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Hot Yoga - Performing Bikram Yoga's Twenty Six Asanas

Being exposed to Bikram Yoga for the first time can be a hot surprise...
While the world's population continues to move from mainly rural to mainly urban, there are still many people like me who live away from the city. Doing things like taking a yoga class is not as easy as jogging down to the neighborhood gym. Since I live 40 miles from the nearest town large enough for a yoga studio, when I decided to take a class, I was more concerned about scheduling than I was the type of yoga being taught. I couldn't afford to be picky, if I preferred not to hang around for a couple hours after getting off work. So I checked the phone book, and didn't pay attention to anything but the schedule. There it was: M-W-F at 4:00. Perfect. I'd lived a sheltered life when it came to the different types of yoga, so the word "Bikram" writ large across the ad in the yellow pages didn't trigger the term 'hot yoga' in my mind, and that left me in for a big surprise.

I showed up for the first class wearing a comfy pair of sweatpants and a long- sleeved t-shirt. As the woman, Susie, at the desk was orientating me - she explained that the room was heated to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I suddenly realized that my concept of yoga clothes weren't going to work here. Apparently, I wasn't the first student to make this error. Susie told me they had loaner clothes. Now, it's been a while since the last time I wore hot-pants, so when she handed me the little scrap of shorts, I thought, "No way." She smiled and said, "Trust me, you'll fit right in."

Bikram Yoga is a rigorous form of Yoga performed in a room heated to at least 95 degrees. Each posture in the sequence is designed to safely stretch and open the body, in preparation for the next posture.

Beginning Bikram Yoga is a twenty-six asana series designed to scientifically warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons, in the order in which they should be stretched.

Susie continued, giving me a few more orientation tips, which seemed a little like a set of warnings. "A first-time student is encouraged to rest whenever you feel you should - kind of take it gradually. All the instructors ask is that you do your best to stay in the room for the entire time." What? Were we still talking yoga here? I'd seen pictures. Sure, I might not be able to balance on one leg while holding the other one over my head at my first try, but come on. How hard could it be to stretch as far as I could go and stop there? Why would I get desperate to leave the room?

Her next suggestion: "Good, I see you brought a bottle of water. But you'll be tempted to drink a lot, and I recommend you just drink sips - not too much at a time." Hmm. What was I getting into here? It sounded like I was facing some kind of ordeal - not what I had in mind at all since I was thinking of yoga as a peaceful, low- impact way just to stretch and keep my aging body flexible and strong.

Once I was dressed in the little bit of shorts, I opened the door to the yoga studio and was met with a rush of hot, stultifying air. Oh, goody. I walked to an open space, spread my mat, lay on my back, and understood exactly what she meant by asking me to at least stay in the room. I was already dripping sweat, and we hadn't even begun the class.

Ninety minutes and twice through the 26 poses later, I was indeed still in the room. In the non-competitive, supportive atmosphere I had been completely guided to go to my edge, but not so far that I would be turned off by struggle. In fact, I was exhilarated. I lay on my back at the end, eyes closed in the peaceful, very hot room, and knew I'd be back for more.

About the author:  Carina Snowden is a contributing author to Apex Yoga News a resource for yoga information.




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News about Bikram Yoga


Examiner.com

Hot yoga or Bikram yoga in Phoenix
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RantRave | Published Opinion.

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Daily Mail

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Examiner.com

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Author and lecturer Dr. Wayne Dyer began practicing Bikram yoga two years ago at the age of 67! He claims he's an inch taller because it stretches the spine ...
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BBC News

The exercise workout helping Andy Murray to be all smiles before ...
Mirror.co.uk
He's a fan of Bikram yoga, where the exercise is conducted in searing temperatures to be doubly effective. Vents pump steam into the yoga studio to get it ...
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Examiner.com

Local spotlight: Bikram's Yoga College of India
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