Bikram Yoga

Bikram Yoga
Bikram Yoga
Founder Established Bikram Choudhury late 20th century Practice emphases unchanging sequence of postures in a heated room designed as a rejuvenating exercise to strengthen the entire body head to toe

Bikram Yoga is a system of yoga that Bikram Choudhury synthesized from traditional hatha yoga[1] techniques and popularized beginning in the early 1970s.[2][3] Bikram's classes run exactly 90 minutes and consist of a set series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. Bikram Yoga is ideally practiced in a room heated to 105F ( 40.6C) with a humidity of 40%, and is the most popular form of hot yoga (a series of yoga poses done in a heated room).

Bikram Choudhury
If you follow my instruction and do my yoga postures Sequence to the best of your ability, you will live a better, healthier and more peaceful life. -Bikram Choudhury Bikram Choudhury is the founder of the Yoga College of India. He was born in Calcutta in 1946. Bikram began his yoga journey at age four. He practiced yoga 4-6 hours every day. At the age of thirteen, he won the National India Yoga Championship. He was undefeated for the following three years and retired as the undisputed All-India National Yoga Champion. At seventeen, He injured his knee during a weight-lifting accident European doctors predicted that he would never walk again. He had himself carried back to Bishnu Ghosh's school, for he knew that if anyone could help to heal his knee, it was his teacher. Six months later, his knee had totally recovered. Bikram later on devised the 26 postures sequence. These 26 postures series has a profound healing power on your body and mind. He founded Bikrams Yoga College of India. Bikram has shown the light of healthy life to millions of people around the world. Bikram is the most respected living Yoga Guru in the world. He has also written books and also sings.[4] In 2006, he had 1,600 yoga studios around the world (up from 1,200 from the previous year).[5]Hot yoga or Bikram yoga was developed in the 1960s and has already proven a beneficial and popular variation on the ancient art. Bikram yoga is a method for working out in rooms heated up to 105 degrees. It enhances stretching muscles and aids in body detoxification.[6]

Theory
Bikram Yoga's goal is general health and Bikram Choudhury says that the heated studio helps deeper stretching and injury prevention, while reducing stress and tension. Bikram claims that his system stimulates and restores health to every muscle, joint, and organ of the body. Bikram's Yoga claims to increase circulation to all organs in the body, and that this helps in the prevention of heart disease and organ failure. According to Choudhury, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity and thus the lungs must be stretched in order to withstand holding more oxygen. In a 2007 interview, Choudhury stated that when one is practicing pranayama she or he will eventually be able to enhance oxygen conversion and absorption, as well as improve blood circulation, as in many other forms of cardiovascular activity. Choudhury claims that blood circulation is affected immensely during Bikram Yoga because of two processes called extension and compression. These two dynamics are said to work together to deliver fresh blood to every joint, muscle, and organ within the body. While performing a specific asana (pose), the practitioner stretches or compresses a certain part of the body, thus cutting off circulation temporarily. This restriction of circulation is believed to cause the heart to pump more blood in reaction to the shortage. The pumping of excess, fresh blood is

Bikram Yoga called extension. Once the asana is complete and the individual comes out of the posture, it is claimed that the new oxygenated blood is able to rejuvenate the arteries that were being compressed. Many of the postures massage the lymphatic system and aid in lymphatic drainage, assisting to eliminate infection, bacteria, and toxins. Other styles of yoga also promote this theory (cf: B.K.S. Iyengar's "squeeze and soak" analogy regarding the effects of deep twists on the internal organs).

Celebrity practitioners
Kareem Abdul Jabaar,[7] Kobe Bryant,[8] David Beckham,[9] Lady Gaga,[10] Ashton Kutcher,[10] Robbie Williams,[10] Charles Barkley, and Jennifer Farley.[10] 'Lacey Turner, Madonna, Elton Brand, Ian Somerhalder, Bruce Bowen, David Robinson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Nina Dobrev, Matt Maloney (Pitcher for the Minnesota twins who claims to gain 2" of height during 2011 offseason).

Controversy
Safety
Many dancers like taking hot yoga classes like bikram. They swear that it has injury-healing, emotion-strengthening, toxin-flushing, weight-managing, and career-extending effects. Although many dancers and other individuals like doing hot yoga, there are health risks that need to be known. The heat is the most controversial aspect of hot yoga practices. The biggest concern for people participating in this type of yoga is dehydration from extreme heat and sweat. Drinking water and other fluids is key to stay hydrated. Instructors encourage drinking throughout the class, but suggest not eating less than two hours before. There is a risk of hyperthermia, which is overheating of the body. You should also be careful if you take certain medications for depression, nervousness, insomnia, or high blood pressure. Symptoms include being nauseous, dizzy, or faint, which can lead to heat stroke. Always check with a doctor if you are unsure whether the heat is safe for you. No yoga encourages a competitive spirit. When competition is added to yoga, it could result in overstretching. Although flexibility can help most dance techniques, if the ligaments and tendons become too loose you increase instability in the joints. Dancers with hyperextended knees and elbows, for example, should be mindful of forcing hypermobility. Instead, they can use Bikram yoga to gain proprioception to increase their sense of limb placement in space. Because each Bikram class has the same slow pace where postures are held between 10 seconds and a minute or two, dancers can work deliberately to their own body's needs each day. [11]

Competition
Another controversial component of Bikram yoga pertains to the prevalence of Bikram competitions, regionally and nationally. While practitioners of other forms of yoga maintain that competition contradicts the idea of peace and unity, Bikram contends, "Competition is the foundation for all democratic societies. For without 'Competition', there is no democracy."[12]

Legal issues
In the United States, Choudhury has claimed and been aggressive in enforcing broad copyrights in most aspects of the practice, teaching, and business of the system.[3] While these claims are not definitively resolved (i.e., by any judicial ruling on the merits), Choudhury has extracted legal settlements from a number of yoga teachers and studios.[3] In Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class (First Edition), Choudhury claims he conducted "medical" studies at the Tokyo University Medical School validating the medical benefits of his 26 postures. During one of the lawsuits defendants demanded copies of the "medical" studies and Choudhury claimed he could not find them. In Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class (Second Edition), Choudhury removed all references to "medical" studies.[13]

Bikram Yoga

The 26 Asanas (postures)

# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Pranayama Series Ardha Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasana Utkatasana Garudasana Dandayamana - JanuShirasana Dandayamana - Dhanurasana Tuladandasana Sanskrit English Standing Deep Breathing Half Moon Pose with Hands To Feet Pose Awkward Pose Eagle Pose Standing Head To Knee Pose Standing Bow Pulling Pose Balancing Stick Pose

Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Paschimottanasana Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose Trikonasana Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Janushirasana Tadasana Padangustasana Shavasana Pavanamuktasana Bhujangasana Salabhasana Poorna - Salabhasana Dhanurasana Supta - Vajrasana Ardha - Kurmasana Ustrasana Sasangasana Triangle Pose Standing Separate Leg Head To Knee Pose Mountain Pose Toe Stand Pose Corpse Pose Wind Removing Pose Cobra Pose Locust Pose Full Locust Pose Bow Pose Fixed Firm Pose Half Tortoise Pose Camel Pose Rabbit Pose Head To Knee Pose with Stretching Pose Spine Twisting Pose Blowing In Firm

23 and 24 Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana 25 26 Ardha - Matsyendrasana Khapalbhati

References
[1] "Bikram's Yoga College of India" (http:/ / www. bikramyoga. com/ BikramYoga/ about_bikram_yoga. php). Bikramyoga.com. . Retrieved 2011-12-28. [2] Corporate registration for "Bikram Choudhury Yoga, Inc." Number: C2288343 (http:/ / kepler. ss. ca. gov/ corpdata/ ShowAllList?QueryCorpNumber=C2288343) [3] Farrell, Maureen (September 3, 2009). "Bikram Yoga's New Twists" (http:/ / www. forbes. com/ forbes/ 2009/ 0921/ entrepreneurs-franchising-bikram-yoga-new-twists. html). Forbes.com. . [4] Bikram Choudhury, last modified 2010, accessed April 4, 2012, http:/ / www. bikramyoga. com/ Bikram/ bikram. php [5] Bend it like Bikram, last modified June 11, 2006, accessed April 4, 2012, http:/ / www. guardian. co. uk/ lifeandstyle/ 2006/ jun/ 11/ healthandwellbeing. features1 [6] Barnett, Marilyn, Hot Yoga: Energizing, Rejuvenating, Healing. New York: Barron, 2003 [7] John, Morgan (September 27, 2003). "USA Today: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is hot for yoga" (http:/ / www. usatoday. com/ news/ health/ spotlighthealth/ 2003-09-26-jabbar_x. htm). . Retrieved 2003-09-26. [8] Pugh, Clifford. "Culturemap Houston Newspaper: Mr. Hot Yoga: How Bikram Choudhury changed the way we exercise" (http:/ / houston. culturemap. com/ newsdetail/ 10-22-10-mr-hot-yoga-how-bikram-choudhury-changed-the-way-we-exercise/ ). . Retrieved 2010-10-22.

Bikram Yoga
[9] TheIronYou. "Beckham: Bend It Like Bikram!" (http:/ / www. theironyou. com/ 2011/ 07/ beckham-bend-it-like-bikram. html). . Retrieved 2011-07-10. [10] TheIronYou. "The Iron You: Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga, Charles Barkley and Ashton Kutcher: Three Bikram Yoga Devotees!" (http:/ / www. theironyou. com/ 2011/ 05/ robbie-williams-lady-gaga-and-ashton. html). . Retrieved 2011-05-28. [11] Peters, Jan. Taking the Heat, Dance Magazine, October 2010 Vol. 84 Issue 10, p22-22 [12] Official website (http:/ / www. bikramyoga. com/ bikramyoga. com) [13] Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class (Second Edition)

External links
List of all 27 postures with illustrations (http://yoga-108.com/bikram_hot_yoga/asanas/) 'Yoga, Inc.' (http://www.baddogtales.com/yogainc.html), a documentary about the Bikram copyright case, 'competitive' yoga and the yoga industry

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

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