An Introduction to Hot Yoga
Mind, body and soul are the three aspects that make up the holy trinity of spirituality. Many people spend their whole lives looking to attain even one of these three and the primary practice of people wishing to get the point where these three things marry up is yoga, and a particular form that has gained notoriety is Bikram Yoga.
Bengalese All-India Yoga Champion, Bikram Choudrey, had some strange new ideas of how to practice this age old art form. His life-long love of yoga started at the age of four and he grew up to found the Yoga College of India; he's still an active force in modern yoga techniques today and his specific set of asanas make challenging form of the ancient practice, known as 'hot yoga'.
Bikram Yoga is a form of hot yoga, which is exactly as it sounds. The technique involves twenty-six specially designed poses practised in a room with a temperature of 105 degrees and a 40% humidity rate. This might not sound like a lot of fun but the heat has an effect on the body that's hard to argue with. The heat relaxes the muscles and the lungs letting you take longer breaths and allowing your body to achieve the poses Bikram has planned. It can be extremely beneficial to everyone from the newcomer to the professional sportsmen. But it's not for the weak!
There have been many noted health risks to exercising like this in such a high temperature, including nausea, dizziness and fainting. All this and dehydration from sweating can cause heatstroke so it is not for those who can't bear the heat, and certainly not for anyone with high blood pressure or heart problems. Even though there are some negatives, the positive effects on how you feel during and after sessions are pretty hard to ignore.
Bikram's scientifically designed programme is aimed at primarily allowing the muscles to relax, which allows for the prevention of injuries and is said to have an almost regenerating effect. One pioneer of Bikram is Michele Pernetta, who is credited as bringing this form of yoga to Great Britain. He says of this regenerating factor, "Most sports have long-term effects but yoga is the science of putting the body back to the way it's supposed to be." A ninety minute session contains two breathing exercises and twenty six poses to be done in a particular order which maximises flexibility; it is frequently practised by dancers for this effect.
Bikram Choudrey has a different view on yoga from most. Having been a champion of competitive yoga he feels that competition is what democracies are based on. Some say he's a bit of a character, well known in the U.S.A for suing a lot of people for copyright infringement, but people are still going crazy for his idea, and the benefits seem to be obvious!
Bikram's technique is now so well known in the west it's being practiced by Lady Gaga, David Beckham and Ashton Kutcher among others. It seems to be a craze that won't let up and perhaps that's a good thing. Anything that can relax and calm us down at the end of the day is a good thing, but why always take it easy? Why not turn up the heat and face a challenge? Perhaps it's not for everybody but it's being talked about everywhere in the yoga world and it seems to be catching on!
Bengalese All-India Yoga Champion, Bikram Choudrey, had some strange new ideas of how to practice this age old art form. His life-long love of yoga started at the age of four and he grew up to found the Yoga College of India; he's still an active force in modern yoga techniques today and his specific set of asanas make challenging form of the ancient practice, known as 'hot yoga'.
Bikram Yoga is a form of hot yoga, which is exactly as it sounds. The technique involves twenty-six specially designed poses practised in a room with a temperature of 105 degrees and a 40% humidity rate. This might not sound like a lot of fun but the heat has an effect on the body that's hard to argue with. The heat relaxes the muscles and the lungs letting you take longer breaths and allowing your body to achieve the poses Bikram has planned. It can be extremely beneficial to everyone from the newcomer to the professional sportsmen. But it's not for the weak!
There have been many noted health risks to exercising like this in such a high temperature, including nausea, dizziness and fainting. All this and dehydration from sweating can cause heatstroke so it is not for those who can't bear the heat, and certainly not for anyone with high blood pressure or heart problems. Even though there are some negatives, the positive effects on how you feel during and after sessions are pretty hard to ignore.
Bikram's scientifically designed programme is aimed at primarily allowing the muscles to relax, which allows for the prevention of injuries and is said to have an almost regenerating effect. One pioneer of Bikram is Michele Pernetta, who is credited as bringing this form of yoga to Great Britain. He says of this regenerating factor, "Most sports have long-term effects but yoga is the science of putting the body back to the way it's supposed to be." A ninety minute session contains two breathing exercises and twenty six poses to be done in a particular order which maximises flexibility; it is frequently practised by dancers for this effect.
Bikram Choudrey has a different view on yoga from most. Having been a champion of competitive yoga he feels that competition is what democracies are based on. Some say he's a bit of a character, well known in the U.S.A for suing a lot of people for copyright infringement, but people are still going crazy for his idea, and the benefits seem to be obvious!
Bikram's technique is now so well known in the west it's being practiced by Lady Gaga, David Beckham and Ashton Kutcher among others. It seems to be a craze that won't let up and perhaps that's a good thing. Anything that can relax and calm us down at the end of the day is a good thing, but why always take it easy? Why not turn up the heat and face a challenge? Perhaps it's not for everybody but it's being talked about everywhere in the yoga world and it seems to be catching on!
About the Author:
If you've been inspired to learn some more about the art form of yoga and you fancy a go in the intense heat you can visit the website for a new venue in Highbury & Islington, London, UK. .
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