After reading these fantastic benefits of Bikram yoga by Bikram teacher, Teka Bury, you'll want to track down your nearest studio to get hot and sweaty!
It took me over ten years to attend a Bikram yoga class. Twenty years of hatha yoga and thirteen years of meditation didn’t allow me to believe that Bikram was yoga.
Then the first time I did a Bikram class, I learned a big lesson. I went into a deep state of meditation – a state I had never experienced in any other yoga class and from that moment on, I was convinced I had found the yoga for my life.
Bikram yoga is for 90 minutes, in 42 degrees heat with 40% humidity. Add 26 postures and two breathing exercises and you have a complete workout on a yoga mat.
The whole body is worked from the inside out. Bikram Choudhury, its creator, says,
“When you want to shape iron, you first heat it up, then you can shape it in anyway you want, then the transformation happens”.
A Bikram yoga practice incorporates balance, concentration, detoxification, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility and strength.
When students come to their first class, as their teacher, I simply request they're well hydrated (2 litres of water), and come with an almost empty stomach.
They can then leave the rest to Bikram yoga and myself to look after them.
10 Amazing Health Benefits of Bikram Yoga
- Aids weight loss and weight regulation (balances metabolism)
- Increases physical strength and stamina
- Substantially decreases post-traumatic discomfort and problems caused by chronic diseases
- Reduces stress
- Improves levels of concentration
- Increases vitality and energy
- Increases coordination and balance
- Heals and prevents injuries
- Enhances immune system function
- Aids sound sleep
Bikram yoga is a practice that hopefully will become part of your every day life. To get immediate benefits and understand what this amazing yoga does on your body and mind, ideally practise three times a week.
However, if you have a bad injury or an illness, I suggest you practise five days a week with a serious commitment to heal yourself.
(Please ensure you obtain clearance from a medical professional first).
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