Bikram Hot Yoga! Good or Bad? Health benefits

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epending on the time of year and where you live, your vicinity may experience extreme temperature in the summer months. If so, this style of yoga may be just for you. If you are more used to a cooler environment, read on to see how yoga can really warm you up.Bikram yoga is hot. Specifically, Bikram yoga is a standardized procedure which teaches 26 poses which are performed in a place which is heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (about 40 Celsius) year around. Hot enough for you? That should take the chill off on a cold, snowy day!

Bikram yoga is becoming a more desirable and increasingly popular yoga type. Like all other forms of yoga, Bikram emphasizes balance combined with a mind-body connection. It is very intense and regimented and involves constant instruction. Participants should be aware, though, that this is not for the weak at heart. You will work to your maximum ability and it can put a strain on the uninitiated.

Some yoga aficionados feel that Bikram is too intense and difficult. In fact, some have said that "it's just too much of a good thing". Bikram has gained the nickname "boot camp" yoga. And some call it "militant". They feel that Bikram can defeat the basic concept of yoga which is to relax and do what you can.

Like many other types of yoga, Bikram has been credited with helping folks get relief from symptoms of arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other conditions. But those who savor Bikram yoga swear that the intense temperature adds to the relief folks feel when the practice other types of yoga.

Bright lights, intense temperature, an instructor who could pass for a drill sergeant and a cheerleader, lots of sweat, no warm and fuzzy meditation music. That's Bikram in a nutshell. While some of the 26 poses students strike are similar to those taught in other forms, Bikram teaches them with a totally no nonsense approach. Those 26 poses are totally standardized: no matter where you go. Visit a Bikram studio in another city and you will strike the same poses.

One instructor of Bikram yoga explained that there are three types of students encountered:

First, the one who says that this form of yoga is cool (hot, actually). It's a challenge and they want to master the techniques.Second, the learner who says they are not sure about this. They become more stressed than when they started and may actually feel ill.Finally, there is the student that hates the experience and is usually never seen again.

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By the way, to get in on a special offer for a free yoga kit, visit http://www.fluidvitamin.com/yoga-and-pilates-video/.Which one will you be? It really doesn't matter since there is a yoga discipline for everyone. But you owe it to yourself to investigate Bikram yoga to see if it's right for you.

About the Author: Yvonne Volante, the author, is a big fan of yoga and fitness and writes for fluidvitamin.com, which is the premier health and wellness resource on the internet. You can see all of the articles over at http://www.fluidvitamin.com
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