“First you’ll feel like you’re dying, then you’ll feel reborn.”
There are many styles of yoga, and just like styles of clothing, it comes down to personal preference and what fits with your body. If you are the kind of person who has ever wondered what running the last few miles of a marathon might feel like, as a former distance runner I’m here to tell you Bikram yoga is the style for you. Let’s face it, to actually run 26 miles puts a lot of wear and tear on the body. The famous first marathoner Pheidippides died as soon as he completed that last mile. The beauty of Bikram is that it takes you to your limit, but instead of killing you, it makes you stronger.
Let’s talk about spine health for a second. It’s considered normal for adults to experience mild to intense back pain. Doctors dismissively state that spinal degeneration is a natural part of the aging process. In an example of how modern medicine often addresses symptoms rather than the core issue, doctors will simply prescribe drugs for the pain. But this doesn’t heal the spine and the issue only gets worse. Because it encases so many nerve endings, the degeneration of the spine can lead to a wide array of problems, including organ malfunction. Ample evidence shows that with proper care, the health of the spine can be recovered and maintained through certain flexibility and strengthening practices. Marzia Mastropietro, owner of Bikram Yoga Roma, is a walking example of this.
I enter the studio on Via Aurelia and see a quote written on a small chalkboard behind the front desk: “First you’ll feel like you’re dying, then you’ll feel reborn.” That’s about right. It’s intense, but as we all know, the best gains in life don’t come easily. After changing in the locker room, I enter the practice area. The warmth of the room engulfs me like an embrace. Yogis lie on their mats in a relaxed, meditative state, waiting for class to begin. I unroll my mat and lie down. Soon the teacher enters. Darkly tanned and sporting many colorful tattoos, Marzia is in her late 40s but her energy level and fitness make her seem younger. She greets the class and turns up the lights, a cue that it is time to start. Many teachers guide the class from their position on a small podium at the front, as is the standard method with Bikram. Marzia’s style is intimate. She will often walk around the room, watching for misalignment and tending to the less experienced students.
A standard Bikram session is 90 minutes in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 Celsius). During the class, students are guided through a series of poses designed to increase the strength and flexibility of the body. Beyond the spinal regenerative effects, Bikram yoga facilitates the highly important but somewhat forgotten practice of sweating out toxins. The modern human encounters more toxins in their environment than any other time in history, from industrial pollution; to dangero
us chemicals in plastics, cleaning products, paints, and building materials; to the high load of pesticides, hormones, and other toxins in our food supply. The sauna has been used by many cultures for 1000s of years to sweat out toxins. In the fast-paced, modern world, Bikram yoga kills two birds with one stone, essentially giving you a sauna treatment and a workout all in one.
When the class is over, I am literally wrung out. I’ve probably lost a kilo just in sweat. If you’re having a bad day, Bikram will wring it right out of you. After a shower I take a seat on the couch in the front lobby. Soon, Marzia joins me but instead of sitting, she stretches out, using the rest of the large couch to get comfortable.
To some, the word ‘yogi’ may evoke the image of someone who tiptoes through life, clutching prayer beads and whispering mantras. This is the opposite of Marzia. She is an extremely passionate and emotive woman, even by Italian standards! If you find the piety of yoga unappealing, Bikram and Marzia are for you.
Marzia knows the human body. She has extensive experience in many styles of yoga and physical fitness. She is a trained physical therapist and is a certified teacher of power yoga and Bikram. After getting her university degree in physical education, her passion for physical activity took her all over the world, but like many people who dedicate their lives to intense sporting activity, the day came when Marzia sustained a serious injury. She literally broke her back and was bed-bound for 4 months. The doctors said she might not walk again. Marzia tells me that it was Bikram yoga that allowed her to recover, and she has been an adherent to the style ever since. Marzia tells me that she could have easily started up her own studio in Florida but she made the decision to return to Rome. “My goal is that Romans do yoga,” Marzia tells me.
When Marzia returned from Florida it just so happened that there was a yoga studio about to close down. Marzia stepped in and took ownership, renovated it, and transformed it into the inviting and invigorating environment that it is today.
I ask Marzia if she has a mantra she lives by. She tells me she has many, but the one that comes to mind is one her guru would always say: “Healthy spine, happy life.”
When Marzia isn’t at the yoga studio, she is walking her dog or honing her skills as a raw chef, her second passion. Drawing inspiration from the book The China Study, which reveals just how dangerous and toxic the modern diet is, Marzia continues to dig deeper into all the factors that go into building a truly healthy life.
As we are talking, studio regular Chris, a mountain of a man in prime physical condition and a private personal trainer in his own right, brings me a steaming cup of black tea. A little while later, Karin, a highly dedicated student on track to becoming a teacher, approaches us. In her perennially dulcet voice, she offers us warm banana bread that Marzia had recently baked. I put down my notepad and take a moment to sip tea and enjoy Marzia’s delicious creation. I’m surprised to discover that the flavorful bread is dairy free, flourless, and sugarless. Marzia tells me that she has a vision of a starting a second location in Rome, which would be a combination of a Bikram yoga studio and raw food bar. I think to myself that if it is anything like this studio, it will be a smashing success. Marzia has created more than just a place to go work out; she’s built a community.
