In recent years there's been a lot of hype about Bikram Yoga, and with the good comes the bad. Over the last year or so I've read articles and heard people go on and on about what they don't like about it, some even not liking it because of the man who started it, rather than the method itself. As with all things in life, this particular style won't suit everyone, but is that any reason to condemn it? This well written article written by a studio owner and teacher highlights some of these points, and shows that it's all about how you approach it, as well as address some of these 'negative' points that have been brought up.
One of the biggest issues some have with Bikram Yoga is the set sequence of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises. The idea is having a therapeutic sequence which works the whole body inside and out, and we as people have to change our bodies instead every day and every class to get 100% of the benefits. I wholeheartedly agree with her saying:
"Every single posture in every single Bikram Yoga class
is modified at every single moment."
The drawback to this is that depth is not something that is focused on in class. There are plenty of other exercises out there including other styles of yoga which you see depth changes quite quickly but the goal of the Bikram method is instead to practice 100% correct alignment, and depth is something that eventually is a result. This means that some students find their progression much slower or they have to go backwards to fix something first before they can progress.
This is not something that suits everyone. Especially if you have prior training which has 'set' your body up in a certain way, or you've picked up bad habits, or if you just plain don't want to; change within ourselves if often the hardest battle of all. However, Bikram Yoga is this way because it's therapeutic, and because it means it's safe, and that means it's for ANY body, shape, size, age and so forth.
There's a million things someone can do with a fit and healthy body, but only so much one can do with a broken body - and this style of yoga is one of them. It makes people change their perspective, learn patience and relearn everything, so sometimes the ego might get a bit bruised, but isn't that a good thing?
This is not something that suits everyone. Especially if you have prior training which has 'set' your body up in a certain way, or you've picked up bad habits, or if you just plain don't want to; change within ourselves if often the hardest battle of all. However, Bikram Yoga is this way because it's therapeutic, and because it means it's safe, and that means it's for ANY body, shape, size, age and so forth.
There's a million things someone can do with a fit and healthy body, but only so much one can do with a broken body - and this style of yoga is one of them. It makes people change their perspective, learn patience and relearn everything, so sometimes the ego might get a bit bruised, but isn't that a good thing?
