Bikram Yoga: Worth the Sweat?

“To sweat is to pray, to make an offering of your innermost self. Sweat is holy water, prayer beads, pearls of liquid that release your past. Sweat is an ancient and universal form of self healing, whether done in the gym, the sauna, or the sweat lodge … The more you sweat, the more you pray. The more you pray, the closer you come to ecstasy.” -Gabrielle Roth

Bikram Yoga, also known as Hot yoga, pioneered by Bikram Choudhury in Los Angeles in the 1970s. Bikram Choudhury, who studied Yoga with Bishnu Ghosh, brother of Paramahansa Yogananda. This form of yoga requires you to perform breathing exercises and yoga poses in an atmosphere that has a temperature of 105° Fahrenheit and a humidity level of about 60%.

How it works:

Bikram says: "Bengal Tiger Strength."(English bulldog determination)

Typically, a Bikram Hot Yoga session lasts for 90 minutes, and you have to perform a series of 26 asanas during the session, many of which are focused on proper alignment. Since it is considered a form of Hatha Yoga, Bikram Hot Yoga accentuates the magnitude of breathing and meditation when performing each pose.

• The high temperature will make your muscles and joints more flexible, and it enables you to maintain difficult poses for longer periods of time.
• Your body becomes more flexible in the heat and since most poses used in Bikram are physically challenging, heat allows you to get into a pose that you never imagined you can do.
• Each pose stretches and strengthens your muscles, joints, and ligaments and, at the same time release the toxins and work on your internal organs like the glands and the nervous system.

The Importance of Breath Control during Bikram Yoga:

There’s the heated room, permitting muscles to stretch further than usual, the poses that compress and extend muscles, and the commitment of the participants to hold each pose to enhance their potency and flexibility. But a potentially neglected aspect of hot yoga is breathing. During each session there are “pranayama” exercises, meaning “breathing techniques”. During the day people tend to neglect their breathing and only use their lungs at a limited capacity. This may lead to lower amounts of energy and frustration, but thankfully hot yoga permits people to pay attention to breathing to restore the oxygen within their bodies and achieve a more relaxing stance.

Benefits of Bikram Yoga:

There are so many vulnerable benefits of Bikram yoga to look into, but some of the majors are:

• Since it involves extensive stretching of body parts and muscles, Bikram Hot Yoga can improve the litheness of your body. The heat will loosen your muscles and joints, and you will be able to stretch them beyond their usual limits. Your muscles will become more toned and stronger, and you will also develop a stronger spine.
• The high temperature will cause you to sweat plentifully, and the sweating has a cleansing effect on your body. The toxins in your body will be flushed out through your skin, and you will become less liable to skin illnesses.
• Bikram Hot Yoga is effectual in promoting weight loss; because it can help your body achieve a more balanced metabolism.
• Bikram Hot Yoga can improve blood circulation and strengthen heart health. Performing difficult poses in a high temperature gives you an excellent cardiovascular workout, which will make your heart more resistant to diseases. Also,
•  Bikram Yoga can boost your immune system, because it increases the core temperature in your body and raises T-cell levels. High levels of T-cells can be beneficial to HIV/AIDS patients.
• Practicing Bikram Hot Yoga gives you better discipline, focus and coordination. It is also a great way to relieve stress, because it can calm your mind and soul. Moreover, it enables you to gain better awareness of yourself.

Risks of Bikram Yoga:

Despite of having so many benefits, there are some risks which you need to know before starting Bikram Yoga, so that you can be able to pursue it in a proper manner.

• The use of high temperature in Bikram Hot Yoga makes your body more susceptible to dehydration, and you cannot load up on too much water because a full stomach will make it difficult for you to perform yoga poses. Also, since some of the poses are not easy to do, you may injure yourself while trying to complete them.
• After you have stretched your ligaments to new limits, they may not be able to return to their original sizes and shapes, and this will result in the loosening of joints. You may also experience short-term side effects, such as nausea, dizziness, cramping and muscle weakness, while you are practicing Bikram Yoga.

Although it is a little risky, Bikram Hot Yoga is well-worth a try. It can improve your physical and mental health, and also help you recover from injuries and illnesses.

Cautions:

• It is essential to have your own yoga mat and towel when doing Hot Yoga since you will be sweating so much.
• Make sure to drink plenty of water before and after class so you don't get dehydrated. It is not advisable to eat during the two hours before class.
• If you want to try Bikram's method, make sure the Hot Yoga studio you choose has been certified to teach Bikram Yoga.
• Most importantly, Hot Yoga is not advised for pregnant women, since it can raise the core body temperature.

In fact, Bikram yoga has helped its founder as well; Bikram, recuperated from a serious knee injury he obtained in his training for weightlifting. He had been told by his doctors that he would never be able to walk again. After consulting his Yoga teacher, Bikram resumed his Yoga practice and his daily performance of the Asanas allowed him to rebuild his muscle and walk again.

So, “Nothing can steal happiness, peace away from you: if anyone does make you angry, you are the loser; if someone can allow you to lose peace, you are the loser.” -Bikram Choudhury