Yoga has been a popular new trend in the west for a while now, but is has its roots in ancient India. The tranquil practice is regarded as a way of bringing your mind, body and soul together using a series of moves, known as asanas and is a way of getting a bit of 'you time' when life gets too much. Bikram Yoga, however, is not something for the faint-hearted newbie and we're going to take a look at why.
The inventor of this controversial form of yoga is Bikram Choudrey, an ex-All-India Yoga Champion who remained undefeated until his retirement from the competition. Having practised yoga since he was four, he has dedicated his life to it and has established himself as a prominent character on the scene - his much-talked about technique is the reason why.
Bikram Yoga is a form of hot yoga, which is exactly as it sounds. The technique involves twenty-six specially designed poses practised in a room with a temperature of 105 degrees and a 40% humidity rate. This might not sound like a lot of fun but the heat has an effect on the body that's hard to argue with. The heat relaxes the muscles and the lungs letting you take longer breaths and allowing your body to achieve the poses Bikram has planned. It can be extremely beneficial to everyone from the newcomer to the professional sportsmen. But it's not for the weak!
There have been many noted health risks to exercising like this in such a high temperature, including nausea, dizziness and fainting. All this and dehydration from sweating can cause heatstroke so it is not for those who can't bear the heat, and certainly not for anyone with high blood pressure or heart problems. Even though there are some negatives, the positive effects on how you feel during and after sessions are pretty hard to ignore.
Bikram's scientifically designed programme is aimed at primarily allowing the muscles to relax, which allows for the prevention of injuries and is said to have an almost regenerating effect. One pioneer of Bikram is Michele Pernetta, who is credited as bringing this form of yoga to Great Britain. He says of this regenerating factor, "Most sports have long-term effects but yoga is the science of putting the body back to the way it's supposed to be." A ninety minute session contains two breathing exercises and twenty six poses to be done in a particular order which maximises flexibility; it is frequently practised by dancers for this effect.
Choudrey himself has a slightly different idea from other yoga fans. While the practice has been universally seen as a tranquil and unifying art for attaining a sense of peace with oneself, Choudrey has been prevalent in competitions for years and says - Competition is the foundation for all democratic societies. For without 'Competition', there is no democracy. This seems to be the polar opposite to what many Westerners have been taught to believe however yoga competitions have been held in India for over a century with competitors saying it is a chance for both newcomers and professionals to sharpen their skills, the added influence of rivalry also trains the mind to become more devoted to attaining perfection.
Bikram's technique is now so well known in the west it's being practiced by Lady Gaga, David Beckham and Ashton Kutcher among others. It seems to be a craze that won't let up and perhaps that's a good thing. Anything that can relax and calm us down at the end of the day is a good thing, but why always take it easy? Why not turn up the heat and face a challenge? Perhaps it's not for everybody but it's being talked about everywhere in the yoga world and it seems to be catching on!
The inventor of this controversial form of yoga is Bikram Choudrey, an ex-All-India Yoga Champion who remained undefeated until his retirement from the competition. Having practised yoga since he was four, he has dedicated his life to it and has established himself as a prominent character on the scene - his much-talked about technique is the reason why.
Bikram Yoga is a form of hot yoga, which is exactly as it sounds. The technique involves twenty-six specially designed poses practised in a room with a temperature of 105 degrees and a 40% humidity rate. This might not sound like a lot of fun but the heat has an effect on the body that's hard to argue with. The heat relaxes the muscles and the lungs letting you take longer breaths and allowing your body to achieve the poses Bikram has planned. It can be extremely beneficial to everyone from the newcomer to the professional sportsmen. But it's not for the weak!
There have been many noted health risks to exercising like this in such a high temperature, including nausea, dizziness and fainting. All this and dehydration from sweating can cause heatstroke so it is not for those who can't bear the heat, and certainly not for anyone with high blood pressure or heart problems. Even though there are some negatives, the positive effects on how you feel during and after sessions are pretty hard to ignore.
Bikram's scientifically designed programme is aimed at primarily allowing the muscles to relax, which allows for the prevention of injuries and is said to have an almost regenerating effect. One pioneer of Bikram is Michele Pernetta, who is credited as bringing this form of yoga to Great Britain. He says of this regenerating factor, "Most sports have long-term effects but yoga is the science of putting the body back to the way it's supposed to be." A ninety minute session contains two breathing exercises and twenty six poses to be done in a particular order which maximises flexibility; it is frequently practised by dancers for this effect.
Choudrey himself has a slightly different idea from other yoga fans. While the practice has been universally seen as a tranquil and unifying art for attaining a sense of peace with oneself, Choudrey has been prevalent in competitions for years and says - Competition is the foundation for all democratic societies. For without 'Competition', there is no democracy. This seems to be the polar opposite to what many Westerners have been taught to believe however yoga competitions have been held in India for over a century with competitors saying it is a chance for both newcomers and professionals to sharpen their skills, the added influence of rivalry also trains the mind to become more devoted to attaining perfection.
Bikram's technique is now so well known in the west it's being practiced by Lady Gaga, David Beckham and Ashton Kutcher among others. It seems to be a craze that won't let up and perhaps that's a good thing. Anything that can relax and calm us down at the end of the day is a good thing, but why always take it easy? Why not turn up the heat and face a challenge? Perhaps it's not for everybody but it's being talked about everywhere in the yoga world and it seems to be catching on!
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So, if all this talk of hot yoga in this miserable weather has sparked your curiosity you can find out more information about hot yoga in London by clicking here.
