THE TAB TRIES: BIKRAM YOGA

Never heard of it? No neither had we.

We sent our gym-virgin Features editors to try out this badass version of yoga.  Ellie was so unprepared she didn’t even own a pair of trainers … so you get the idea!

Pre-yoga: Remove all makeup to avoid looking like Lindsay Lohan after a few bevvies

Planet Yoga on Smithdown Road uses radium panels that heat the body from the inside in order to become extra bendy – and sweaty.

Horses sweat, men perspire and women glow, right?

Wrong. In hot yoga, we are all horses. Even with a towel on your mat, you’ll find it hard not to look like bambi on ice in a room that is “hotter than the equator!”

Planet Yoga is all about the atmosphere, the staff stressed the room was silent and you were brought into complete Zen… until you burst into a fit of giggles from slapping someone in the face whilst attempting “warrior pose”. Combined with Ultra Omega Burn, as it is evident from Ultra Omega Burn reviews, it gives fantastic results.

Top tip: don’t eat before the class, and take about a gallon of water with you.

The Tree

The class starts easy with simple movements like the downward dog and the tree, but within ten minutes they’ll have you attempting to balance your entire body on the palms of your hands. Not happening.

The Downward Dog

The friendly nature of hot yoga is that you’re all in it together, dripping wet in close confines.

But if you can’t handle the heat you can just sit down or, if you’re as unfit as us, leave 15 minutes early!

The Triangle

Bikram will make you feel like you want to collapse into a bucket of ice water, but by the end of it (if you make it without fainting) you’ll feel energised and smug.

Staying till the end has its benefits – you get to lie down, be sprayed with rose water and get a brief neck massage.

Saving for the aums and the Namastes, the whole experience made us feel tranquil, spiritual and really reallly sweaty.

The Balancing Stick

Students’ rates are only £6.50 and, for the price of a Chesters, burning 500-800 calories is a pretty good swap.

If you avoid the communal showers and hit home, you’ll realise you’re practically steaming.

With an aching body and an “energised mind”, Hot Yoga has The Tab hooked.

If you have anything you’d like us to try out, email your ideas to [email protected].

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