Why Not Try Bikram Yoga?
Author: Anika Molugu

There are many types of yoga, but Bikram yoga tends to stand
out from the rest. Even though the practice is largely the
same, you'll immediately notice the difference in the
environment -- the room in which Bikram yoga is performed is
heated between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit!

Bikram yoga follows a consistent program, employing 26 various
poses, each of which you practice twice during a session.

The poses flow as follows. You'll start with Standing Postures,
then progress to Backbends. Then you'll practice Forward Bends
and Twists. You will do the poses using the Kapalabhati Breath
or the Breath Of Fire techniques, which are advanced techniques
known for their energizing and cleansing qualities.

It's Getting Hot in Here

The purpose of the heat in Bikram yoga is to help you ease in
to a deeper, safer pose. The heat helps your body's
flexibility, making it easier to achieve better postures and
making your overall practice more effective. Some of the poses
you'll do in Bikram yoga are quite challenging, and the heat
will help you enter them more comfortably, and ideally get more
out of them. Also, with the increased temperature, your body
will sweat more readily, releasing more toxins from your pores.
The heat also lowers your risk for injuries.

When you practice Bikram yoga, you aren't simply stretching the
muscles in your body. You're also working and massaging the
internal organs, which helps to strengthen and lubricate the
body's glands and improve the nervous system. With Bikram yoga,
you'll work and strengthen your muscles, joints and ligaments.
All this work -- especially with the help of Bikram's
specialized environment -- helps to flush toxins out of your
body and provides the kind of exercise your muscles crave.

Can You Stand the Heat? Get Into the Kitchen!

Aptly named, this yoga practice was developed by Yogi Bikram
Choudhury, who first began his yoga practice at the age of
three, then studied yoga for a long while with the renowned
physical culturalist, Bishnu Ghosh. Together they developed
this form as one of the ultimate ways to help the body through
series of especially challenging stretches and poses. It goes
without saying that the Bikram beginner requires a skilled
instructor to get started, as these poses are more challenging
than some. The high temperature is also key to the process. As
a result, more than other forms, you'll need to take
instruction at a yoga school or some of the higher end fitness
clubs.

You can easily learn more about Bikram yoga to any of the
on-topic books available on the Web. You'll find that Bikram
yoga offers a wide range of challenging poses, and many people
find it a wonderful way of widening their yoga experience. If
you're ready to branch out and try something new, be sure to
try Bikram yoga.


About The Author: Stop by http://www.YogiSutras.com for the
stories of twelve ordinary people who made the transition from
student to certified instructor, plus helpful yoga poses and
accessories.