How to Bondi
I walked in and felt intimidated. The music was pumping. The air conditioner was on full blast. The energy was intense. I stood there, like a lost child, without parents or friends around, unsure what to do.
This was at a gym in Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia. I ended up back in Australia a few weeks ago, after spending time in India on an Ayurvedic retreat and in Delhi.
Going to a gym at Bondi is like going to compete at the Olympics. It’s not for beginners. I got the sense that going to the gym is the most important thing that most people did that day. It showed on their faces. Like walking the halls in a corporate office in New York City or London, I could see everyone’s focus and determination to succeed.
I have never really prioritized fitness as an adult. There were always other priorities I deemed more important. Hanging out here at Bondi, I decided to experiment and try something new. And like anything new, it is initially intimidating as it is unknown and unfamiliar.
However, being immersed in a fitness obsessed culture is as inspiring as it is intimidating. I quickly found myself going to the gym every day, and often adding on a yoga class for good measure. The protein shakes, creatine powder and supplements have started to pile up as well.
The mornings at Bondi are even more inspiring than the gyms though. The sun rises around six thirty AM, and it’s peak rush hour down at the beach. Literally thousands of people are swimming in the ocean, doing workouts on the sand, running along the promenade or lifting weights on the grass. It feels like I stepped into a Disneyland of sorts for workout and health obsessed people.
It took me a few tries to find my yoga studio, as almost every studio offers only hot yoga. Normal temperature yoga isn’t intense or interesting enough I guess. At the one studio I found that does not offer hot yoga, when I shared my appreciation with the studio owner, he responded with “oh, we just opened six months ago and at the time, we didn’t have the money to install heaters”. I gently nudged him to not install them. Time will tell.
Even more of a scene are the Bondi Icebergs. Built on the cliffside of the ocean, it is by far the best view of any sauna, gym, cafe and pool, perhaps in the world. With an affordable entry fee of only ten dollars per day, the place is packed.
The salt water pool sits on top of the ocean, with nearly every wave splashing ocean water into the pool as people do laps. To join the swimming club requires committing to a minimum level of swims per week. To join the gym requires paying upfront for the year.
The sauna is the highlight of the Icebergs though. A relatively small sauna, it’s constantly full of people and what’s most interesting are the conversations. There is even a blog about what was overheard in the sauna. The commentary is endless and comical to watch, one day my friend and I joined in. It felt like entering a secret world, with a timed limit on how long I can spend there, given the heat of the sauna.
Bondi is a reflection of culture and the influence it can have.
What is normal or abnormal is no longer objective and becomes highly relative. Initially, I had judgments, many of them. I felt like a researcher, quietly observing this foreign species who inhabit Bondi Beach. Within a few weeks though, I had put down my magnifying glass and began to live the Bondi Beach lifestyle. What I once found abnormal now feels normal.
It has been a reminder for me to stay open minded. It is only through being curious about what I don’t yet know that I can learn and grow. Otherwise I am stuck in my little world, which may feel safer but is probably far less interesting.
And that is how I learned to Bondi.
