Bikram Yoga

With the prevalance of lifestly diseases, people nowadays are more conscious of their health, taking time out to go to gyms and fitness centers, One activity that has been gaining popularity whether for improvement of physical health or appearance, is Bikram Yoga, also known as the "Beginner's Yoga."

   Bikram Yoga is a series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises done for 90 minutes in a room heated to 40 degrees-"just a little above the normal human body temperature."
Each posture is a prelude to the next one. She further explains that you would not be able to perform the next posture with the maximum benefit and full stretch of the body without doing the previous one.

The concept behind Bikram Yoga is that each person differs in strength , flexibility, and other physical capabilities. The heat is utilized to help the body open up to prevent injuries and gain more flexibility.
It will not force you into perfectly executing a pose that is physically impossible for you to do.
Participants in fact are allowed to not go all the way in executing the poses if it gets too difficult for them.
But through consistent practice and repetition, the body's strength and flexibility will naturally develop until they are eventually able to complete the posture.
It is also considered as a "Beginner's Yoga" simple because the poses used in it are quite basic and are among the easiest to do even for casual yoga practitioners.


Yoga for everyone
     This is something that everyone can do regardless of age, shape, size, or physical condition. This is probably a big factor as to why Bikram Yoga quickly gained popularity among the health buff people.
Many people are actually intimidated to try this out at first thinking that they do not have the physical capacity to perform such yoga movements and positions, but as was mentioned, Bikram Yoga does not force its participants to perform perfectly and that the flexibility and physical ability to perform unusual positions with the body will come with constant practice.
Being easy however does not mean that it is not challenging, just staying in a room that is hot for that long while doing a physical activity is already a challenge. Every session utilizes the same poses performed in the same order. It might seem boring doing the same thing over and over again, but actually, every day is different.
There is always a challenge. It's really exciting to see yourself doing something you couldn't do a few years or a few months ago. It's very exciting to see the kind of discipline that you develop just by doing that.
     There is also an advanced level for Bikram Yoga but this is only practiced by the teachers in order to prevent illness and injuries and limit the effects of aging. The series of postures additionally promotes mental clarity and reduce stress by combining skills of concentration, patience, determination and self control. It also improves body posture and spine alignment; back pain and headache relief; muscle strengthening; body image flexibility and balance for a general feeling of wellness and peace.


Medical concerns
   During the time when Bikram Yoga was still new, doctors would advise their patients against trying it, fearing that it might be too strenuous for them. Nowadays however, doctors themselves practically prescribe it. Some patients who are about to undergo a surgery are advised to attend a session in order to prepare their body for the procedure. Some students with hypertension and certain chronic diseases eve find themselves feeling healthier and needing less of their medications. In conclusion Bikram Yoga is safe enjoyable and fun to do while acquiring a lot of health benefits.