Bikram Yoga Natick: A Place to Heal

Do you have any aches and pains that just won't go away? Have you gone back to the doctor time and time again and nothing seems to work?

Bikram Yoga may be the answer for you, and you can give it a try right here in Natick at Bikram Yoga Natick, which was opened in September, 2010 by Maria McBride.

Bikram Yoga is a series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises done in a room that's heated to 115 degrees. The purpose of Bikram Yoga is healing and it's restorative.

"People come in to heal," Joanne Zimmerman, one of eight teachers at the studio, said. "Just anything is going to help you."

The 26 postures are each a series of stretches (see videos for part of two of them). A teacher instructs outloud everything the people in the class do, and a unique thing about Bikram Yoga is that every class is exactly the same in terms of the order in which things are done and how they are done. McBride refers to all classes as beginner classes.

"Beginner doesn't mean easy," she said. "It means it's designed for everyone."

The heat helps you work up more of a sweat, which helps you come out of postures more easily, according to Zimmerman.

"It also helps with circulation," McBride added. "Each posture works a different area, and in the end you feel good all over."

The increased circulation helps ease the muscles as the blood flows more freely. This is something that helps many people who are in some sort of pain feel better from Bikram Yoga.

"Everything here is to help you," McBride said. "It's a great investment in health and well-being."

Classes last 90 minutes, and they're hard work as you use all your muscles.

"It's hard when you're in there, but we as teachers are here to help students" McBride said. "The rest of the day will feel great, so you'll feel great for 22.5 hours."