Have you ever noticed that sometimes, our greatest fears often come true?

See, it’s not because we are right in fearing that something bad will happen. Rather, our attitude pervades everything we do and we subconsciously end up working to make our fears happen — pouring so much energy and time into our fear and negativity that we actually cause it to manifest itself in reality.

Take this as an example: The young man who’s afraid of being alone in life. Thus, he latches onto any relationship with an iron grip, often emotionally suffocating his partners/friendships/lovers so much that he drives them away because he appears needy and has yet to learn how to be satisfied and happy with himself. Thus, his fear of being alone becomes true, creating a self-perpetuating cycle. Failed friendships and loves stoke his fear, on and on.

Or, try a more materialistic example: The woman who’s afraid of losing her job. Thus, her body image takes on a certain standoff-ish posture; her attitude at office meetings shifts ever so slightly; the way she interacts with her coworkers, and more importantly her boss, becomes defensive or angry or guarded. All these things create an unfavorable aura around her that leads to complaints from her colleagues, frustrations from her boss and, ultimately, dismissal.

The mind’s power is evident everywhere. Even pharmaceutical companies know this, with researchers carefully monitoring the power of placebo where fake drugs can often be just as effective, if not more effective, than the pills with active medicine in them.

What can you do? You can either scream “holy s#!*” or take a “holy shift.” Be aware of the fears you hold and the actions those fears may lead to. Be aware of the anxieties you possess, the negative energy and frustrations you may contain within your sphere of influence. Then, allow them to shift. Fear is real and fear is tangible, but you know what’s also very real? Your ability to shift this energy into a positive space.

How to holy-shift your way out of fear:

There are many ways. Try…

• …Simply acknowledging it. Often, we bury our fear under denial and compartmentalize it away. This doesn’t help us overcome it.  When you notice a fearful thought or a worried, anxious idea enter your mind, acknowledge it. Say to yourself, “I am fearful of losing my job” or “I am worried about my child’s health.” Sometimes, simply by acknowledging a buried, anxious thought, you release that thought and it dissipates.
• …Taking a small mental step to the left or right. Worries, fears and anxious thoughts are often like a big, fat red target in your mind’s eye. By taking a mental step to the side, you can get a glimpse of what’s behind that big target blocking your vision. Try and find something in that situation that gives you courage and boldness. In the science of neuroplasticity, scientists acknowledge that we retrain and rewire our mental thought patterns constantly. Shift your attention constantly to a positive truth in what seems like a negative situation, and every day you’ll shift yourself toward greater joy.
• …Allowing others to help carry your burden. When we are fearful or anxious, we often feel like we’re alone in our struggle. Having a new voice speak into the dark space can open it up with fresh air and renewing light. This could be a therapist, a spouse or a trusted friend. Knowing that someone else is helping you face a fearful moment can suddenly give you courage and boldness.
• …Letting it go into the universe itself. Often, we simply feel overwhelmed. There are situations around us that are sometimes bigger than humanity itself. Many people find themselves invigorated when they plug into the divine. Christians often talk about casting their burdens to God and allowing him to handle it. You could also invoke the support of your angel guides and spirit guardians who are always around you, protecting you and offering you a clear path through the madness. Try this classic prayer from the Catholic Church: Angel of God, my guardian dear to whom God’s love commits me here. Ever this day/night be at my side to light, to guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

Remember, there is NOTHING wrong with feeling worried or anxious. It’s a natural response to many of the things that happen in our lives. But don’t let your fear rule you, and most importantly, don’t let your fear manifest itself. Instead, use your power of manifestation to create the fruits of the spirit: joy and happiness and peace!

In the end, trust yourself and trust the journey. You’ve got this!

“Yield.”

“Stop ahead.”

Last week, my brother and I went on a snowboarding trip to Whistler, B.C. Along the way, we hit a lot of road construction and the requisite traffic signs telling drivers to take their time as they made their journey north.

And I got impatient. Don’t worry, I didn’t speed. But I might have found myself thinking that age-old question, “Are we there yet?”

I’ve found myself thinking that many times over the past few years on some of the bigger journeys of life. Have I arrived at my dream job? Have I made it to the ideal salary level? Have I gotten to where I want to be in my yoga practice? Is this where I want to live? Is this love? Is this me?

In our modern lives, we’re so focused on the end goal. The destination. The final result of the equation. The stopping point where “it all will make sense,” we tell ourselves. That’s fine when it’s about the hard, objective aspects of the universe (though these are much rarer than you might realize). However, when it comes to the grander paths of the universe – your faith walk toward your Christ, or your journey toward your true love, or your path to understanding your true Self in its truest fashion – an obsession with the end destination can actually create roadblocks in your evolution.

First, it sets up an artificial list of to-do items toward what you perceive as salvation. For example, you could pick up any self-help book and say, “Ah, these five steps will lead me to happiness.” Yet your perception as a human being isn’t the same as your perception as Being, so it’s highly likely that what you think you need to do, or even the place you think you need to end up in, is not entirely accurate.

Second, focusing on what you need to do spiritually to achieve your idea of Heaven or happiness or whatever it is you think you want will inevitably move your focus and attention off of your self toward an external Other that you think can provide your salvation. In essence, this is you creating an idol, and the Bible shows that all idols will fall in the end. The Bible teaches that salvation is a matter of working out your own faith. Not working through the faith prescribed by teachers or gurus or self-help books, but working through the personalized plan of growth and salvation and eternal joy that God has placed on you.

Third, treating spirituality like a set of actions or to-do items presumes that you are static, that your soul is static, and that we are all static in our similarity. Yet your soul is unique and alive, and your spirit is alive. In the Biblical tradition, God took what was static (your earthly body) and breathed Himself into you – a divine breath or cosmic spark that experiences this universe and moves you toward the divine or away from the divine dependent on your choices to follow the divine plan.

On my trip to Whistler, while the end destination was beautiful, my brother and I were awed by the serene views and ocean vistas we saw while on our journey. The same is true in your path through this universe. The best things that life has to offer often aren’t in the end destination. It’s the things you uncover along the way: the exciting adventures you embark on; the lovers and friends you meet; the lessons learned through sorrows, joys and the everyday experience; and the new ways of thinking that are unveiled only to you and through you as you move along the path.

So smile. Relax. Enjoy each passing moment for what it is, and don’t pressure yourself into thinking that you have to hit a certain list of criteria along the way to unlock the mystery. The mystery is simply the present Now, with God as the ground of your Being. When you realize that, you have tapped into your potential for infinite joy.

“It seems too obvious to state, but the most common sign that someone is not getting enough sleep is that they are sleepy during the day,” says Patty Tucker, a sleep medicine specialist who has worked with thousands of patients at an American Academy of Sleep Medicine-accredited sleep disorders center. “Falling asleep or even nodding off briefly when you don’t intend to is a sure sign of excessive daytime sleepiness,” she says.

Other signs can be less visible.  “Another less obvious sign of sleep deprivation is emotional fragility,” reports Tucker. “Someone who feels overwhelmed, is too quick to react, is overly sensitive or is generally irritable may just need more sleep.”

But it’s about more than just yawning awkwardly at your work colleague or nodding off during lunch. Sleep deficits create precarious, physical hazards. In fact, the CDC notes that approximately 24 million Americans experience difficulties with driving due to their lack of sufficient sleep. Meanwhile, an estimated 7.2 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 35 actually report that they have occasionally fallen asleep while at the wheel. “The most dangerous result of sleep deprivation is probably death from car crashes,” warns Tucker. “More than 1,500 people are killed in drowsy-driving accidents every year.”

And the list goes on and on, like a bad nightmare. “Sleep deprivation leads to problems from head to toe,” says Tucker. “Fuzzy thinking, impaired memory, depressed immune function, increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, decreased human growth hormone and testosterone levels are all linked to sleep deprivation.”

Ah, happiness. That oh-so-elusive element of life that we are searching for to the tune of more than $690 million worth of self-help books every year. To say nothing of the all-inclusive vacations to Mexico and that strange fascination we all have with The Happiest Place on Earth. But is it happiness — that euphoric, glorious, pulsing excitement that surges through us like a tidal wave?

Culture has conditioned us to think so. We are told in movies and radio ads and overenthusiastic Febreze infomercials that happiness is peaks of intense excitement — that trembling, count-down-the-days flutter you get before your first trip to Hawaii, or the butterflies in your stomach before your first date with your high school crush.

But every peak comes with a valley, both before it and after it. And in our constant, lifelong chase for the mountain peaks, we simultaneously drive our lives through twofold the amount of valleys — periods of lethargy, sadness, depression or emptiness.

That’s not to say that excitement is bad or that you should feel guilty for such moments. Rather, it’s important to know that excitement isn’t the true definition of happiness nor a marker of how happy you are. Nor should it be your end goal in your daily pursuits. Instead, we must be attuned to true, sustainable happiness and joy, which is found not in the steep mountain peaks, but in the rolling hills and sloping river lands. The landscapes of joy, if you will: A constant, never-ending field of contentment as opposed to peaks and valleys of emotions.

How to Move From the Mountain Peaks to the Fields of Joy

Right now, think back on some of the joyful memories you carry with you that still give you positive energy. For example, a rainy afternoon curled up next to the fireplace with a cup of tea and a book. Or a day of laying on the beach with your best friend and a few beers. These moments are the anti-definition of excitement, but have given you sustained joy long after the initial moment passed. In contrast, many of the most exciting events, like a well-deserved tropical vacation, leave you filled with even more longing.

Now that you’ve identified a joyful moment in your life, notice that it was not accompanied by an overwhelming rush of excitement. You probably did not jump and scream when given an afternoon with your book. And it’s likely that you didn’t even realize how joyful the moment was while it was happening. And therein lies the key.

Staying present. Recognizing the moment. It’s something that gurus and leaders discuss all the time, with many prescribing different ways of achieving “presence.” But it doesn’t need to be complicated. All you really need to do is notice every moment as it happens. No meditation. No chanting. No spiritual journaling. Simply look at a moment and say, “This is it.” Right now. And take pleasure in it, even in moments that previously seemed mundane. For example, recognize the blessings found in 10 seconds of peaceful respite at a red traffic light, and give thanks for the beauty in the sunrise on your morning commute.

You will be surprised at the level of happiness and joy that is available to you if you turn your view toward this present moment instead of being so focused on the future excitement you’ve been culturally conditioned to yearn for. And the more present you are, the more joy you’ll recognize. It’s like one of those photo illusions where once you see the hidden picture, you can’t stop seeing it. And there is an amazing level of happiness hidden in your everyday life.

Homemade green cleaners can leave your home smelling and looking fresh.

In its most recent national survey, the American Cleaning Institute found that 60 percent of Americans regularly engage in the annual ritual of spring cleaning. But before you run out there with your bottle of cleaner and a squeegee — which, by the way, is sometimes known by the far more awesome-sounding term ” squimjim” — take a quick pause and glance at your cleaning solution’s ingredient label. Some of the most popular cleaning products out there contain harsh toxins and chemicals that can do damage to  both your health and the health of the planet.

For example, take a glance at these ingredients that can be found in many commercial cleaning solutions:

• Ammonia: a powerful irritant that can cause kidney damage.
• Butyl cellusolve: a skin-penetrating neurotoxin.
• Ortho phenylphenol: a severe eye irritant.

Alas, the next  best thing on the store shelves may not actually be planet-friendly, either. Label terms like “eco-friendly” and “non-toxic” don’t really mean anything, aren’t regulated by the government and are often forms of greenwashing that marketers use to draw your attention.

Save yourself time and money, and save the planet, by mixing up a few homemade green household cleaners. These can  leave your home sparkling and smelling fresh, often just as good as the commercial stuff.

Multipurpose cleaner: Pour a cup of hot water into a spray bottle and add 1/2 teaspoon of borax, a tablespoon of white vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of washing soda and a teaspoon of liquid castile soap. Shake the bottle to mix its contents, then va-va-voom!

Drain cleaner: Clear out the hair and other nasties hiding in your bathtub or kitchen drain by mixing a cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup of table salt. Pour it down the drain and let it sit for a few hours, then pour a cup of boiling white vinegar down the drain. After the fizzing has died down, rinse your now cleared pipes with lots of fres water to get rid of the acidic solution.

Air freshener: Got a lot of junk in your trunk, like sweaty gym equipment or a forgotten lunch? Deodorize your room, car or any other smelly spot with a cotton ball spritzed with essential oil.

Bathroom cleaner/disinfectant: Mix a cup of hydrogen peroxide with two cups of water and spray it on the surfaces you need to disinfect. It can even zap mold!

Window cleaner: Get rid of the grime that can accumulate over the winter and say hello to clearer, shinier windows. Combine a quart of water with two ounces of white vinegar. Spritz, shine, smize.

What are your own eco-friendly cleaning ideas? Send us a tweet and share your tips.

Protein shakes pack a muscle-building punch.

Protein shakes can boost your athletic performance, no matter what kind of workout you’re into. Pumping weights, running, swimming, catching alligators on Swamp People — you name it! But don’t just follow the boring protein shake recipes printed on the label of your protein powder. To really boost your performance, amp up your protein shake’s health power with a few fitness tricks.

Start with nonfat milk for an instant mineral and electrolyte boost compared to plain old water. If you’re interested in reducing your animal protein intake, opt for unsweetened almond milk — it has less starch than traditional soy milk, and also counters any fears you may have about the hormone effects of soy protein.

Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder. If you’re going the traditional whey protein route, choose a protein powder made from whey protein isolate. It has the purest, most concentrated form of protein. For example, whey concentrate often ranges between 30 and 40 per cent protein while whey isolate can hit 95 to 99 per cent. If you’re a plant-based athlete, try a protein powder like Vega that is manufactured from sprouted grains and hemp protein.

Mix in two tablespoons of peanut butter. This imparts some thickness and rich flavor to your protein shake and matches almost all the protein shake flavors out there, especially berry- or chocolate-flavored shakes. This small addition increases your shake’s protein numbers by approximately eight grams, while also slightly increasing your carb intake by six grams — this tiny carb boost may help you to absorb more protein. Plus, peanut butter has heart-protecting healthy fats.

Blend in a tablespoon of flaxseed. It may sound weird, but this health food store staple gives your protein shake 1.5 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. In a randomized trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2011, researchers found that omega-3s increased muscle protein synthesis. Meanwhile, a 2011 study in London’s Clinical Science journal noted that oemga-3 fatty acids augmented muscle protein anabolic response.

With these four tricks, you’ll improve the taste, texture and appeal of your ordinary protein shake while also enhancing its ability to help you recover from your workouts and experience increased physical gains.

Apples and other fiber-rich foods can help you burn 30 per cent more calories.

When you’re trying to lose weight, you often shun snack food like a supermodel shuns carbs during New York Fashion Week. But that can be as unhealthy for you as it is for the models. You don’t have to give up snacks when you’re watching your weight. In fact, you may want to add snacks to your daily routine if you’re not a current snacker.

“This idea that snacking is wrong is almost part of a bygone era,” says Dr. David Katz in an interview with Explore magazine. That’s because snacks can keep you from binging on unhealthy things like donuts and potato chips. And even better, several snacking tricks may actually help boost your metabolism and help you get the leaner, slimmer bod you want.

Make Protein the Focus

Add at least one protein-rich snack to your schedule today, as long as it’s a lean protein source. A great example includes nuts and legumes, such as edamame. A 2004 medical study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that “convincing evidence exists that protein exerts an increased thermic effect…compared to fat and carbohydrates.” If you’re wondering what that medical mumble-jumble means, it’s basically saying that protein works your metabolism and requires more energy to process than fats or carbs, thus helping you to burn more calories in the long run. Numerous studies have also found that protein helps keep you feeling full, so you’re less likely to grab for that bag of M&Ms.

Hide the Sins, Focus on Fiber

Speaking of M&Ms, psychologists say that out-of-sight can really mean out-of-mind. Toss out any junk food in your home, or at least hide them away in really inconvenient spots — that top shelf above your fridge is a great idea. This keeps you from being tempted.

But absence truly does make the heart grow fonder, so be sure to swap in healthy snacks for the now-missing junk food. Focus on fiber-rich foods, which help slow the digestion process and keep your tummy happy for extended periods of time. And an additional benefit: Fiber-rich foods like carrots, celery and fruit often take more work to chew. In a 2011 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers in China found that being forced to chew food longer helped participants consume 12 per cent less calories. Meanwhile, a Japanese study reported that having to chew food caused a calorie-burning boost of approximately 30 per cent!

Watch What You Drink, But Drink Often

Snacking is often accompanied with a few sips of your fave bevvie, but be careful — drinks are the Trojan Horse in the calorie saga. For example, drinking a single can of soda every day for a year can lead to an average weight gain of 15 lbs., warns the Harvard School of Public Health. Instead, wash your snacks down with a few sips of crisp, refreshing water. Or, even better, drink cold or hot green tea. Several research studies have found that the epigallocatechin gallate in green tea boosts your metabolism and may help you to burn approximately 100 extra calories a day.

It’s also important to note that people often misinterpret thirst for hunger. Staying hydrated can thus help stave off perceived hunger pains.

Six Slimming Snack Ideas

1. Fat-free Greek yogurt (or vegan soy yogurt) topped with nuts and fresh fruit. A single 6 oz. cup of Greek yogurt nets you 15 g of protein in only 80 calories, while nuts and fruit boost the protein and fiber content.

2. 2% chocolate milk over whole-grain cereal. A 16 oz. glass of chocolate milk yields 17 grams protein, and a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition concluded that chocolate milk may be one of the best muscle-building recovery drinks for athletes and bodybuilders.

3. Edamame seasoned with just a tiny pinch of sea salt. A 1/2 c. serving gets you lots of fiber and protein in under 100 calories. It’s the perfect panacea for any savory cravings you may have.

4. Roasted soy nuts. The average 1/4 c. serving gets you 6 g of protein in approximately 120 calories. Go for a spicy variety for added slimming help; some medical studies have hinted that spicy foods help to rev your metabolism.

5. A banana or apple with a dab of peanut butter. This sweet-and-savory pairing provides fiber, protein and healthy fats, plus a dose of electrolytes and antioxidants from the fruit.

6. Trail mix. This is for road warriors who can’t find a nearby grocery store. When you’re facing the vending machine, opt for the unsweetened trail mix. Nuts and dried fruits make a nice couple.

Photo credit: Kathleen Steegmans, Fotopedia

Whenever you get a new job, move to a new city or make a similar life transition, people often ask: How did you get here? That got me thinking. Are you ever here? I think we spend too much time trying to arrive, when every point that we’re at along the path is the right spot, always and forever.

We — specifically, Millennials in their 20s and 30s — spend too much time trying to force our lives into a preset timetable or a predetermined journey that’s created by what we presume is “success.” And that stops us from letting coincidences take us to the best point in our lives that we could be in in that precise moment. And eventually, I think that’s why so many people in my age demographic are unsettled, unhappy and unsure of themselves.

Our lives are ruled by coincidences if we let them happen — little miracles that perpetually point the way according to who we are in the moment. Right now, I’ve never been happier in terms of who I am, what I do for a living and where I may or may not be going. But if I’d scheduled or forced my life into the path that I thought was “right” for me five years ago — or 15 years ago — I’d be in a completely different universe.

Today, I took time to plot out major life-changing actions/decisions that occurred all the way back to when I was six or seven. Every single thing that has led me to this point has been a random decision, a chance encounter and a coincidental choice. Literally. I could go into in-depth detail and you’d truly see how random everything has been, but to put it broadly: a random farm book led me into writing as a hobby; a side remark in a conversation caused me to switch universities at the last moment; and stumbling upon someone else’s Facebook status created a shift in my actual career.

Try to live without a forced plan. I’m not saying that you should live recklessly, running around without goals or ideals. But it is important to keep an open mind and allow coincidences to shift you into new opportunities as they arise instead of struggling against the coincidental.

Being available, flexible and open frees you to be happy and satisfied right here, right now, instead of reaching for some satisfaction or happiness in the nonexistent future that depends on your artificially predetermined, yet-still-untraveled, journey.

Breaking your New Year’s resolution has become a running joke, but this year you don’t need to be the punchline.

New Year’s resolutions are sort of like imaginary friends: they’re easy to make but kind of hard to keep around. This is especially true for resolutions involving weight loss and dieting — a resolution topic all of us have probably considered while wolfing down grandma’s Christmas pie.

At the start of 2011, a Barna Group study reported that 90 million Americans made New Year’s resolutions, 30 percent of which were related to weight and dieting. However, of their previous year’s resolutions, approximately half of them weren’t successful.

Want to free yourself from your annual resolution-breaking cycle and achieve your diet goals? It’s possible, experts say.

Stay real

“The biggest advice I would give is to set realistic goals,” says nutritionist Jennifer Adler, co-founder of the International Easting Disorders Institute and owner of Passionate Nutrition. “People end up being very black-and-white and set unrealistic expectations that are unachievable.”

Identify what you want your end result to be. Maybe you want to achieve a healthier weight, which could mean gaining weight or losing weight. Perhaps you want to build muscle bulk, or reduce the amount of saturated fat you consume. Whatever your ideal end result, choose an aspect of that and create a goal that will push you slightly beyond your comfort level while still being realistic. For example, someone who wants to be vegan could start by designating just three days a week as meat-free days.

“If someone is working out one time per week,” says Adler, “[setting a goal of] seven times a week is not the best goal; three times a week might be more realistic goal.”

Journal your food

It’s easy to underestimate the amount of calories you consume or drink throughout the day. A 2011 study conducted by a Harvard Medical School researcher found that 80 percent of young adults underestimate the calories in their meals, and 30 percent underestimated by 500 or more calories. To put that into perspective, eating 500 extra calories a day can lead to a weight gain of one pound per week!

Tracking what you eat throughout the day can prevent such underestimation. “Food journaling helps you keep detailed track of what you are eating,” says lifestyle dietitian Mary Barbour, who has been featured on HGTV’s international House Hunters and FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen. “It makes you think twice before popping that handful of M&Ms into your mouth because you’ll have to write it down.”

If you prefer electronic journals to the more traditional paper form, several apps and websites, such as MyFitnessPal and Calorie Counter, track and count calories for thousands of common food items.

Stay motivated

Meeting your New Year’s resolutions is just as much a head game as it is a health game. Many people find themselves throwing their hands up in despair because their resolution feels like punishment or restriction, and that makes it hard to persevere and stay strong.

Instead, reward yourself when you do well — as long as those rewards don’t involve something that breaks your resolution. For example, you could reward yourself with a spa massage after a month of meeting your gym workout resolution.

“I recommend keeping track of success and giving rewards for X  number of times of meeting your goal,” says Addler.

Or, try pairing up with a friend who has similar health goals. “Competition sometimes brings out the best in people and is a huge motivator,” says Barbour. “Plus, even if you lose — no pun intended — you still win!”

The heated argument over the pros and cons of this form of hot yoga, plus tips on surviving your first class.

Bikram yoga is hot these days, and in more ways than one. While the typical 105-degree Bikram yoga classroom is physically hot, this slightly sadistic form of exercise — founder Bikram Choudhury calls his yoga rooms “torture chambers” — is also picking up steam in pop culture. Beyoncé swears by it, although maybe less now that she’s sporting a baby bump. It makes Lady Gaga go gaga. George Clooney reportedly makes it his go-to when he’s traveling. And Ashton Kutcher told Men’s Health that it’s how he stays fit enough to survive any impending Armageddons. But is Kutcher just being punk’d?

Yes. No. Maybe so. On one hand, you have Dr. Anita Green from Sports Medicine Australia telling media that the Bikram yoga world is  “cult-like.” On the other hand, you have Kate Walter. “Bikram yoga is an incredibly effective way to detoxify your body,” says Walter, who holds an E-RYT certification through the Yoga Alliance. “The room is heated and you are constantly moving. Due to the heat, your muscles warm up faster and stay warm longer, allowing people to go deeper into the yoga poses and stretching further than they might be able to achieve in an unheated yoga class.”

This sort of environment may help maximize the results you see from your workout and makes it appropriate for nearly all types of physical training. For example, Runner’s World magazine recently noted that Bikram yoga can make a good substitute for more traditional treadmill runs.

“It is fantastic at building up endurance,” says Ronald Johnson, a yoga instructor in Portland, Oregon. “The length of the class, the temperature in the room and the level of difficulty of the poses make for a  very strenuous, demanding and ultimately uplifting workout.”

Ask people who have stuck through the classes and you’ll often hear glowing reviews. “It improves flexibility and stamina, reducing risk for injuries,” says Dr. Mary Clifton, who practices general internal medicine in Traverse City, Michigan. “I have been doing Bikram yoga for five years, twice a week. It’s changed my skeletal system. I’ll never quit.”

But others think that the rave reviews of Bikram yoga aren’t just a lot of empty, hot air, but potentially even dangerous. Health risks include dehydration — some medical experts estimate that the average Bikram practitioner loses approximately one litre of water in a single yoga session — and physical injuries related to the stretching, compression and extension moves incorporated into Bikram’s 26 postures.

Part of the reason for the increased injury risks may be because the room’s heat affects your body differently compared to a traditional pre-exercise warm up. “Muscles and soft tissue will lengthen more readily when warmed, but the risk of overstretching to the point of injury is lessened when the heat is generated internally rather than externally, as in an extra-heated room,” warns Karen Whittier, a yoga teacher who runs a health and wellness company in Sammamish, Washington.

Walter agrees. “I would caution against beginners taking a Bikram yoga class. Because the heat allows your muscles to relax and become warm, many people can overextend and cause injury to themselves,” she says. “If they have never done yoga before and do not know where their workout ‘edge’ is, they can push past this in a Bikram class and hurt themselves.”

The potentially confusing pros and cons have done nothing to diminish this form of yoga’s skyrocketing popularity. Yoga attendance in general has grown by upwards of 20 percent in the last decade, and Bikram yoga ranks as the most popular form of hot yoga. These days, it’s hardly surprising to see young urbanites carrying their yoga mats through the streets of Manhattan and Vancouver. If you wish to join the masses, a few tips can make your first class a little less like hell.

Four tips to surviving your first Bikram class

1. Drink three to four litres of water per day, starting several days before your first class so that your body has time to become fully hydrated. This helps combat dehydration and overheating. “Overheating may lead to fatigue, lightheadedness and fainting,” says Walter. “If a person has consumed less than their required amount of water for the day, I would recommend not taking a Bikram class, as they will be prone to dehydrate.”

2. Stock up on electrolytes. Eat a banana a few hours before class, and consider adding an electrolyte supplement to the water you bring to your class. After class, try some coconut water to rehydrate and replenish your body’s electrolytes.

3. Watch the mirrors, but not too closely. Every Bikram room is lined with mirrors so you can view and improve your form. While helpful, don’t get distracted by watching your classmates. There will always be fitter people around you, and it can be easy to feel intimidated. But yoga is all about you and how well you can complete each form, not how well you can do it compared to others.

4. Get plenty of sleep after your first class.  Rest is one of the most important elements of muscle recovery, and sleeping will maximize the results you see from your Bikram workout. Additionally, your body releases the most growth hormones while it’s asleep.