01:24
Faizan
Bikram yoga is, by definition, a form of yoga practiced in a hot room. Part of the purpose of this type of yoga is using the heat to help flush out toxins from your system. But not everyone can stand the heat or get to a bikram yoga class several times a week. If you have to do this yoga at home, there are still some benefits without all the heat.
Bikram Yoga
Bikram yoga is a type of yoga that is practiced for 90 minutes in a room heated to 105 degrees and with a 40-percent humidity. Bikram has 26 different postures, which stretch and work different muscles, tendons and ligaments throughout your body. The heat, combined with the challenging poses, raises your heart rate and gives you a tougher workout. In fact, a 150-pound woman who takes one 90-minute class can burn as many as 477 calories.
Benefits of Heat
Heat is necessary for Bikram yoga because of the benefits it provides and the way it increases the intensity of your workout. Heat works through your muscles, softening them and making them more flexible. According to the Bikram Yoga World Headquarters' website, the heat also helps flush out toxins made by your organs and glands, and sweating from the high temperatures helps flush more toxins out through your skin.
Cooler Room
Not everyone can work out in a room that is more than 100 degrees. People with heart disease, past instances of heat stroke and other illnesses may need to skip the heat. And achieving this temperature if you have to work out at home can be expensive. Because of this, you may want to try practicing in a cooler room, but according to the Bikram Yoga World Headquarters' website, you won't get all the benefits without the heat. Bikram yoga reshapes your body and heat helps with the process, much like heat softens and reshapes metal. If you have to practice the poses in a cooler room, go slowly and cautiously so you don't injure your cooler muscles. Take deeper breaths as you transition into each pose, so your body can ease into the pose easier.
Other Options
You can try to achieve similar temperatures and humidity at home by practicing in a bathroom with the shower running to create humidity and a space heater going to raise the temperature to 100 degrees. If this isn't possible, or if you simply can't work out in that level of heat, you might consider other types of yoga as alternatives. For example, Hatha yoga is a good option for beginners. If losing weight is your goal, try Vinyasa yoga, which is faster paced, alternates between sitting and standing poses and can burn as many as seven calories a minute. Ashtanga yoga is an advanced form of yoga that lasts 90 minutes to 2 hours and, due to the challenging nature of learning the poses, requires a high degree of commitment.
Bikram Yoga
Bikram yoga is a type of yoga that is practiced for 90 minutes in a room heated to 105 degrees and with a 40-percent humidity. Bikram has 26 different postures, which stretch and work different muscles, tendons and ligaments throughout your body. The heat, combined with the challenging poses, raises your heart rate and gives you a tougher workout. In fact, a 150-pound woman who takes one 90-minute class can burn as many as 477 calories.
Benefits of Heat
Heat is necessary for Bikram yoga because of the benefits it provides and the way it increases the intensity of your workout. Heat works through your muscles, softening them and making them more flexible. According to the Bikram Yoga World Headquarters' website, the heat also helps flush out toxins made by your organs and glands, and sweating from the high temperatures helps flush more toxins out through your skin.
Cooler Room
Not everyone can work out in a room that is more than 100 degrees. People with heart disease, past instances of heat stroke and other illnesses may need to skip the heat. And achieving this temperature if you have to work out at home can be expensive. Because of this, you may want to try practicing in a cooler room, but according to the Bikram Yoga World Headquarters' website, you won't get all the benefits without the heat. Bikram yoga reshapes your body and heat helps with the process, much like heat softens and reshapes metal. If you have to practice the poses in a cooler room, go slowly and cautiously so you don't injure your cooler muscles. Take deeper breaths as you transition into each pose, so your body can ease into the pose easier.
Other Options
You can try to achieve similar temperatures and humidity at home by practicing in a bathroom with the shower running to create humidity and a space heater going to raise the temperature to 100 degrees. If this isn't possible, or if you simply can't work out in that level of heat, you might consider other types of yoga as alternatives. For example, Hatha yoga is a good option for beginners. If losing weight is your goal, try Vinyasa yoga, which is faster paced, alternates between sitting and standing poses and can burn as many as seven calories a minute. Ashtanga yoga is an advanced form of yoga that lasts 90 minutes to 2 hours and, due to the challenging nature of learning the poses, requires a high degree of commitment.
Posted in: Yoga & Meditation
