Have you considered Bikram’s Yoga?

Bikram’s yoga and Moksha yoga are both forms of hot yoga.  Hot yoga has become very popular over the past decade.  It is trendy and popular and all the rage.  If you have heard about this practice you have likely considered if hot yoga would be a good practice for you or not.  The answer is that it really depends and here is why.

The main variation between hot yoga and regular yoga is the surrounding room temperature.  Hot yoga is performed in a heated room that ranges in temperature from about 85F up to around 100F or so.  This heat is not typical to most yoga practices in the past.  Most practices of yoga have you warm your own body through movement and breath combined as opposed to the environment warming the body.

Having a heated room can be a good thing or a bad thing and it all comes down to where you are at and if hot yoga is right for you.  The benefit of Bikram’s yoga is that heat can provide a medium to go deeper into poses more easily then otherwise possible.  It can encourage the body to detoxify through the skin as well as other pathways.  It also provides for a way to increase your concentration as the heat can require a strong focus to stay centered.

On the opposite side of things one of the most prevalent negative occurrences in hot yoga is over stretching since there is a false sense of being able to move deeper into poses.  Another thing is detoxifying too quickly.  We don’t often have an environment that encourages that level of sweating, moving and breathing all at once.  This can create a quick flood of toxins into the blood that then have to be dealt with by the body.

Perhaps you are aiming for this level of detoxification and therefore you are prepared to deal with any symptoms that arise from this practice.  The results can be many including head aches, pains, light headedness, tiredness and so on.  This simply occur as a result of the body moving out that which is not longer stored in the tissues.  The result is positive but it can be uncomfortable.

So whether or not hot yoga is for you really depends. Some of the questions to ask yourself relate to the hardiness of your body, how much tendency you have to push yourself vs. moving at your own pace.  Additionally, hot yoga is not always best for those with heart conditions or blood pressure issues.  Consider all angles though including how much detoxification you can handle and how quickly you can handle it.

If you do decide to practice hot yoga of any kind consider the tools you need to stay comfortable and maximize your experience.  You will want a good Bikram’s yoga mat, good hot yoga clothes as well as making sure you are heavily hydrated as you will loose a lot of sweat in your practice.

Have you considered Bikram’s Yoga? by
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