You know those celebrities who say, “Oh, I don’t work out, I just eat whatever I want and sit on the couch and manage to look like this”? I hate them, because I’m generally not a fan of liars. No one ever got a six-pack as the result of a “How I Met Your Mother” Netflix marathon. If that were the case, we would all be ripped.
What does keep you in shape, however, is dedicating yourself to an exercise routine and sticking to it, no matter how tedious or tired you become. Sure, take a rest day and certainly switch up your schedule, because not only will you get bored if you don’t, your muscles will realize you’re doing the same thing over and over again and you’ll face the ever-depressing plateau moment.
One way to shake up your exercise habits? Incorporate something fun and different you’ve never tried before! Might I suggest hot or Bikram yoga? While the two terms are used interchangeably quite often, they’re really not the same. If you need some clarification, take a look at the first few paragraphs of this handy article that explains the two thoroughly.
If you’re committed to getting into shape this year, head to a hot or Bikram yoga studio in Metro Detroit. You’ll get a great workout, and in a Bikram room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll no doubt warm up from this Michigan winter chill!
Bikram Yoga Midtown Detroit, 55 W. Canfield, Detroit, offers classes every day of the week from early morning to early evening, so whether you’re trying to squeeze a class in at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday or 6 a.m. on Tuesday, you can do both.
As with all Bikram yoga classes, each 90-minute session consists of 26 yoga poses along with two breathing exercises. That’s one of the biggest differences between Bikram and hot yoga—hot yoga can consist of any series of poses, but Bikram follows the same ones in a particular order no matter where you take the class.
Drop-in classes cost $16 and there are various class packages available, as well as memberships. You can find the weekly class schedule here.
Detroit Bikram, with locations in Farmington Hills and Troy, provides another great form of exercise that warms the muscles and detoxifies the body. Ultimately, Bikram yoga can help reduce stress, clear your mental state and prevent you from getting sick. I don’t know about you, but I could certainly use all of those benefits.
If you’re a Bikram yoga first timer, take note that you should not eat two hours prior to a class and bring plenty of water with you. You’re essentially going to be exercising in a sauna for an hour and a half, so bring as much H2O as you possibly can!
You can find the weekly schedules for both locations online, and classes are offered as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 8:15 p.m. Single classes cost $18, and packages are available for anything from 20 classes to an unlimited month’s worth of classes.
Bikram Yoga, 122 Main Centre, Northville, like all of the other studios on this list, welcomes beginners. Bikram was designed for first timers, so there’s no excuse if you have no practice being a yogi! Bikram Yoga of Northville has been in operation for the past 16 years, and all of the teachers here are certified by the Yoga College of India.
The class schedule is available online, and each week, there are 33 different class times to choose from. Walk-in classes cost $20, and if you don’t have your own mat and towel (both of which are required for a class), don’t sweat it (sorry, I had to). You can rent both! Towel rental costs $2, while mat rental costs $5.
If you’re really feeling it after your first (or second or third) session, don’t hesitate to schedule a therapeutic or deep tissue massage with one of the yoga studio’s massage therapists. An hour of bliss will cost you $85, while an hour and a half will cost $110.
Clarkston Hot Yoga, 5678 Sashabaw Rd., Clarkston, is not a Bikram yoga studio, but a hot yoga studio—one that offers seven different hot yoga classes, as well as two hot Pilates classes. Each hot yoga class varies from 60 to 75 minutes, and the hour-long Venus class is a great introduction to hot yoga for beginners.
In it, the room is heated to 100 to 103 degrees Fahrenheit, and the instructors will teach you how to do each pose, so it doesn’t matter whether you have experience or not. The class will not only help you develop flexibility, but core strength as well.
You can view the weekly schedule online and sign up for classes at once. Drop-in classes cost $18 for adults ages 24 and over, $12 for students ages 23 and under, and $12 for seniors ages 62 and up and veterans. Unlimited packages and class cards are also available.
If you’re looking to spice up your exercise routine, or simply establish one in the first place, hot and Bikram yoga are great places to start. Don’t forget to dress like you’re headed to the beach!