Bikram Yoga and Health

My question when stepping into my first Bikram yoga class was why does it have to be so dam hot? I understand that heat will prevent injury from stretching but still...why so dam hot? The room is almost 105 degrees! That's extreme! Well, let me explain it the Bikram Choudry way and this I got straight out of his book.

Imagine you're stuck in rush hour traffic in the middle of summer and it's 102 dergrees outside. Your air conditioning is broken and your window rolls down only half way. You're 45 minutes late for a meeting and the same guy in the van cuts you off for the third time and you have to pee.

He explains that this heated environment is to teach us to take responsibility for our weaknesses, fear and depression instead of blaming others. Learning to concentrate on flexibility and strength in sweltering conditions, takes powerful focus. All of his students quickly gain exactly that, powerful focus. And as the body gains flexibility and strength, there's no struggling for balance. The body will balance it's self. A proper balance in strength and flexibility equals a healthy body. The healthy body is then balanced with the mind.

Each posture improves various health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stress and obesity just to name a few. Through pranayama or breathing exercises, we learn to control our breath and more over, we learn to how to use the oxygen properly. The 26 postures that Bikram chose for the series all work to increase the flow of fresh oxygenated blood through every part of the body. The key dynamic is extension and compression. As we stretch one part of our body we are stretching the veins and arteries in that area slowing down the blood flow to let's say the pancreas. We compress the pancreas in the posture at the same time squeezing blood out. So the organ is drained of whatever bacteria or virus that is in it. Then we come out of the posture and fresh oxygenated blood flows throughout cleaning and refreshing the organ. Many of his students have been cured of varicose veins and arteriosclerosis this way.

In his book he explains so much further how each of the postures work on each organ including the brain and how insomnia is cured. But one posture I'd like to discuss is Savasana otherwise known as the Dead Body Pose which is ironically a powerful way to breathe life into the body as Bikram explains. Each of the 26 postures in the series is done twice. After all of the standing postures, the floor postures begin with Savasana. Despite the obvious simplicity in this pose, it is really the most diffcult asana and the most important of Hatha Yoga. After accelerating the compression and then releasing the fresh blood flow through a particular organ, Savasana creates a high speed cleansing, flushing powerfully, the toxins, bacteria, and free radicals. This is what enables students to leave re energized. This asana is performed for 20 seconds after each set of each posture.

In my first three classes, I was not used to being that calm or disciplined in the hot room with 20 people. It took three to four classes before I naturally stopped fidgeting and looking around. I finally started to concentrate on myself and meditate. Yes that was my second question, is there any meditation? There most certainly is. The meditation is in every controlled move you make in and in between each posture.

I swear by Bikram Yoga but no one really knows the benefits until they have taken one of his classes in one his hundreds of studios across the U.S.. The first time I took a class I went home a little sore and I thought I'd be laid up the next day. And I wasn't flexible at all, I just did the best that I could. Instead, I went to work the next day with I swear 10 times more energy than normal and I felt great as if I was kicked into shape in one day. My breathing was already improved. I love to realize that I've just been cleansed of toxins. It's such an ahhhh feeling.

The book makes so much sense whether you've tried Bikram already or not and is easy to comprehend, hard to put down. It only takes one class or reading the book once to convince one with ailments that this will not only improve one's health, it will but cure with consistent practice.

Savasana facilitates powerful blood flow, then lets circulation return to normal, creating internal cleansing and greatly magnifying the benefits of the preceding postures. In Savasana we begin to learn complete relaxation.

The Bow Pose is the most difficult for me. It's uncomfortable on my neck and shoulders yet if I hold the position for the 20 seconds (sometimes I don't) my neck and shoulders feel great after class. The benefit of this pose is to open up the rib cage allowing the lungs to expand. The 360 degree flexion of the spine revitalizes the entire length of the spine. It aids in back problems and digestion, fights constipation, combats bronchitis and diabetes while improving liver, kidney and spleen function. Oh and it strengthens the abdominal wall also. Well, I have to perfect this one in class.

Obviously hydration is important as you'll be sweating out toxins continuously in Bikram Yoga. As we all know plastic water bottles are not the best choice in heat. So here are two stainless steel suggestions for your water container in class. Thank you so much for visiting my hub. Happy Health to you!!