Bikram Yoga is style of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury after his emigration from India to the United States. Not only is the sequence of asanas designed to generate heat to warm the body, these 26 bikram yoga poses or postures are practiced in rooms heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Often called hot yoga, Bikram finds its roots in traditional hatha yoga and is designed to support the increase and movement of fresh, oxygenated blood throughout all parts of the body.
Principles of Bikram Yoga
According to Bikram Choudhury, one should strive to develop the following five virtues: faith, self-control, determination, concentration, and patience. These virtues can be developed through your yoga practice, including meditation and pranayama as well as the poses themselves. It's believed that as you meditate and assume the postures, your virtues expand when negative energy is released in the form of toxins in the body. In Bikram, mastering the body leads to mastery over the mind and spirit.
According to Bikram Choudhury, one should strive to develop the following five virtues: faith, self-control, determination, concentration, and patience. These virtues can be developed through your yoga practice, including meditation and pranayama as well as the poses themselves. It's believed that as you meditate and assume the postures, your virtues expand when negative energy is released in the form of toxins in the body. In Bikram, mastering the body leads to mastery over the mind and spirit.
Bikram Yoga grew out of Hatha and thus it shares some of the same values. The very word "hatha" is derived from the words "ha" (which means "sun") and "tha" (which means "moon"), and the practice of Hatha Yoga focuses on balancing these opposites. Bikram yoga also focuses on balancing energy, purpose, and intention and many of the asanas performed in Bikra are help practitioners achieve that balance.
How Hot is Hot Yoga?
Bikram yoga classes are heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity levels set at 40% to encourage the body to sweat more and release as many toxins as possible. This temperature also warms your muscles, enabling them to stretch farther and longer with a lower risk of injury. The high temperature also thins your blood and raises your heart rate, which makes Bikram an effective form of cardiovascular exercise that's low impact and gentle on your joints.
Bikram yoga classes are heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with humidity levels set at 40% to encourage the body to sweat more and release as many toxins as possible. This temperature also warms your muscles, enabling them to stretch farther and longer with a lower risk of injury. The high temperature also thins your blood and raises your heart rate, which makes Bikram an effective form of cardiovascular exercise that's low impact and gentle on your joints.
Use of Pranayama in Bikram
Basic controlled breathing exercises, called pranayama, are part of the practice of Bikram yoga. These exercises bring more oxygenated blood into the body and can improve concentration and mental alertness. The meditations which accompany the pranayama are intended to sharpen the senses and hone the mind's ability to focus.
Basic controlled breathing exercises, called pranayama, are part of the practice of Bikram yoga. These exercises bring more oxygenated blood into the body and can improve concentration and mental alertness. The meditations which accompany the pranayama are intended to sharpen the senses and hone the mind's ability to focus.
Bikram Yoga Positions
Bikram yoga classes last 90 minutes, during which you'll move through 26 specific yoga postures. The order of the postures doesn't vary and was created to stretch the muscles, ligaments and tendons in what's believe to be the most beneficial sequence. These movements are accompanied by pranayama exercises to increase blood flow and bring about feelings of peace and serenity.
Bikram yoga classes last 90 minutes, during which you'll move through 26 specific yoga postures. The order of the postures doesn't vary and was created to stretch the muscles, ligaments and tendons in what's believe to be the most beneficial sequence. These movements are accompanied by pranayama exercises to increase blood flow and bring about feelings of peace and serenity.
Bikram yoga is also based on the principle that the tourniquet effect of the poses (the restriction of certain blood supplies during certain poses) and the consequential release of that tourniquet-like hold on the arteries leads to a flushing of the arteries and strengthening of the heart. The challenges placed on the muscles during several poses leads to the strengthening of those muscles and the purifying of the yogi's attitudes as he or she learns to persevere through difficult poses and reach new levels of physical and mental fitness.
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