Bikram Yoga has its Pros and Cons

Hatha yoga, or the yoga of postures has been known used for thousands of years. As it gained popularity in the West, new forms and methods have been developed and used, primarily as marketing tools for American fitness and rehabilitation. Of these new forms of Hatha Yoga, one of the most popular is what is known as Bikram Yoga.

Bikram Yoga is essentially a series of 26 asanas (postures) performed in heat that was first marketed by the yoga master Bikram Choudhury. It was taught to him in India by his Guru as a rehabilitation for a debilitating knee injury. After his personal success with the forms, Bikram brought it back to the U.S. with him and established his own school in Los Angeles. He now markets this Yoga as his personal own and has been known to draw up lawsuits against any other schools who teach a resemblance.

Hot yoga is the same old ages taught forms as traditional yoga, except that it is done in a heated room between 95-105 degrees F. While new-age practitioners seem to defend the Bikram Yoga practice, traditionalists have long reviled it. There are several pros and cons to the practice that we will explore.

Pros

1. The heat of the room allows the body to stretch further and be held in position longer than in a room of comfortable temperature. This increased flexibility eliminates the need to "warm-up" and reduces strain on the body.

2. Bikram Yoga can be performed by persons with bodily injuries that require rehabilitation who otherwise could not perform Hatha Yoga. This is the primary reason behind the system.

3. The excessive heat is conducive to weight loss. This has become the new primary reason for many practitioners today.

4. The order of the asanas, or poses, are in line with how the muscles, ligaments, and tendons of the body should be naturally stretched .

5. Teachers are trained and certified in rigorous classes that assure an adequate teacher.

Cons

1. The excessive heat in Bikram Yoga is overkill for most people. It causes greatly increased water loss and provides risks of dehydration. Hatha Yoga itself increases body heat to extreme levels; it doesn't need any help. Fainting and sickness are not uncommon in the Bikram style.

2. Oxygen levels , because of the heat, and because many rooms use recycled air, are greatly depleted in a Bikram Yoga room. Oxygen is the primary driving force behind the benefits, both mentally and physically, of Yoga. Depletion of oxygen results in a decrease of results and benefits.

3. The 26 postures of Bikram Yoga are weighted in one direction. There are no inversions that are usually inserted into a regular Hatha Yoga session.

4. Overstretching is a common result of Bikram Yoga. The heat of the room allows muscles to easily become over-extended without the feeling the normal pain in such a movement. Over-stretched muscles will later be sore and can have long-term ill-effects.

5. Bikram Yoga is a marketing tool in direct opposition to the spirit of Yoga, in that it is taught and learned for the benefit of others, and not a "master's" pocketbook. This spirit should not disrupted by the high cost of the sessions and training.

As you can see, there are pros and cons to the practice. To interject a personal note as a long-term practitioner of traditional yoga, I would recommend against Bikram Yoga. The benefits of Bikram yoga are only for those with serious physical disabilities who cannot otherwise enjoy or practice it. Traditional yoga will provide all the benefits without any repercussions. Most students of Bikram Yoga use it as a shortcut to true discipline and action.