Bikram Yoga Obsession

Some Like It Hot

By mid-August, most of us have had our fill of the summer heat. It’s been an especially scorching and dry past few months and exercising outside has either been painfully difficult or strictly out of the question. There are some people, however, who crave heat in their exercise routine and the temperatures they require are even hotter than what the summer sun imposes. These avid heat enthusiasts practice a form of yoga known as Bikram.

The Ins and Outs of Bikram Yoga:

Your typical Bikram session takes place in a room that can get up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit and reaches a humidity of 40%. Crazy, right? As you can imagine, the extreme heat of the room makes you sweat quite a bit and raises your body temperature to tremendous temperatures. So what’s the advantage? And why put yourself through that?

The whole idea behind the intense and often uncomfortable temperatures is that your body can become more relaxed and malleable. While the heated studio helps generate deeper stretching and injury prevention, it also reduces stress and tension.

Bikram classes run exactly 90 minutes and consist of a set series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises. As you progress through the session, your body shifts from pose to pose on a continuous tangent. There is no break between positions; the unbroken chain of movements helps stretch and strengthen specific muscles, ligaments and joints that are needed for the proceeding posture.

According to Bikram Choudhury, the father of the method, this particular style of yoga stimulates and restores health to every part of the body including muscles, joints and organs. The high room temperatures along with the stretching techniques increase blood circulation throughout the body, making you more limber and energetic.

What’s the Big Deal?

Chances are you’ve heard of Bikram Yoga, or at least Hot Yoga, by now. It’s definitely become a major craze among exercise and wellness enthusiasts over the past few years. But why is it such a big deal? What’s with the trend?

One explanation for the Bikram obsession is its health value. People do walk away from a Bikram yoga session feeling truly energized and fit. There are countless testimonials from couch potatoes who have seen the light and become Bikram fanatics. It’s a form of exercise that can be both accessible and humbling—the typical studio may contain anyone from an 80-year-old schoolteacher to a college-aged marathon runner.

Another reason why Bikram has become so trendy has to do with its prominence in popular culture. In the 1970s, Bikram Choudhury immigrated to the United States from India and established yoga studios in California. Yoga had been a prominent form of exercise for quite some time, however the Bikram phenomenon received much attention for its innovative and challenging approach. Aficionados of the technique include huge celebrities and sports stars such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and David Beckham.

Although it’s hard to think of heat as anything but a pain during this time of year, it certainly has its value when it comes to yoga. Bikram has become a huge fad among health and fitness devotees and for good reason. It isn’t something that only Madonna or Beckham are capable of enjoying—those hot and humid studios are full of all walks of life. So get out of the air conditioning and experience the heat! It’s time to feel fit and energized again!!