Posts Tagged ‘Muscle Stiffness’

Bikram Yoga – Hot Yoga!

Bikram Choudhury developed Bikram Yoga or Hot Yoga, a style of yoga, in Los Angeles. Choudhury settled in California in the 1970s and now lives in Beverly Hills and was born in India in 1946.

The unique element in Bikram yoga is that the sessions take place in a well heated room in a temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit or more. In many parts of India where yoga developed, this resembles the temperature.

If people arrive at a class for the first time unprepared for the intense heat, they often quit the classes. But like a sauna, it is beneficial for reducing muscle stiffness and increasing physical relaxation and flexibility. People appreciate this aspect of the class when they stay through the first few sessions.

A Bikram yoga class uses a series of 26 postures which are based on traditional Indian yoga poses. In other forms of yoga many of these poses are also used but Bikram yoga is unusual in that it only ever uses these same poses and no others in one sequence, although a class may go through the sequence twice. In Bikram style of yoga the breath is also very important. Most classes are 90 minutes and will include breathing exercises as well as the postures, plus a relaxation session at the end.

As with most forms of yoga it is important not to be competitive with others or expect quick results, but work at the yoga practice for its own sake. Students must take care not to injure or over stretch themselves. Progress will be slow but steady. However the beneficial effect of attending a yoga class regularly may be felt in all aspects of daily life and often can be reawakened by returning to practice many years later.

Bikram Choudhury claiming copyright on the sequence of yoga poses that he uses has sparked controversy in both the American yoga community and in India. Traditional poses which have been used in India for centuries by yoga teachers cannot be copyrighted, this is the opposition argument. So far this argument has failed to overturn the copyright in the USA, and anyone wishing to teach Bikram yoga or use his sequence of poses must obtain a licence to do so. Of course this does not prevent other yoga instructors from teaching the same basic yoga poses in different sequences, but they may not call themselves Bikram yoga teachers.

As well as the requirement for the instructor to obtain a licence, there are limitations on the popularity of Bikram yoga caused by the high temperatures required. This is not only because people are uncomfortable in these temperatures. A special yoga studio is required because most public building administrators would not allow an instructor to heat the room that high. Due to these factors there are not so many Bikram yoga classes as there are in other styles of yoga.

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