Bikram yoga, as you may know, is 90 minutes of yogic postures practiced in hundred-degree heat. Even the first class is a challenge. But the instructors—studio co-owners Herb Kearse and Laiki Huxorli, along with Julie Skovran—are exceedingly tolerant of non-athletic types. Indeed, of the three very fine Bikram studios in the area, Bloomington offers the gentlest vibe. A period of seated meditation precedes the first instruction, and where the other studios cook their rooms with furnaces, this one offers radiant heat from ceiling panels. But this practice is more than just aerobics in a sauna. Designed to stimulate and strengthen every part of the anatomy (including that most overrated organ, the brain), the Bikram series is a psychological and spiritual endeavor. As Huxorli put it during one particularly hot session: "Most of us these days are busy bending over for someone else. Here, you bend over for yourself."