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Bikram Yoga


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hey princess

i haven't tried bikram yoga yet... but have wanted to for a while.

over the past decade, in addition to solo yoking, i have done classical hatha at sivananda and currently am doing iyengar at yoga sutra.

regarding bikram, is it the heat that challenges or inspires you or the actual asanas or a combination of the 2?

personally, i have a tough enough time when i am somewhere that is really hot with high humidity without doing any physical activity.

like here in nyc, it gets so hot that the minute you go outside the sweat starts pouring off you let alone if you go for a run or bike ride...

i'd love to hear your experience and feelings about the bikram, how it compares to other styles and if there is any aspects of it that correlate to being Vegan.

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It's a combination of all elements... the asananas, the heat, the mental discipline, the fortitude of getting out at bed at 5.00am to make the 6.00am class... it is every element of it!

 

I know about humidity... I live in Australia! In summer in Sydney the humiditiy is grotesque, but it is Autumn now and not so bad... hopefully by the time summer comes back, I will be well enough conditioned I can bear it...

 

I do very badly in the heat, usually. It makes me bad tempered, dizzy, faint, weak... so who knows why Bikram works for me so well... I don't... but it does! I am loving it... if you are experienced in yoga then you might love it too. I had no prior experience of yoga apart from a couple of casual, light sessions on a weekend away recently. So I cannot compare it to other styles Im afraid.

 

All I know is that after doing different types of dancing, cardio and weights, it is just about the most challenging workout ever, although other workouts require equal strength and flexibility. It's the mental challenge that makes it that extra bit more demanding, I think, to stay in the hot room and hold the postures. The teachers learn a dialogue that goes along wth their tutoring of you and that pushes you as well.

As for relating to being vegan, I think when you are vegan you are in pursuit of living wholistically, of finding a balance between mind body and spirit and bikram yoga definitely encourages, nurtures and shapes this. Not to mention the asananas have animal names, calling to mind the specific traits and beauties of the animals as you hold the postures, thinking about what it means and why that animal inspired this posture, calling to yourself the power of that animal...

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wow, princess, thanks a lot for your reply. sounds like you've found a good match for your needs.

 

it's really interesting about how you do in the heat, because i am very similar. i 'd take cool or even cold weather over hot, any day! but i have found that when i train in the blistering heat, i too, somehow don't mind it at all. t's just when i'm in the heat and inactive ... it's almost unbearable. and i like the mental challenge part you mention, too; after all if yoga is all about reconnecting the mind with the body, to do it just as one and not the other would be incomplete.

 

so a few more questions for ya, if you don't mind: the animal poses, are they the familiar ones like cat, cow, crow, cobra, dog, and lion? or are there others, too?

 

do i need a special mat so that i don't slip on due to to getting soaked from sweat?

 

do i need to have a bucket of liquid nearby to replenish the sweat?

 

i just started taking classes at a new yoga center right near my job (today i took a lunch Vinyasa yoga class that was both challenging physically and mentally invigorating; i had a terrific and surreal experience, a reunion of sorts, coming back in to my body after class).

 

they have Vinyasa, Iyengar, Ashtanga, and Individualized but don't offer Bikram (i think there is some sort of legal matters that have to be in place for a center to be able to do so?) but hey i'm in NYC and there are several Bikram places one in each direction no more than 10-20 minutes away so i really will look forward to trying it out.

 

last, but not least, i remember reading about a Bikram 30 or 60 day challenge, did you do that?

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Hi there... as far as I can tell from what I've picked up, the 26 poses are from hatha yoga so yep there are familiar ones like cobra, eagle, locust, tortoise. i really don't know that much about yoga though so not sure of all of them. i know bikram yoga is a 'beginner's yoga' class so the postures are not the most difficult balancing on one fingertip type ones!

 

you need a mat and a towel, the towel goes over the mat to catch the sweat (it's profuse, my workout clothes are always soaking afterwards) and stop slipping. water, they recommend you drink as little as possible during and instead drink at least half a litre before the class and then two litres afterwards. this is because drinking actually makes you thirstier and because it breaks the stillness and discipline you try to achieve. i have found that first class i was drinking constantly, now i only need to take sips at 3-4 points during the class. but i definitely make sure i drink lots of water before and after!!!! i do take in a litre bottle of water though because i don't want to be without if i really need it. i also try to have a big celery and banana smoothie afterwards to replace lost potassium and sodium.

you breathe through your nose to keep cool and they discourage wiping sweat, because of course you sweat to keep your body cool and wiping it makes you hotter... and again, it breaks that stillness. even in just two weeks i have built endurance in this regard, it happens quite quickly.

 

they have regular 30 day bikram yoga challenges yep, but none at the moment so haven't been able to do it. at the moment i am challenging myself to the next 19 days of one class at least every day

 

more info at

bikramyoga.com

 

it's great!!!!!

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thanks for sharing your experiences, Princess.

 

i took a lunch Vinyasa yoga class today and it was interesting because the room was kinda hot; not like i'd imagine the rooms are for Bikram but hot enough to break a sweat. whoa! that'd be wild to be, as you described, soaked... and doing Bikram yoga! i'm really getting pysched to check it out.

 

that's interesting that it's a beginner class; i really dig the fact that all levels of practitioners can do it, too, supposedly the challenge is the room temperature and the pace?

 

i just read a beautiful quote (which i think i read before back when i first heard about Bikram) where he says, "It's never too late, it's never too bad, you're never too old, you're never too sick to start from scratch once again, to be born once again."

 

that is so profound and makes so much sense to me.

 

what a great metaphor for life; wherever you are you, no matter how near or how far, you can always come back to home, to Self.

 

just like a new day unfolds...

 

i will letcha know when i try it out and please let me know if you have any other breakthroughs and glorious moments to share...

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I went to a hot Yoga class similar to Bikram a year ago. I found the heat very unpleasent but then I am from England! Everyone was wearing skimpy outfits and the room was covered in mirrors. It was not so much Yoga i.e. union with the divine but more of an endurance physical exercise. The founder of Bikram copytwrited the sequence of asanas he teaches. He is a shrewd business man! I heard that someone died in a Bikram class. I would be careful with it.

 

If it works for you though, go for it!

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hey ritchie

 

what is the heat like on that side of the pond?

 

i remember a chap from your neck of the woods visiting and saying something about new york city's humid heat being "a bit mucky".

 

does that mean your weather is a whole lot more mucky than a bit?

 

as i said earlier, i am not a big fan of heat in general but somehow if i'm engaged in some physical activity, i don't mind it?

 

dunno how or why.

 

anyway maybe bikram yoga is a union with the divine through an endurance physical exercise?

 

sorta like a gateway to to a palace?

 

in any event, you are right on when recommending to be careful, i always try to take care and be safe especially when it comes to martial arts, fitness and yoga; there's that threshold that is dangerous to cross.; hopefully nobody gets hurt.

 

like you say if it works for you, go for it; that's a great open, tolerant, and respectful approach to individuality and preference.

 

cheers

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  • 3 months later...

I am really suprised there aren't more Bikram Yoga enthusiasts in this forum.

 

I used to do this, and the ONLY reason that I stopped was because it's VERY VERY expensive (We're talking like $250 a month), but I can honestly tell you that it was one of the most unique and spiritual experiences for me, ever!

 

The first session you feel like you are going to die and are in absolute hell but after about a week, it is like nothing I can describe. I've known some very "macho" men that have taken this and said it kicked their butt more than any other workout because you need alot of mental endurance to endure the heat.

 

I encourage anyone who is the least bit curious to at least try this for a couple of weeks. Especially if you have the kind of personality that likes big challenges.

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  • 3 months later...

I did Bikram for 3 years pretty consistently. I got a lot out of it, but took my last Bikram class about 4 years ago. I eventually moved on to another style of yoga because:

 

1. I was getting bored with the same 26 postures.

2. I felt that practicing every day in that kind of heat (my studio was 102-104 degrees) might not be good for me over the long term.

3. I didn't agree with many of the things Bikram Choudhry did from a business standpoint (suiing affiliate studios for deviating from his script, trying to "patent" postures, etc.).

 

That said, I think the for any type of yoga....the studio environment, the quality of the teachers and the nature of people attending the classes make all the difference in the world. If you have great teachers, and feel good about the class...than it is probably a good thing to keep up with.

 

I will say that Bikram got my spine more flexible than ever, and really undid a lot of damage I did to my legs as a runner. I think the heat had a lot to do with that.

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I took one free class of bikram last fall and loved it.

 

There are two bikram studios in Austin but they are both about 20ish minutes away from me and I don't have the time/want to drive (not to mention trying to reduce my car usage) to do that on a regualr basis plus as said before it is pretty darn pricey. BUT they both offer the first month for like 28 dollars? or something. So mabye if I have alot of free time I'll do it at one and then do it at the other, but I can't see it happening this semester, mabye if i stay in austin over the summer.

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  • 1 month later...

Bikram Choudhry has also been known to harass vegetarian and vegan people attending his outrageously priced teacher training camps. I've cut back on my Bikram yoga practice but was attending 2,3, 4 times per week. It really improved my ability to focus and control my breath while experiencing athletic discomfort. I gained a bit of flexibility (am naturally extremely flexible) and gained a good ability to exercise hard in very warm temps. My cooling system became very efficient.

 

All in all, it a great thing to do but very expensive. Many people get into it as a way to lose weight but I believe there are much better and cheaper ways to do it than through Bikrams.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Hi!

For me Bikram was very intense and the heat got to me the first few classes.

It truly depends on what you are looking for. It is great for detoxing and once you get the hand of the sequence it can be fun.

For me the studio I practiced at wasn't all that fun. So I did find an different type of yoga with a studio that I loved and now I've been practicing there for a year.

I say give it a shot and see how you like it. Just drink a ton of water (which I am sure you do) and bring a towel!

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Bikram Choudhry has also been known to harass vegetarian and vegan people attending his outrageously priced teacher training camps. .

 

One of the benefits of aging is that you grow not to be phased by such maneuvers. I feel completely relaxed calling such people on their bullshit in the very same situation where they bring it up. Knowing the facts by having been around and having seen the argumentative "tricks" ( rhetoric ) such people pull I am ready to turn the tables on them. Instead of me feeling publicly censured, they end up being publicly ridiculed by the own stupidity.

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