Bikram yoga is widely regarded as the most intense type of yoga. The series of poses is designed to work every part of the body in the correct order. Each pose prepares the body for the next, and the sequence maximizes oxygenation and detoxification of the entire body.

Bikram Yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury. In 1957, at age 12 he became the yoga champion of India. After a weightlifting accident at 17 he was told he would never walk again, so he with the help of his mentor Bishnu Ghosh they developed a set of poses to restore his own health using a heated space.

Bikram Yoga today is a series of 26 Hatha Yoga poses and 2 breathing exercises lasting 90 minutes, all performed in a room heated to 105°F (40.5°C) with a humidity of 40%.

The moisture in the air of the studio means you will sweat quite a bit. Many confuse the humidity with the actual temperature. The rooms are thermostatically controlled so the temperature never gets too high.

Bikram Yoga begins with a breathing exercise to warm up, progressing through 24 asanas (poses) and finishing with a toxin-eliminating breathing posture that works the stomach muscles. This series of postures was precisely designed to systematically work through the entire body.

Regular profuse sweating generated by heat will:
• Flush toxins out of the body
• Promote relaxation and well-being
• Facilitate calorie burning and weight loss
• Accelerate cardiovascular action.

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and a system of blood-vessels. The blood in the circulatory system is pumped by the heart around a closed circuit of vessels throughout the body. Aerobic activity trains the heart, lungs and cardiovascular system to process and deliver oxygen more quickly and efficiently to every part of the body by elevating the heart rate.

In Bikram Yoga you will be elevating your heart rate! Each posture combines flexibility, strength and balance to work the entire body. With consistent and dedicated practice you can lose inches, develop muscle tone and conditioning that you may not have found through other forms of exercise. Combined with all this is the fact that almost all Bikram poses involve the use of your core stomach muscles so you will be improving your posture working towards that flat stomach.

A minimum of 10 classes per month is recommended to get the benefits of Bikram yoga, among which is weight normalization. As a beginner, it takes three classes for your body to learn the proper approach to the Bikram poses, and ten classes for your body to begin to work with postures. You will realize optimization of all your body systems. Digestion and respiration, as well as endocrine, lymphatic and elimination systems will begin to work together. Your appetite will normalize and your unhealthy cravings will diminish. All of these results will help to normalize your weight if you devote yourself to regular practice.

The classes are designed the same for beginners through to experts and everyone can practice in the same room because each individual is focused on his or her own practice and strives to improve their own level of ability.

P.S - Please remember like most exercises Bikram Yoga shouldn’t be used exclusively as a weight loss tool; it should be used in tandem with a healthy eating plan and other exercise.

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