Bikram Yoga is a type of modern yoga that has extremely specific session conditions: the room temperature must be 40 degrees and the air must be 40% humidified. This page will define Bikram yoga, explain its principles and benefits, where it originated, who it is intended for, and what the risks are. To learn more about the yoga book Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh from Rishikesh Yoga Gurukulam.
Bikram yoga definition
Bikram yoga evolved from Hatha yoga, a kind of yoga that requires effort. Bikram yoga, often known as hot yoga, is a modern yoga that includes two breathing exercises as well as 26 postures, or “asanas.” During the 90-minute sessions, each of these positions allows you to work on every area of your body.
The uniqueness of this type of yoga is found in the session conditions. Indeed, posture and breathing exercises are carried out in a room heated to 40 degrees Fahrenheit and humidified to 40%. Heat-induced perspiration has the potential to improve muscle and joint flexibility. Heat, on the other hand, would purge the body of toxins and increase movement.
The Fundamentals of Bikram Yoga
The 26 postures are always done in the same sequence, twice in a row. Each position must be held for at least one minute.
The two breathing exercises are only done once. The first exercise, pranayama, is performed at the start of the session and is a practice of breath control. The second technique, kapalabhati, is performed at the end of the session and is an abdominal exhalation technique that tries to purify the body.
What are the advantages of Bikram yoga?
Many research has been conducted to evaluate the health benefits of Bikram Yoga. It enables you to do the following in particular:
- Reduce stress perception.
- Improve sleep quality: Because of its anti-stress properties, Bikram yoga aids in the reduction of sleep disturbances.
- Enhance your living quality and psychological well-being.
- Boost glucose tolerance, bone mineral density, and vascular stiffness.
- Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease: Bikram yoga reduces heart rate, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and hypertension while increasing cardiac endurance and lowering the risk of cardiovascular illness.
- Strengthen joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments by using the entire body in the 26 postures.
- Reduce your risk of osteoporosis: Bikram yoga increases bone density and lowers your chance of bone loss.
What distinguishes it from traditional yoga?
The fundamental distinction between Bikram yoga and regular yoga is heat, although there are others. Especially in terms of goal: unlike conventional yoga, Bikram yoga is meant to treat physical ailments. Furthermore, Bikram Yoga includes fewer poses than regular yoga, and the sessions are longer than typical yoga sessions, which can range anywhere from ten minutes to 60 minutes.
The Origins of Bikram Yoga
Bikram Choudhury, the originator of Bikram Yoga, was born in 1946 in Calcutta, India. At the age of four, he began practising yoga with his spiritual master, Bishnu Gosh, who profoundly inspired Bikram in the establishment of Bikram yoga.
Bikram was crippled after a car accident one day. He continued to practise yoga after the accident and saw an improvement in his physical and mental health. As a result, he decided to invent bikram yoga, which was inspired by the 84 postures of Hatha yoga. Bikram first visited the United States in the late 1960s, where he launched his yoga studio in 1973. There are around 600 Bikram Yoga centres worldwide now.
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Bikram yoga is intended for whom?
Individuals of any age, physical condition, or yoga level can practise Bikram yoga. It is useful for people who want to keep their physical condition and increase their well-being.
What are the consequences?
Heat can cause dehydration, an increase in heart rate, and a rise in internal temperature, all of which can be problematic for some people. Bikram Yoga is not suggested for people at risk of psychosis because it has been linked to psychological decompensation in certain people.