Bikram Yoga is a system of yoga

Yoga

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

 that Bikram Choudhury

Bikram Choudhury

Bikram Choudhury is a multi-millionaire Indian yoga guru and the founder of Bikram Yoga, a form of hot yoga performed in a series of 26 hatha yoga postures done in a hot environment. Choudhury is a student of Bishnu Ghosh...

 synthesized from traditional hatha yoga

Hatha yoga

Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....

 techniques and popularized beginning in the early 1970s. Bikram's classes run exactly 90 minutes and consist of a set series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. Bikram Yoga is ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F (≈ 40.6°C) with a humidity of 40%, and is the most popular form of hot yoga (a series of yoga poses done in a heated room).

Theory

Bikram Yoga's goal is general health and Bikram Choudhury says that the heated studio helps deeper stretching and injury prevention, while reducing stress and tension. Bikram claims that his system stimulates and restores health to every muscle, joint, and organ of the body. Bikram's Yoga claims to increase circulation to all organs in the body, and that this helps in the prevention of heart disease and organ failure. According to Choudhury, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity and thus the lungs must be stretched in order to withstand holding more oxygen. In a 2007 interview, Choudhury stated that when one is practicing pranayama

Pranayama

Pranayama is a Sanskrit word meaning "extension of the prana or breath" or more accurately, "extension of the life force". The word is composed of two Sanskrit words, Prāna, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, and "āyāma", to extend, draw out, restrain, or...

she or he will eventually be able to enhance oxygen conversion and absorption, as well as improve blood circulation, as in many other forms of cardiovascular activity.

Choudhury claims that blood circulation is affected immensely during Bikram Yoga because of two processes called extension and compression. These two dynamics are said to work together to deliver fresh blood to every joint, muscle, and organ within the body. While performing a specific asana

Asana

Asana is a body position, typically associated with the practice of Yoga, originally identified as a mastery of sitting still, with the spine as a conduit of biodynamic union...

(pose), the practitioner stretches or compresses a certain part of the body, thus cutting off circulation temporarily. This restriction of circulation causes the heart to pump more blood in reaction to the shortage. The pumping of excess, fresh blood is called extension. Once the asana is complete and the individual comes out of the posture, the new oxygenated blood is able to rejuvenate the arteries that were being compressed. Many of the postures massage the lymphatic system and aid in lymphatic drainage, assisting to eliminate infection, bacteria, and toxins. Other styles of yoga also promote this theory (cf: B.K.S. Iyengar

B.K.S. Iyengar

Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar , is the founder of Iyengar Yoga, although he himself would not call it Iyengar Yoga. He is considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world and has been practising and teaching yoga for more than 75 years...

's "squeeze and soak" analogy regarding the effects of deep twists on the internal organs). Recently, an article has been published by Dr. Joel Brahme titled, "5 Ways Bikram Yoga Reverses Cancer Processes". Dr. Brahme argues that Bikram's Yoga is helpful in the prevention and reversal of cancer processes as a result of detoxification of the body via extreme sweat output, immune system stimulation and improvement from Bikram Yoga postures, alkalinization of the blood's PH due to acid loss from the body through CO2 from the lungs, as well as increased acid loss from urine and sweat outputs, improved organ functioning, and the cultivation of an improved mind-body relationship.

Benefits

Weight loss: the amount of calories burned per session varies from person to person, but estimates range between 500 and 1250 depending upon intensity of practice and other factors.

Celebrity practitioners

Kareem Abdul Jabaar, Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...

, David Beckham

David Beckham

David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...

, Lady Gaga

Lady GaGa

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...

, Ashton Kutcher

Ashton Kutcher

Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...

, and Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams

Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...

. and Jennifer Farley.

Safety

Bikram Yoga has been the subject of much debate as to whether or not performing strenuous exercise in a room over (100 F) is safe.

Competition

Another controversial component of Bikram yoga pertains to the prevalence of Bikram competitions, regionally and nationally. While practitioners of other forms of yoga maintain that competition contradicts the idea of peace and unity, Bikram contends, "Competition is the foundation for all democratic societies. For without 'Competition', there is no democracy."
In the United States, Choudhury has claimed and been aggressive in enforcing broad copyrights in most aspects of the practice, teaching, and business of the system. While these claims are not definitively resolved (i.e., by any judicial ruling on the merits), Choudhury has extracted legal settlements from a number of yoga teachers and studios.
In Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class (First Edition), Choudhury claims he conducted "medical" studies at the Tokyo University Medical School validating the medical benefits of his 26 postures. During one of the lawsuits defendants demanded copies of the "medical" studies and Choudhury claimed he could not find them. In Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class (Second Edition), Choudhury removed all references to "medical" studies.

The 26 Asanas (postures)

#	Sanskrit	English
1	Pranayama Series	Standing Deep Breathing
2	Ardha Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasana	Half Moon Pose with Hands To Feet Pose
3	Utkatasana	Awkward Pose
4	Garudasana	Eagle Pose
5	Dandayamana - JanuShirasana	Standing Head To Knee Pose
6	Dandayamana - Dhanurasana Dhanurasana Dhanurasana , Bow Pose, or sometimes Urdva Chakrasana , is an asana.- Etymology :...	Standing Bow Pulling Pose
7	Tuladandasana	Balancing Stick Pose
8	Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Paschimottanasana	Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose
9	Trikonasana Trikonasana Trikonasana or triangle pose is an asana. Variations include utthita trikonasana and parivrtta trikonasana .-Etymology:...	Triangle Pose
10	Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Janushirasana	Standing Separate Leg Head To Knee Pose
11	Tadasana Tadasana - Etymology :The name comes from the Sanskrit words tada meaning "mountain" and asana meaning "posture" or "seat".- Description :It is a very basic standing posture with feet together and hands at the sides of the body. Yoga practitioners consider it a pose that promotes confidence and happiness...	Tree Pose
12	Padangustasana	Toe Stand Pose
13	Shavasana	Corpse Pose
14	Pavanamuktasana	Wind Removing Pose
15	Bhujangasana Bhujangasana -Etymology:The name comes from the Sanskrit words bhujanga meaning "snake" or "serpent" and asana meaning "posture" or "seat".-Benefits:...	Cobra Pose
16	Salabhasana Salabhasana Salabhasana, Shalabhasana , Locust Pose, or Grasshopper Pose. is an asana.-Description:It is a form of back bend, or spine stretch, using the strength of the upper and middle back to lift the weight of the legs as high as possible from a starting position face down on the floor. Most people find...	Locust Pose
17	Poorna - Salabhasana	Full Locust Pose
18	Dhanurasana Dhanurasana Dhanurasana , Bow Pose, or sometimes Urdva Chakrasana , is an asana.- Etymology :...	Bow Pose
19	Supta - Vajrasana	Fixed Firm Pose
20	Ardha - Kurmasana	Half Tortoise Pose
21	Ustrasana Ustrasana - Etymology :The name comes from the Sanskrit words Ushtra meaning "camel", and Asana meaning "posture" or "seat".- Description :It is a very deep backward bend performed in a kneeling position...	Camel Pose
22	Sasangasana	Rabbit Pose
23 and 24	Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana	Head To Knee Pose with Stretching Pose
25	Ardha - Matsyendrasana	Spine Twisting Pose
26	Khapalbhati	Blowing In Firm

External links

• List of all 27 postures with illustrations
• 'Yoga, Inc.', a documentary about the Bikram copyright case, 'competitive' yoga and the yoga industry