine in four directions and warm you up for the 26 postures, or asanas, to come.

I failed miserably with one of the first asanas, which required me to interlace my arms. I managed to do it the wrong way, which set my so-called-friend off into a fit of giggles. The yoga teacher came over to help and thanked me for 'trying'. Yes, I was that pathetic, but it's amazing how much harder everything becomes when your body is being super-heated. Excuses, excuses, excuses...

The first half of the class was spent doing standing postures and the second half was mat work. For the first few minutes of the class I thought about how I wouldn't want to lie on my towel because it was already damp with sweat. By the time 45 minutes had passed I literally threw myself down there, but I shouldn't have been in such a hurry. If anything, the second half of the class was harder. We were all really put through our paces with more bending, stretching and flexing postures ending with more deep breathing and finally 'savasana' (lying posture) to let your body absorb the benefits.

I have tried yoga once before and it did nothing for me. I was bored in the meditation sections and I didn't feel like my body had done any kind of a workout. This was something completely different. The asanas combine strength, flexibility and balance to give you a total body workout. And that bottle of water? All gone. If you're struggling to drink your eight glasses of water a day, get thee to a Bikram yoga class!

I quizzed Olga, the head teacher and studio owner, on how often you'd have to practice to start seeing a difference. 'The more you come the better and quicker the results,' she said. 'We recommend twice a week minimum to see the changes in your body but there is no reason you can't come every day! The key to it is keeping up a consistent practice. Even if it is once a week you will still see some benefits.'

After the class I felt very sweaty, but invigorated. My mind felt very clear and I slept very deeply. The next morning my arms felt a bit sore from supporting my body weight in some of the moves, but in general my limbs felt like they had had a good stretch. I felt about three inches taller and my skin felt very soft. I headed back the following week for more of the same and a month before the wedding I've promised myself that I will go at least three times a week. For those who want to go 'hardcore' you can join up to the '30-day challenge' where you go every day for 30 days. You would look fabulous!

I practiced at Hot Bikram Yoga. Visit www.hotbikramyoga.co.uk or call 0207 384 4454 for more information. First-timers benefit from a 10-day pass for £10.

Top tip: Take plenty of water, this is one hell of a hot workout!

Buffing potential: ****
Worth the money: ****

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