About Bikram Yoga

• Bikram Yoga is a challenging series of 26 asanas, or postures, which are designed to systematically stretch, strengthen and restore health to every part of the body. Scientifically designed by Bikram Choudhury, founder of the worldwide Yoga College of India, this 90-minute program is performed in a heated room.
• The series of postures combine skills of concentration, patience, determination and self-control that increase mental clarity and reduce stress.
• The Bikram method also stimulates the organs, glands and nerves, moving fresh oxygenated blood to 100% of the body, restoring all systems to a healthy working order.
• The heated room improves circulation, helps flush toxins from the body, and significantly reduces the risk of injury during deep muscle stretching.
• The series is designed for all levels, first time students and experienced practitioners alike.
• To understand more about the benefits of a consistent yoga practice and why the heat is used, keep reading or visit Bikram's Yoga College of India website.

Is Bikram Yoga for you?

• Do you need to lose weight?
• Do you need to make exercise a part of your life?
• Is your cholesterol or blood pressure too high?
• Are you stressed out?
• Do you feel tension and stress in your neck, shoulders, and back?
• Do you suffer from headaches?
• After an active weekend of sports, running or playing with your kids/grandkids, are you sore or in pain?
• Do you suffer from an old or new injury that simply wont heal?
• Would you like to improve your performance in other areas of physical activity, such as running, biking, weightlifting, golf, etc?
• Do you feel that you lack flexibility?
• Is your lifestyle more sedentary than you'd like it to be, i.e. frequent travel, sitting at a computer for long periods of time, etc?
• Do you suffer from the chronic pain of arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or tennis elbow?

If you answered Yes to any of the questions above, Bikram Yoga is for you!

What are some of the benefits of Bikram Yoga?

• Reduces the effects of stress
• Increases energy
• Increases blood circulation, supplying oxygen and nutrients to parts of the body that have been blocked or stagnant
• Lubricates joints and increases muscle strength around joints to support the joints under pressure
• Improves the spines flexibility and health
• Strengthens bones
• Improves strength, tone and flexibility of muscles, which reduces the risk of injury or re-injury
• Regulates cholesterol in the blood
• Eliminates toxins
• Flushes the lymphatic system
• Strengthens the immune system
• Balances the endocrine glands
• Expands lung capacity and strengthens the heart
• Can reduce the symptoms of many chronic diseases (e.g. arthritis and thyroid disorders)

The Heat

• Why the heat?
  • The heat combined with the sequence of the postures is what makes Bikram Yoga so special. The room is heated intentionally to warm muscles, which allows you to work deeper in a shorter amount of time, seeing results faster. Heat takes the trauma out of stretching, heals and helps prevent injuries. Also, your skin is the largest elimination organ in your body and by sweating; your skin cleanses itself naturally. Yoga is not just about working muscles. You are massaging deep tissues, glands, and organs as well. As you work deep within your body, you may start to release "poisons" or "toxins" that have been stored there a long time. Sweating helps flush toxins from your body, giving you a wonderful glow from head to toe. Regular profuse sweating generated by heat will also accelerate cardiovascular activity and facilitates calorie burning.
  • Heat therapy is once again becoming recognized as a valuable healing tool. It's earliest known use dates from Ancient Greek physicians who raised body temperature as an immune defense mechanism against infection.
  • Benefits of the heat:
    • Detoxification
    • Blood thinning to clear the circulatory system
    • Increased heart rate for better cardiovascular workout
    • Improved strength by putting muscle tissue in optimal state for reorganization
    • Reorganization of lipids (fat) in the muscular system
• How hot is it?
  • The recommended temperature is 105 degrees and about 60% humidity.
• What if I don't like the heat?
  • Don't be discouraged if the heat creates discomfort for you. The more classes you take, the more accustomed your body and mind will become to doing a 90-minute yoga class in 105+ degrees. Focus on the intense feeling of purification and energy your body experiences after class; and within a short period of time your body will adapt to the high temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What do I need to do to get benefit from Bikram yoga?
  • Try 100% the right way 100% of the time
  • Find your personal edge
  • Enjoy yourself
• How does Bikram Yoga work?
  • By the tourniquet effect: stretching, balancing (using gravity), and creating pressure all at the same time. The blood supply in the arteries and veins is cut off, creating pressure. When released, blood rushes through the veins and arteries, flushing them out.
• Can I lose weight doing Bikram Yoga?
  • Absolutely! Overall Bikram Yoga is intended to make your body healthier and more efficient, which means helping your body achieve its optimal weight. Of course, a regular and consistent practice is required to produce and maintain weight loss. Remember that you are building muscle, so the scale may not always reflect the changes or the loss in fat in your body. What you will see is a general slimming all over: your clothes fit better, your posture is better, and your skin will GLOW!
• Is Bikram Yoga a cardiovascular workout?
  • No matter what your fitness level, you will find Bikram Yoga very challenging. Each posture combines flexibility, strength and balance to work your whole body from your bones to your skin. With persistence, patience, and dedication, you can lose inches, and develop muscle tone and strength that might never come from other forms of exercise.
• How often should I practice Bikram Yoga?
  • Bikram Yoga should be practiced a minimum of 10 times a month in order to receive benefit from the series. For noticeable results, we encourage a practice of no less than three times per week. For more dramatic results, we suggest four or more times per week.
• What if I can only come once or twice a week?
  • Any yoga is good yoga, but the more frequently you attend class the better. If you come once or twice a week and feel that each class is an insurmountable challenge, find a way to attend class more often. Each class builds on the next, the more classes you can take closer together, the better you will feel. By coming one to two times a week, you will certainly experience the benefits of the yoga, but you will not see the results as quickly.
• I have bad knees, will I be able to do Bikram Yoga?
  • Yes, in fact Bikram Yoga can actually help your knees. If you have arthritis or an injury in your knees, movement is important to increase circulation. By increasing circulation and flexibility through careful movement, the knees can begin to heal.
  • Whether the knees are arthritic or injured, Bikram yoga will definitely help. Bikram actually healed his knee, which was crushed by a 300-pound weight, with his guru's help doing yoga. You must move the knees to get circulation to them, and Bikram's yoga helps you do both.
  • So how should you proceed? Make sure to listen carefully to the alignment instructions in each posture. When you are told to keep your feet parallel in standing postures, please do so. A half inch in either direction away from parallel has its effects all the way up the knees and into the hips.
  • In standing balancing postures, it is also important to keep the standing foot straight and the standing knee pointing straight ahead. If your knee bows back (hyperextension) you should bring the weight forwards towards the toes so as to engage the quadriceps muscle ("lock the knee") and lift the kneecap upwards. This action brings the leg into one line and brings true strength to the knees.
  • When you are bending your knees in any of the standing postures, keep the knees pointed over the toes. This will ensure that the knees and hips are strengthened evenly inside and out.
  • In triangle, when you are told to push your hips forward as you bend your front knee, this will keep your hip in line with your knee in line with your foot. This is also good for even strengthening of hip and knee joints.
  • In some of the standing postures, it might be very difficult to bend your knee to a 90- degree angle. So do the best you can without creating pain. Better to keep proper alignment bending 1% than to go 100% in poor alignment.
  • In the floor poses, notably fixed firm, half tortoise and perhaps rabbit, it might be difficult for you to bend your knees enough that the hips sit on the heels. To test your knee flexibility, keep lots of weight in your hands and bend the knees gradually to the point (but not past) of pain. You must be able to relax and breathe in the posture, holding it steady, for anything to happen. As the pain decreases and you start feeling more comfortable, you can gradually take the weight out of your hands and allow more pressure on the knees. Eventually you'll be able to go all the way into the posture, and you won't even remember the time when you couldn't even sit down!
  • You'll find that little by little your knee pain goes away and soon you'll realize that you can walk, climb up and go down stairs, even run a little without pain!
• Do you have a separate class for beginners?
  • No. Classes are open to all levels, whether you are a beginner or an advanced student. Advanced students can be a helpful resource as you get started with Bikram Yoga use them as examples to watch.
• What if I'm not flexible?
  • Then this is the right place for you! The heat and sequence of postures is intended to help increase flexibility safely. This class is not about your level of flexibility or fitness. It is about trying the right way and finding and going beyond your personal edge. Your flexibility will improve with time and you will be rewarding your body with countless other benefits along the way.
• What if I feel sore after class?
  • Didn't know you had a muscle there? Congratulations, you have utilized 100% of your body. The best way to relieve the soreness is to come back as soon as possible (24 - 48 hr). If you wait too long to come back, it may be like starting all over again.
• What if I have injuries or illnesses?
  • Please let the teacher know if you are pregnant, had surgery, or have any injuries, illnesses, or special conditions.  There is also more information about this yoga and specific illnesses on the main Bikram Yoga website which is www.bikramyoga.com View their FAQs and testimonials.
• Can I really get a workout in a yoga class?
  • Absolutely. Bikram Yoga is not a meditative class. You will raise your heart rate and get a cardiovascular workout. Come to class prepared to work hard and sweat!
• Am I too old to do Bikram yoga? I heard it was very intense.
  • Bikram says "never too old, never too sick, never too bad..." People of any age and condition can do this yoga. It reduces the symptoms of many chronic diseases and is a good preventative activity for the whole body. Bikram created this yoga for people in chronic pain to eliminate that pain and reverse the signs of aging.
• Is it normal to feel sick, dizzy, and nauseous in class?
  • Yes, these are all normal, especially for the beginner. The most important thing to do is to breathe, pace yourself, do the best you can, and rest when you feel the need. Learn to listen to your own body and take care of yourself in class. Drink lots of water the day before class to make sure you are well hydrated. A headache is a symptom of dehydration. Feeling tired or wiped out after class is a sign that you need to breathe more in class. The worse you feel, the more you need Bikram yoga.
• Is the routine the same every time?
  • Yes. Bikram scientifically designed the series so that one posture opens a specific area of the body in preparation for the next posture. The class is always the same, but your mind and body are different every day. By doing the same sequence of postures in each class you are able to mark your improvements and learn more about your body and its overall functioning. Remember, this is a lifetime practice that can always improve, deepen and advance!
• Why is it important to learn from a Bikram certified instructor?
  • Every Bikram's Yoga College of India is directly affiliated with Bikram Choudhury, creator of Bikram Method Yoga. All instructors are personally trained and certified by Bikram to ensure his methods and philosophy are preserved and properly taught. Certified instructors have a continuing connection to Bikram Choudhury and his training staff, allowing the certified studio to draw from all of the resources Bikram's training centre has to offer.