Challenge Yourself with Bikram Yoga

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Bikram Yoga is a great way to stretch, detoxify, relieve stress, tone, and heal. It was founded by Bikram Choudhury, who was born in Calcutta in 1946 and started practicing yoga at four years old under Bishnu Ghosh who was one of the influential yoga masters of the past century.

The style is practiced in a room well above body temperature approximately 40.6 degrees Celsius or 105 degrees Fahrenheit in other words, if you didn’t know your shins and elbows had sweat glands, you’re about to find out. Bikram yoga aims to increase general health, and students of this style believe that a heated room will help drive a deeper stretch while preventing injury.Bikram consists of a set of 26 poses and two breathing exercises for 90 minutes. Each pose helps different part of your body. Such as:

  • Mental relaxation,
  • Detoxification,
  • Creates balance in the body and the mind,
  • Increases circulation to the heart and lungs,
  • Helps lower back pain, constipation, obesity of stomach, bronchi distress, scoliotic, deformities, frozen shoulders
  • Provides maximum relaxation,
  • Helps diabetes,
  • Improves flexibility of the neck and spine,
  • Nurtures the nervous system,
  • Strengthens, massages and increases circulation to the abdominal organs and muscles, including the diaphragm
  • Good against high blood pressure and good for the heart and much more

The heat can be intense, however after a few classes it becomes a warm and welcoming sensation; after feeling some of the benefits of heated studios, students come to appreciate the temperature. Hydration is very important in Bikram yoga to avoid dizziness and to give you a break from the heat. You should drink plenty of water before the practice, during the practice and of course after the practice. Also you need to eat fresh vegetables and fruit the day that you planning to do practice. Another important part is clothing. Stay away from cotton and other fabrics that will hold sweat and weigh you down; its already too hot don’t create more heat for yourself. Choose anything that feels like nothing on you. Form-fitting clothing will help avoid restriction in postures. Also you will need a mat and towels. Most studios will provide a mat and a towel (usually for a small cost) but you can also bring your own.

“Give me 30 days, I’ll change your body. Give me 60 days, I’ll change your life.” That’s what Bikram Choudhury tells his students. Personally I’ve tried 30day challenge myself and went to 105 degrees studio every day and stayed there 90 minutes, and yes I definitely changed my body in 30 days. Expect to sweat from all angles – even places you didn’t know existed. Expect a full class, and every kind of yogi under the sun, from curious beginners to advanced students who practice daily. Before the class starts instructors says that don’t feel pressure to do all 26 poses; rest when you need to and listen to your body. Just try to stay in the room 90 minutes. Enjoy with your savasana – NAMASTE