Bikram yoga is one of the better known schools of yoga. It was founded by Bikram Choudhury and came to popularity in the early 1970s. It’s often called “hot yoga” because it is typically done in studios that are heated to 104 degree Fahrenheit. Practitioners of Bikram suggest that the high temperature helps prevent injury by allowing deeper stretching. The Bikram school of yoga focuses on building mental and physical strength, while also improving flexibility and balance.
Many people choose Bikram yoga not only for maintaining health, but as a form of healing physical therapy after injury. There are many documented claims to the ability of yoga to help relieve chronic pain. Basic Bikram yoga starts with 26 different asanas, or postures, which are claimed to improve the flow of oxygenated blood throughout the entire body. It’s said that this helps maintain the organs in a healthy state. The postures also help to stretch the muscles, ligaments and tendons, leading to increased balance and flexibility. It’s also been suggested that it assists with detoxifying the body as it improves circulation.
Like other styles of yoga, Bikram yoga is said to affect the blood circulation through a series of extensions and compressions. As a particular asana is performed, some muscles are stretched while others are compressed. This has the effect of momentarily restricting the blood flow to certain parts of the body. As the blood flow is impeded, the heart begins pumping harder, trying to force blood to the compressed area. As the asana is relaxed and a new position taken, freshly oxygenated blood rushes into the previously constricted area.
Many people wonder why it would be necessary to perform the exercises in a heated room. Bikram yoga was based in part on the older Hatha yoga, which has been shown to assist the body in flushing away toxins and waste product from the organs and glands. The impurities are then carried through the circulatory system, to be eliminated from the body. To assist in the detoxification, Bikram yoga uses a heated yoga studio to increase sweat which helps flush these toxins and impurities out through the skin.
Several scientific studies have been done on the effectiveness of Bikram yoga, including on its effect on reducing bone loss in women and in improving motor skills of young adults. That’s not to say that Bikram yoga doesn’t have its detractors, particularly because of its use of yoga competitions. Some traditional yoga practitioners feel that competition goes against the core yoga values of harmony and unity.
Despite any controversy, Bikram yoga has grown into a huge, multi-million dollar business, with hundreds of thousands of followers world wide. Like other forms of yoga, Bikram yoga also claims to help with emotional health and well-being. By becoming focused on your inner mind through the asanas, you are able to better see how outer event affect you. Awareness lets you choose an appropriate response, and so create a better balance in your emotional health.