Sweat It Out With Bikram Yoga

This short post briefly describes bikram yoga, a form of yoga developed by one man, Bikram Choudhury, over the past 30 years.  Bikram, also known as “hot yoga,” is the newest form of yoga and also the most controversial.  This controversy surrounds Choudhury, who, in an unprecedented move in the yoga community, copyrighted his series of postures or asana and its affiliated studios and is now attempting to turn them into a franchise.  This alone has angered many in the yoga community who stand by the traditional notion that yoga, an ancient practice originating in India which combines meditation and movement for spiritual, mental, and physical detoxification, clarity, and fitness, is something that cannot be owned.  Adding to the consternation of many is Choudhury himself: his lifestyle and outspoken nature in particular.

Controversy and upheaval aside, Bikram yoga has exploded in popularity in recent years; studios have popped up all over cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Miami, many of which boast full classes to boot.  Celebrities such as Madonna, Elle MacPherson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Brooke Shields are known to practice Bikram.  Devotees range from all ages, shapes, and sizes, often testifying that this extreme form of yoga makes them feel younger, lose weight, have increased flexibility, better skin, improved stamina and energy levels, a boosted metabolism and more efficient digestion.  Additionally, Choudhury has claimed that Bikram can heal many types of diseases or injuries: diabetes, high blood pressure, sciatica, and depression, to name a few.  How does he claim Bikram does this?  Through detoxification, of course!

Bikram Yoga claims to detoxify the body through the amount of sweat the body releases during the 90 minute practice.  Sweating is indeed the body’s process of detoxification through the skin, which is akin to the liver and kidneys in that is is considered to be an effective waste-removing organ.  Because a Bikram Yoga studio is heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with a 40 percent humidity rate, the body is obviously forced to sweat; additionally, several of the asanas in the Bikram sequence, held for 10 to 60 seconds apiece, create a tourniquet effect on some part of the body.  When the asana is released, fresh, oxygenated blood courses through the previously oxygen-deprived area, supposedly creating a flushing effect that enhances the function of the lymphatic, or waste removal, system.  This effect is also supposed to strengthen the body’s immune response.

Many studios suggest that it can take up to 13 classes for a person to finish the initial detoxification, get used to the sequence of asanas, and begin to enjoy the benefits of yoga’s most intense form.