Bikram Yoga is 90-minute yoga practice done in a room set at 105 degrees and 40% humidity. here is for Bikram yoga beginners :
Each class consists of 26 poses, the same 26 every time, held for a specific amount of time, and repeated two times. By practicing in the heat, your muscles warm quickly and allow you to stretch further than you could at room temperature. The heat also helps you sweat out toxins in your body and gets your heart rate up so you get some cardiovascular work.
1. Bikram yoga is one of the most systemic and ‘military’ forms of yoga
Every class is conducted in a 104º Fahrenheit (40.5º Celcius) room. No matter where you go, the Bikram yoga class experience is almost the same. for beginners, The 90-minute class begins and ends with pranayama (breathing) exercises will be hard. In between the breathing exercises are the 26 postures (see below) that will each be practiced twice. Bikram yoga teachers are training to give scripted verbal guidance on the postures (e.g. during forwarding folds, they will always ask you to not leave space between your tummy and your thigh, “just like a Japanese ham sandwich”). We believe that practicing Bikram yoga is a form of moving meditation because as you learn to focus on the teacher’s instructions and your body, you eliminate internal chatter for a more tranquil mind.
2. What to Wear to Bikram Yoga.
There are bodies of all shapes and sizes – there is no need to feel self-conscious. Having said that, some yogis wear really short shorts. Some people we know may even be particularly motivated to practice Bikram yoga for that reason, Wear what is comfortable when you have to bend, twist, and fold while sweating loads! We usually opt for a sports bra top and shorts that comfortably cover the bottom (as there are a lot of forwarding bending poses). And many people put on a tank top, vest or t-shirt as well.
3. Why is Bikram yoga so addictive?
Some yoga students wear their heart rate monitor during practice to measure how changes in their heart rates correspond to the posture sequence of the Bikram yoga, such as the chart below. The sequence is built to help heart rate build-up systemically, and there are two occasions where you will allowing a longer version of savasana (resting corpse pose): at the end of the standing sequence and the end of the practice. To see how important the resting pose is, check out the heart rate plot below – there is an obvious drop in heart rate during the first savasana. We believe that this system allows a really nice release of tension and also helps build strength and endurance. Not to mention the sheer amount of detoxing sweat and all those layers of dead skin that rub off at the end of practice.
4. Lock your knees! Lock your knees!
The biggest surprise in my first Bikram yoga class is when the teacher starts to ask us to lock our knees. In many non-Bikram classes, we are saying that locking your knees is bad because people tend to hyperextend their knees, and in time, something will give in. If you are flexible or tend to push your knees in, check out this great guide on how to lock your knees correctly from Evolation Yoga. Ultimately, you know your body and it is important to do what is right for you.
5. No adjustments
Bikram yoga is a ‘dialogue-based yoga, which means that unlike traditional yoga classes, Bikram teachers rarely adjust students physically. So expect no fancy pulls and tugs from your teacher and try to listen carefully. To those who are complete beginners to yoga, or those who are kinaesthetic learners and not that receptive to verbal cues, Bikram can be challenging and potentially a practice that can breed bad habits.
6. Teacher training – a pyramid scheme?
Okay, sorry but we said it! You heard us right. Not only does the Bikram yoga teacher training cost more than US$11,000 for an intense nine-week, but a 6-day-a-week camp in LA, Bikram-branding yoga studios around the world are also required to pay a licensing fee and a monthly fee to operate. 3 million people have practiced Bikram yoga worldwide. With over 5,000 studios opened, that Bikram Choudhury is making close to US$5 million a year, or a net worth of US$7 million. Not bad for a yogi, some would say. To put things into perspective, a recently graduate, yoga teacher is only expecting to make between $20-45 per hour. We smell a little pyramid here, and yet we still love that rewarding feeling after a Bikram yoga class.
Go with an open mind and see what comes out of it.
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