30 day challenge – no rest days

Hi Josie,

I think part of the reason why you’re encouraged to take “rest” days from running, weight lifting, etc., is because those are activities that actually break down your muscles, which means your body needs a chance to rebuild and recover. Any impact sport is incredibly strenuous on your joints, bones, and muscles. Bikram yoga, on the other hand, is all about rebuilding your muscles and your body’s many, many systems during each class, meaning you don’t need a day off. Your daily class serves as your body’s chance to recover, if that makes sense.

In fact, once I was in the last 10 days of my 30-day challenge, I didn’t even want to a day off. I felt amazing. If I had a rocky class one day, then the next day’s class would be my chance to rebuild my practice and to prepare for the next class.

Now that I’m done my challenge and back to my four/five classes a week, I’ve noticed my practice just isn’t the same as it was during those 30 days. It takes me longer to get into what I like to call “my yoga frame of mind,” and I have to make much more of a concentrated effort to remind myself to breathe, to go slowly, to be mindful. When you’re going to class every single day, your practice becomes more and more refined, meaning you can get to your meditative state easier and faster and gain greater benefits, physically, spiritually, mentally, etc.

If I had the time, I would most certainly be at class each and every day. In my opinion, “rest days” from Bikram actually make it harder–not easier!–to maintain a strong, consistent practice.

Hannah

Thanks Hannah,

I totally agree that Bikram Yoga doesn’t do the kind of damage that other forms of athletics do, and doesn’t require the same kind of recovery. And while I said that I feel that my practice improves after a rest, I have stellar and not-so-stellar days during that 6-day streak too… it’s an iffy proposition to attribute those ups and downs to things, I guess…

When forced to take 2 or 3 or more days off, though, I have some awful classes until I feel I’m ‘back on the horse’…

Hello fellow yoga practitioners. Thought I would add the male pesrspective regarding the topic of doing the 30 day challenge. I ended up doing 33 days, having gone to 3 classes in a row before deciding on doing the challenge which inadvertently ended on March 30 08 which was the same day I joined the local Bikram studio 2 years previous!–kind of meaningful considering how I felt about the Bikram experience after my first class!

I had been going 3 days a week steadily, sometimes 4–rarely 5 and to bump it up to everyday for the challenge was a quantum leap for me in terms of time commitment, whether I could do it, the fact that I had to do it after committing!-our names were on a board in the foyer/peer pressure and working through knee pain, toe pain, a sweat rash–general feelings of weirdness,mild nausea, some insomnia and at times feeling bored(?) with the same workout. Those taking teacher training go 6 days with at least one day off per week. I too was raised with the school of thought that the body needs time off to recharge from strenous exercise.During the first 15 classes I comforted myself at times saying I could do a double if I had to take a day off–I did not though but will at some point.I also experienced moments of eureka like thoughts/feelings regarding how much power the mind has over us and achieved increased contol in this regard–that I can do this and or the need to surrender/let go to the practice/living, the sense of flowing with the class–like it is one continuous focus/movement from start to finish- from the breathing through the postures and savasana and to have increased confidence that the body is capable of much more than the mind allows it.

I also got to get to know the other challengers better and develop a bond. After the challenge my days felt empty somewhat, I took 2 days off and started up again, back to 3-4 times per week. Overall I sense I am smoother, more efficient, greater strenth and focus in my practice following the 33 days.I do not see myself going 6 days per week and also sense that Bikram is a bit of an addiction–the physical afterglow and all. I will mix in another activity–cross train so to speak to create balance.

Hope this is not too long winded–I enjoyed reading Hannahjustbreathe’s 30 day blog–which I found supportive during my challenge. There are many other facets of the challenge I have not touched on–another time.

Lastly, I am very grateful to have Bikram Yoga in my life and could not imagine living without it–also grateful that I am able to participate and not disabled or other condition preventing me from practicing. Amen.

Namaste

BL

Hi Gabrielle,

Alot of comments posted regarding the 30 day challenge–I completed my first one in March of this year and it was challenging and worthwile on many levels. I had to work through knee and big toe pain–certain postures exacerbated this but I carried on with determination(English bulldog?)and some feeling sorry for myself!!

A question that comes to mind as an afterthought is what constitutes balance in our lives–physically/enotionally/mentally/time/activity wise and so forth. Bikram yoga has been jokingly called crack yoga for its addictive qualities–and I wonder about practitioners who attend for months in a row and maybe also do some other form of exercise on top, whether this will produce health problems later in life such as joint laxity or other and if the need to exercise becomes a substitute for trying to maintain a balance or avoid any angst in our lives.

I find it difficult to work and raise a family and deal with all the errands and other to attend BIkram everyday for example–I go 3-4 times per week fairly religiously but at times find this hard to plan for–during the challenge I had to take off a few days work for spring break for my son and to focus on the challenge and all. I am strongly pulled to my Bikram yoga practice and happy to have it in my life.

Thanx again for this great forum and the global nature of the internet!

Namaste,

BL

Congratulations Josie :cheese:

You made it!

Funny thing: in upsetting your life balance temporarily you have paradoxically created more balance! Wonderful lessons learned about the body and mind. There is no going back.

Keep enjoying your journey

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

such interesting thoughts!! thank you all for putting your input in. I practiced 6x week and too struggled w/ the idea of no rest days and really what the diff and benefit would be to going 7x? so…. I asked! my yoga teacher told me the classic only I know what my body needs and to look inside myself for the amount of practice I need. He also said however that 7x vs. 6x are worlds apart because when you do 6x your body stops every 7th day. You have to keep starting over (though you improve don’t get me wrong). When you go 7x your body is put into a cycle that does not stop. All very cool.