Bikram Yoga is a series of 26 hatha yoga postures or asanas done in a specific order over 90 minutes in a room heated to just above body temperature. The series was brought to the US over 30 years ago by Bikram Choudhury, who learned the yoga from his guru Bishnu Gnosh (brother of the famous Paramahansa Yogananda). This series of postures are considered the most medicinal of all the hatha yoga postures and are particularly healing to the American way of life. Americans spend a disproportionate amount of time forward bending, weakening the spin, and have a very difficult time being still. In addition, we love high impact sports and exercise that reduces range of motion in the joints over time. Eventually even every day activities become uncomfortable, even painful, due to the bodies natural degeneration. The Bikram series is so powerful that is has not changed much in over 30 years and can only be taught by Bikram Certified instructors.

Just imagine you are in a cheerful, warm yellow room moving slowly from posture to posture with the encouraging guidance of your certified instructor. Every day the yoga series is the same, but your body feels a little different, helping you to create a strong mind/body connection. Each day you do just as much as your body allows, making progress at your own rate. You are surrounded by every age, body shape and experience level of yogi. You feel welcome and safe. The experienced students are in the front row inspiring you with their mastery of the postures, but the back row is comfortable (and a little cooler) for the beginning yogis. The heat of the room is a little difficult at first but soon it feels like an old friend relieving your sore muscles, detoxifying your body and melting away stress. Soon you find yourself seeking out the warmer parts of the room - yes, really.

People find a variety of benefits from Bikram yoga including weight loss, injury healing, immune system improvement, increased flexibility, and stress reduction. Athletes see improvement in performance, but yoga is one of the few forms of exercise that you can do at any age, shape or level of fitness. Many of the most valued benefits are beyond the body helping with concentration and relieving depression or anxiety. Bikram yoga can improve your discipline and sense of well being.

In order to be effective, yoga must be practiced daily or on a regular basis with no long lapses between lessons. A minimum commitment of 10 classes in 30 days is required for the student to derive the maximum benefit from this program. You will find that you will want to do yoga. It is fun and it works. Your time and effort will return to you tenfold.