Cleansing from within (Session 2)

The night's sleep after my first session was enlivened by some pretty spectacular dreams; one of which involved a visit to an office I once worked in which had been transformed into a huge roller-coaster car, sweeping and looping as executives sat at rows of workstations that lined its sides.I awoke from this and other bizarre scenes feeling refreshed and enervated(as you might imagine), and made my way to Wood Green for a funeral service for an old friend who had died recently.

An irreverent man with a dark sense of humour and immense sense of fun - despite and perhaps because of his chronic and terminal depression - he would have enjoyed hearing himself alluded to, in the reading from the Book of Wisdom, as one who 'moved among sinners'. We were all there.

So after that, and an afternoon of deep, intense and unexpectedly delightful conversation with an old acquaintance that left me mentally drained, I was totally ready for my second session of Bikram yoga.

The theory behind practising yoga in intense heat is to soften the muscles, promoting flexibility and helping prevent injury. The postures themselves produce internal heat, raising the heart-rate and accelerating breathing. At my local centre, the teachers talk constantly throughout the practise, guiding you through the postures, describing their purposes, effects and the sensations you're likely to feel - they arise. It's a running commentary that brings to mind horse racing - a very fast, very practised patter that reassures rather than annoys. Quite fun.

So, the absence of a bellyful of chips made it all a lot easier, it was still difficult. I felt no more or less flexible, although my hamstrings hurt a little. The clock moved, although sometimes a little too slowly. I made it through the class without feeling sick, or having to sit down. So that was a result.