Bikram Yoga
Bikram Yoga – An Introduction
Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram Yoga style of yoga; started conducting his yoga classes from his “Bikram Yoga College of India” located in Los Angeles, California. Bikram has been trained in yoga at the Bisnu Ghosh School of Yoga in Calcutta, India. Now he conducts yoga workshops all over the United States. There are over 500 yoga studios worldwide where bikram yoga is practiced and more and more coming up day by day.
Bikram Yoga means what?
Bikram Yoga Fitness – At a Glance
Bikram Yoga is practiced in heated rooms and hence termed as “hot yoga” or “fire yoga”. The temperature in the yoga classes is carefully maintained between 80 and 110 degrees (specifically at 105 degrees F or 40.5 degree C) with 40% humidity managed with humidifiers. A yoga class usually lasts for 90 minutes. The heated yoga studio enables more flexibility due to deeper stretching, prevents injury, provides relief from stress and tension and detoxifies the body.
Bikram yoga training classes teach 26 yoga postures and 2 breathing exercise techniques. Each yoga pose is practiced two times and held for a stipulated time period.
For yoga lovers who want to know more about this hot yoga style, the 26 yoga poses in Bikram Yoga Asanas are –
- Pranayama Series (Standing Deep Breathing)
- Ardha Chandrasana with Pada Hastasana (Half Moon Pose With Hands To Feet Pose)
- Utkatasana (Awkward Pose)
- Garudasana (Eagle Pose)
- Dandayamana – JanuShirasana (Standing Head to Knee Pose)
- Dandayamana – Dhanurasana (Standing Bow Pulling Pose)
- Tuladandasana (Balancing Stick Pose)
- Dandayamana – Bibhaktapada – Paschimottanasana (Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose)
- Trikanasana (Triangle Pose)
- Dandayamana – Bibhaktapada – Janushirasana (Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose)
- Tadasana (Tree Pose)
- Padangustasana (Toe Stand Pose)
- Savasana (Dead Body Pose)
- Pavanamuktasana (Wind Removing Pose)
- Sit up (Sit Up)
- Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
- Salabhasana (Locust Pose)
- Poorna – Salabhasana (Full Locust Pose)
- Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
- Supta – Vajrasana (Fixed Firm Pose)
- Ardha – Kurmasana (Half Tortoise Pose)
- Ustrasana (Camel Pose)
- Sasangasana (Rabbit Pose)
- Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana (Head to Knee Pose with Stretching Pose)
- Ardha – Matsyendrasana (Spine Twisting Pose)
- Khapalbhati (Blowing In Firm)
The two breathing techniques are –
- Ujjayi Breath (the victorious breath) and
- Kapalabhati (the breath of fire)
The yoga session begins with the Ujjayi breath and some standing poses and moves on to yoga postures on the floor which end with Kapalabhati and then brief period of relaxation.
To perfect bikram yoga exercises, regular practice of these yoga postures is necessary. For those who want to practice from the comfort of their home, it may be a good idea to use guided hot yoga dvds. Though there is no replacement for attending the actual bikram yoga studio sessions.
