Yoga has been around for thousands of years. Those unfamiliar with yoga often see it as a series of stretches, but yoga itself is a holistic approach to personal wellness and focuses on the mind, body, and spirit connection.
As yoga has evolved through the years, people have added their own twist to traditional yoga. Many yoga practitioners have stuck with the traditional version, some have opted to make yoga more dynamic with flowing movements instead of static positions, and others have moved towards mixing different disciplines to create a more rigorous routine.
One style of yoga that has gained popularity in recent years is Bikram Yoga, or commonly referred to as “Hot Yoga”. Bikram yoga uses a defined sequence of poses and breathing exercises in a heated room to help detox your body, improve flexibility, and strengthen your body. Although Bikram yoga still achieves the same core idea of traditional yoga (mind, body, spirit wellness), Bikram yoga provides additional benefits.
Below, we cover the origin of Bikram yoga, what those additional benefits are, the sequence of poses and breathing exercises, how to prepare for a Bikram yoga session, and some common questions and concerns.
Bikram Yoga Overview
What is Bikram Yoga?
Bikram Yoga was founded in the early 1970s by Indian yoga teacher Bikram Choudhury. Choudhury was born in Calcutta, India, in 1944, and had started practicing yoga in his childhood under his guru Bishnu Ghosh. Understanding the various benefits of yoga throughout his life, Choudhury eventually decided to teach yoga himself.
Moving to the United States in the early 1970s, Choudhury realized something was missing in his yoga routines now that he left India: the heat! Because Choudhury believed yoga originated in India and India’s climate was a factor of yoga’s holistic approach, Choudhury created his twist on yoga: “Bikram Yoga”.
Bikram yoga is practiced in a room heated between 95°F to 105°F (35°C to 40.5°C) while the humidity is kept between 40% and 50%. By simulating India’s climate, the Bikram yoga routine promotes better stretching, detox, and relaxation during the practice by warming your muscles and increasing blood circulation.
Another key trait of Bikram yoga is the routine itself. Each Bikram yoga session consists of a defined sequence of 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises. The purpose of the routine’s sequence is to ensure every part of the body gets some attention.
Overall, beginners to Bikram yoga may be intimidated by the higher heat and humidity or the rigorous routine. Remember to stay hydrated before, during and after Bikram yoga sessions and to modify any poses that your body is capable of but still challenging.
Benefits of Bikram Yoga
Bikram yoga still achieves the same benefits as other forms of yoga as we covered in our Introduction to Yoga. Some of these benefits include an improvement in flexibility, strength, and mental clarity along with a reduced risk of injury or anxiety. However, Bikram yoga, with its unique twist on traditional yoga, helps practitioners achieve some other benefits as well.
Enhanced Yoga Benefits
Traditional yoga provides a way to improve your flexibility, strength, and mental clarity, but Bikram yoga helps take those improvements to a higher level. With the help of the heated room, your muscles warm up easier, helping you achieve deeper stretches. Additionally, the routine itself helps promote strength through its intensity. Lastly, the focus on breathing in Bikram yoga supports a greater improvement in mental clarity.
Detoxification
By practicing yoga in a heated and humid room, your body will sweat significantly more compared to a traditional yoga routine. This extra sweating helps your body get rid of any toxins along with helping clean your pores and improve skin health.
Cardio Conditioning
In our Introduction to Cardio, we explain that the foundation of a cardio workout is to increase your heart rate and maintain it for a set period. Normally cardio workouts revolve around walking, running, or cycling, but Bikram yoga can check the same box. Between the heated room and the rigorous routine, Bikram yoga practitioners experience a higher heart rate that can yield some of the same benefits as a cardio workout.
The Bikram Yoga Sequence
Now for the fun part: the Bikram yoga sequence of 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises. As you will see, the whole routine is divided into three phases: Breathing, Standing, and Floor
Starting Breathing Phase
- Standing Deep Breathing | Pranayama: This is the kick-off for the routine, which focuses on deep breathing and exhaling to get the body and mind prepared.
Standing Phase
1. Half Moon Pose with Hands to Feet Pose (Left) | Ardha Chandrasana with Pada Hastasana: A side bend followed by a forward bend, stretching the spine, hamstrings, and sides of the body.
2. Half Moon Pose with Hands to Feet Pose (Right) | Ardha Chandrasana with Pada Hastasana: Repeat of the previous pose but to the opposite side.
3. Awkward Pose | Utkatasana: A series of three poses performed with the knees and feet together, strengthening the thighs, hips, and lower back.
4. Eagle Pose | Garurasana: A balance pose that stretches the shoulders and upper back.
5. Standing Head to Knee Pose | Dandayamana Janushirasana: A forward bend that targets the hamstrings and calves.
6. Standing Bow Pulling Pose | Dandayamana Dhanurasana: A backbend that stretches the shoulders, chest, abdomen, and quadriceps.
7. Balancing Stick Pose | Tuladandasana: A dynamic pose that strengthens the core, legs, and arms.
8. Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose | Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimottanasana: A forward bend that stretches the hamstrings, calves, and spine.
9. Triangle Pose | Trikanasana: A lateral bend that stretches the sides of the body, opens the hips, and strengthens the legs and core.
10. Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose | Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana: A forward bend that targets the hamstrings, calves, and spine.
11. Tree Pose | Tadasana: A balance pose that strengthens the legs and core.
12. Toe Stand Pose | Padangustasana: A balancing pose that strengthens the ankles, calves, and thighs.
Floor Phase
13. Corpse Pose | Savasana: A relaxation pose performed between the standing and floor series to allow the body to rest and reset.
14. Wind Removing Pose | Pavanamuktasana: A pose that stretches the lower back, hips, and thighs.
15. Bikram Yoga Sit-Up Pose: A pose that realigns the spine while stretching the hamstrings and tightening the abdominal muscles.
16. Cobra Pose | Bhujangasana: A backbend that strengthens the spine, arms, and shoulders while opening the chest and improving posture.
17. Locust Pose | Salabhasana: A backbend that strengthens the back muscles, glutes, and hamstrings.
18. Full Locust Pose | Poorna Salabhasana: A backbend that strengthens the entire back body.
19. Bow Pose | Dhanurasana: A backbend that stretches the entire front body, including the chest, abdomen, and thighs.
20. Fixed Firm Pose | Supta Vajrasana: A kneeling backbend that stretches the quadriceps, knees, and ankles.
21. Half Tortoise Pose | Ardha Kurmasana: A forward bend that stretches the spine, shoulders, and arms.
22. Camel Pose | Ustrasana: A backbend that stretches the entire front body, including the chest, abdomen, and thighs.
23. Rabbit Pose | Sasangasana: A forward bend that stretches the spine, shoulders, and arms.
24. Head to Knee Pose with Stretching Pose (Left) | Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana: A forward bend that stretches the hamstrings, calves, and spine.
25. Head to Knee Pose with Stretching Pose (Right) | Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana: Repeat the previous pose but stretching the right leg.
26. Spine Twisting Pose | Ardha Matsyendrasana: A seated twist that stretches the spine, hips, and shoulders.
Ending Breathing Phase
- Blowing in Firm | Kapalbhati-in-Vajrasana: A seated breathing exercise to begin cooling your body down.
Preparing for a Bikram Yoga Session
Now that you have a high-level introduction to what poses and breathing exercises you will do in a Bikram yoga session, let’s cover some basic on how to prepare for a Bikram yoga session.
Hydrate
We can’t say it enough: you need to be hydrated before, during, and after any exercise, and really in your daily life for that matter. But when participating in a Bikram yoga session, proper hydration is of an even higher level of importance.
Diet
You don’t want to waste your workouts by following an unhealthy diet, and Bikram yoga is no different. However, as an extra point, avoid eating a heavy meal prior to the Bikram yoga session. Instead, eat a light meal 1 or 2 hours before the session to avoid any sluggishness or discomfort during the session.
Attire
Bikram yoga is HOT, so wear lightweight, breathable clothing that you can move freely in and that allows include moisture-wicking fabric to help manage the sweat.
Gear
As with any yoga routine, you will need your yoga mat, a pair of towels (one for you, one for your mat), and plenty of water to stay hydrated during the session.
Focus
Bikram yoga is a challenging exercise, so make sure to listen to your body and take breaks or modify poses as needed to reduce the risk of injury. Also, remember to stay present and monitor your breathing to get the most out of your Bikram yoga session.
Frequency
Bikram yoga follows the same rule of thumb as other exercises in the sense that you need to let your body rest between sessions. That being said, you also need to listen to your body and see how often is too often for you. As you continue to practice Bikram yoga, you can add additional sessions to your routine.
Bikram Yoga: Summary
Bikram yoga helps promote some of the same benefits as traditional yoga, like improved flexibility, strength, and mental clarity, but the added twist of the heat and the rigorous routine enhance those benefits while also adding the benefits of detoxification and improved cardio.
Through Bikram yoga’s 26 poses and 2 breathing exercises, yoga practitioners can experience a whole new level of yoga and strive for their personal goals in a whole new way. But remember, Bikram yoga can be a difficult routine, so it’s important to come prepared.
We hope this guide helps set a good foundation for you if you plan to pursue Bikram Yoga. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to Contact Us so we can continue to help!