Bikram Yoga: what gives?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I tried a Bikram yoga class today for the first time. I usually attend hatha/ashtanga/viniyoga classes but thought I’d try this new studio since they had a $7/first week promotion. Now, I’ve done hot yoga before; everything form heated ashtana and hatha classes to moksha yoga. I’m not usually a huge fan of yoga practiced in a hot room (up to warm is okay for me) but I like to change things up every now and then, so I decided to try it.

I find that practicing yoga in a heated room can be quite distracting. From battling the stuffiness in the room to wiping away the dripping excessive sweat, I find that the distractions prevent one from focusing on breathing, asanas and proper alignment.

I didn’t know anything about Bikram yoga before taking this class so I was unpleasantly surprised that the room was SO hot! 42C I think. I was left with some general thoughts/questions and I’m wondering what other people’s opinions are:

-don’t people find the Bikram rooms so hot that they are distracting?
-the Bikram series (like the Moksha series) uses the same set of asanas for each class. Doesn’t this get boring after a short while of doing the exact same postures over and over and over?
-I’ve read that the heat is supposed to be good at helping the body “open up”…but doesn’t the heat allow people to over stretch which could end up being painful (once they cool down) if they push themselves too hard?

During the class, while describing a few asanas, the instructor would say: “You might feel some pain, but don’t worry. A bit of pain is good.” Huh? Why is pain good? I can see how discomfort is good, but once pain sets in, its generally a message from the body to back off, no? (Eric Shiffmann writes about this when he explains “playing the edge” in his book “Moving into Stillness”.)

Thoughts?

#2

Personally, I love the heat now and become very annoyed if I practice in a room that is not hot enough! Practicing in the excessive heat and learning to breathe quietly within it has taught me how to remain calm in extraordinary circumstances outside the studio. The sweat detoxifies me like nothing else. Overall, the experience teaches me to stop listening to my mind which frequently says, “You can’t do this! It’s too hot and too hard!” and to simply let my body do what it knows how to do. I have gained more confidence in my abilities by doing the thing I think I cannot do.

The repetition allows allows me to deepen the postures every time I practice and to strive for proper form and alignment as I become well acquainted with the form. I do like to shake things up though and practice Vinyasa or Ashatanga as well.

Bikram frequently says in his instructions that “you’re back is supposed to hurt like hell”. Personally, I think he’s being a bit tongue in cheek and just wants the student to push themselves beyond where their mind limits them. But common sense dictates that pain is a warning sign.

Those are my thoughts having practiced Bikram regularly for five and a half years.

#3

Thanks for your reply.

Do you not find that doing the same asanas in every class gets a bit boring for the body and the mind?

I also forgot to mention that the instructor advised to lock the standing leg in a number of balancing asanas. Is this right? I was always taught to keep a micro bend in the knee, for safety’s sake, even in keeping the standing leg super straight.

#4

I know what you mean about the lock in the standing knee. As a former dancer who totally wrecked her knees by hyper-extending them, I was really alarmed at that instruction at first. But after five years of locking my knees, I haven’t had a single problem.

As for boredom? No. I’ve got to say that it doesn’t bore me. I’m off to Rishikesh in June to study Hatha and I’m looking forward to not knowing what’s coming next for a change. But there’s comfort in routine, too. I think Bikram is the ultimate yoga for A types like me!

#5

The heat, you get used to it quite quickly. I think the trick is to prepare yourself by learning to hydrate yourself properly, correcting your diet, and enduring it. I’ve only had bad issues with it when taking OTC drugs for sinus problems. a side benefit of the heat - I don’t really need, or prefer air conditioning in the summer months, I find that my intercostals have opened up enough that I can now breathe quite well in the high heat, high humidity that we get in our summer.

As for the repetition, I think it builds depth. I have a thousand interests IRL, the problem is that none of them gain maturity. By concentrating on a limited number of asanas and trying to perfect them, you slowly and incrementally improve. I’ve been doing bikram for two years and still have problems locking my knee, my instructor tells me she knows of no-one who can do all of the poses perfectly. As for it being boring, I think one of the goals of the asanas is to turn your mind off and focus on the breathing and alignment, no two classes are the same.