Bikram Hot YogaHot Yoga is a sequence of yoga poses performed in a heated room.
By and large the room temperature is maintained at f 95-100 degrees and, quite naturally, a strenuous Yoga session at this temperature creates copious sweating. This, in turn, clears the body of toxins. The practice of Hot Yoga also warms up the body very much, and, subsequently, more flexible. Yoga champion Bikram Choudhury the innovator of Hot Yoga.
His technique consists of a set series of 26 yoga poses. This also includes two pranayama exercises. According to Choudhury, each of them should be done twice in a single 90 minute class. Bikram was born in Calcutta, India in 1946.
He founded the Yoga College of India in Beverly Hills in 1974. Recently, Bikram got entangled in an ugly lawsuit about his attempt to copyright his series of 26 poses performed in a hot room. At the center of the debate is Bikram's wish to stop anyone else teaching Yoga in a heated room, referring to their class as "Bikram Yoga."
Bikram likes to keep this title just for his chosen teachers that are certified by his Yoga College of India; those who stick to his prescribed technique closely and accurately. This includes not just the room temperature and order of poses, but the carpet and mirrors in the room as well as his approved text. The controversy was solved in an out-of-court settlement. In the Bikram agreed not to sue the members of a San Francisco-based collective of Hot Yoga teachers. In turn they agreed not to use Bikram’s name. Bikram is still an extremely contentious figure in the Yoga world.
Hot Yoga Tips and Cautions
- It is necessary that you have your personal Yoga mat and towel for Hot Yoga as you will be sweating profusely. Practitioners normally wear very little clothing for this reason.
- See that you have lots of water prior to and after class. This is to avoid getting dehydrated. Likewise you are not advised not to eat anything for 2 hours before class.
- If you wish to take up Hot Yoga, make sure see that the center you select is been certified to teach Hot Yoga.
- Bikram Yoga is not recommended for pregnant women, as it can increase the primary body temperature.
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