Athletic-Minded Traveler

I think there is truth to this saying.

Of course, how one defines “pain” is the determining factor. In terms of exercise, I think the “pain” is a good thing. It’s the burn, struggle, high, and/or sweat equity of the workout. It’s what you come for.

If it doesn’t hurt a little, what’s the point? You suffer a little (or even a lot) and feel awesome afterward. And it doesn’t matter too much what you do, swim, bike, run, yoga, weight lifting, aerobics…

Bikram Yoga is my workout of choice and it perfectly illustrates my point.

Our studio in Old Town is “known” for its heat. I can attest to its heat factor from my experiences at other studios across the country and from the comments I’ve heard from others. And this studio does GREAT business, despite the fact that its students often whine “it’s too hot.” I usually complain when it’s not hot enough!

But, these same students come back. And soon they too complain if the heat isn’t up to par.

Why? Because the heat takes this yoga practice to a new level. With no heat, there is little struggle. It’s too easy. (Keep in mind that Bikram is for beginners.) And while we all like easy (or think we do), most of us won’t pay for it.

My brother recently began practicing Bikram yoga in Bend, Oregon, and he still says he hates it. But, he goes back 3+ times a week. In fact, he just completed 21 days in a row! He goes back because it’s hard; it works; and he sees results. (Read his story here.) And it’s the combination of the 26 poses over 90 minutes with heat that produces results.

The Bend studio is a good one. The heat is decent and the instruction is top-notch. I can’t say the same for some of the other studios I have practiced in. I’ve been in classes where at the slightest sign of any student becoming fatigued, the teacher opens a window or door or turns the heat down. I’ve even heard where one teacher said “we don’t want to risk anything.” Risk what? I’m still shaking my head at this nonsense. No pain, No gain. Try it.

I would wager that these same studios are not doing as well as they could financially. If I want to be coddled and have a nice glisten, I sure as heck don’t need to pony up $10-$15/class. I can perform some nice and easy stretches on my own for free. Okay, I admit, the Bikram sequence is quite genius, but for loyalists, it is ALSO the heat that keeps us coming back for more.

The Old Town San Diego studio is huge by comparison to others and the class numbers have increased significantly over the last year. Sure yoga is becoming more and more mainstream, but I have another explanation for the surge. I call it the Starbucks Effect.

Other burgeoning studios (such at CorePower) offer “hot yoga” or a Bikram knock-off as one of many class options. Undoubtedly there is a population that discovers hot yoga this way and then realizes that the genuine article can be had elsewhere, e.g., at a Bikram studio where there is more pain and gain.

Sbux popularized coffee drinking and MANY independent coffee houses benefitted from the free advertising. And while Bikram Choudhury (the inventor of Bikram Yoga), is certainly right to be disgruntled over his namesake being used without permission, I think it has helped some studios such as mine.

So, why do you exercise? And what is exercise really? Hmmm. If you want to stay active and fit wherever you go, check us out!

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