Can people with medical conditions do Bikram yoga?
Bikram Yoga is known to be harsh, demanding, taxing and rigorous and, is in no way recommended for anyone with medical conditions. This style of Yoga (also called Hot Yoga) lays a lot of emphasis on mastering Yogasanas (poses) by holding them for longer, in the hope that you improve flexibility and your powers of endurance. This, again, is an aspect derived from another Hatha Yoga aficionado, Sri B.K.S. Iyengar.
Bikram (Hot) Yoga asanas (poses) are, definitely, the most challenging and comprise a set of 26 Yogasanas (poses) plus 2 Pranayamas (breathing exercises) performed twice in every ninety-minute session in a pre-heated room of up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. This can be quite killing, even for normal people; what’s more, they insist on putting you through a rather grueling schedule of (asanas) poses and Pranayamas (breathing exercises) twice over, with hardly any breaks. The extreme heat, blinding lights, instructors who more resemble drill sergeants, and loads of perspiration are the key elements of Bikram Yoga. This is also why it has, in modern times more popularly come to be called “Hot Yoga”.
Surprisingly, the style is gaining ground as more and more people are resorting to it, in a desperate bid to shed excess weight and gain strength. Some medical professionals have started expressing concerns about the demands made by this style of Yoga, and in an environment of such extreme heat. The concern here is whether your body can withstand the demands put on it. Nevertheless, this form of yoga does have its benefits and many of its practitioners have been extremely satisfied. If you are suffering from any medical complaints however, this form of yoga would be ill advised. In fact, quite a few people have been known to react with nausea, extreme exhaustion and shock after practising Hot Yoga.
Keep in mind that sweat, by itself, is no indicator of whether a workout is or isn’t working for you. More often than not, in such cases, you end up over-exerting. You put in such tremendous endeavor and effort that you end up ignoring your breathing or, alternately, unconsciously retain it for long periods of time; longer than is even recommended. Ultimately, it is your breath and definitely not the amount pf perspiration that is the real measure of whether you’re doing it right or wrong, whether the workout is or isn’t beneficial. Your breathing should always be stable, full and even and don’t sweat too much about the rest.
Finally, excessive sweating is, by no means a sign of a fitness regimen; far from it, in fact. The results can often be detrimental, particularly with people already suffering from some sort of physical disability, disorder or condition.
