Bikram yoga is no mere warm-up

Sunday, January 09, 2005
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Imagine doing animal-namesake yoga postures: the squatting and arm-twisting "eagle", single leg-lifting "locust" or bending backward 'til you touch your toes "camel".
Add other poses -- toe stand, wind remover, spine twister, triangle --, all this while trying to coordinate your breathing and to make sure that your stomach is sucked in.
If you feel like you can already empathize with a pretzel, or wonder why there are no nap postures or a couch potato pose, try doing all of this hard work in a room heated to 42 degrees Celsius.
It is called Bikram yoga, or plainly referred to as hot yoga, or what beginners call "an hour and a half of pure hell".
Posture-wise, the practice, established by former Indian weight lifting champion Bikram Choudhury, is basically drawn from regular yoga, with 26 asana or postures and two sets of breathing exercises done in 90 minutes.
The major difference is that it is conducted in a room heated to between 40 and 44 degrees Celsius.
According to Mony Suriany of the newly opened Bikram yoga studio Yoga @ 42ø, the heat is designed to warm and stretch muscle, as well as produce sweat which promotes detoxification and elimination through the skin.
"Fat cells are diluted faster, it may be redistributed and burned as energy during the class. The heat produces a fluid-like stretch allowing for a greater range of movement in joints, muscles, ligaments and other supporting structures of the body," she told The Jakarta Post last week.
She added that capillaries also dilate in the heat, more effectively oxygenating the tissues, muscles, glands and organs and helping in the removal of waste products.
"The twenty-six exercises systematically move fresh, oxygenated blood to 100 percent of your body, to each organ and fiber, restoring all systems to healthy working order, just as nature intended," said Mony, a certified Bikram yoga instructor.
A rosy description, and probably true, but it was easier said than done.
After five minutes of doing them, I began to think that Mony and I were probably enemies in a past life and the hot yoga was a way of her getting back at me. The belief grew stronger as I also felt nauseous and started seeing spots.
"It is not unusual to feel nauseous or dizzy during the first class. Because it's not just our muscles that are stretching, but our inner organs as well. The problem is also caused by not drinking enough water in daily life, let alone for exercising in a heated room," said Mony.
The practice has been enjoying growing popularity all over the world, indicated by the lucrative business empire Choudhury, 57, has built from his Yoga College of India in Beverly Hills, California.
There are 90 schools nationwide in the United States, with hundreds of certified Bikram studios now operating across the country. Others are in Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, Thailand and Singapore.
Choudhury is in the process of franchising Bikram's Yoga College of India brand.
Benefits that Bikram yoga practitioners tout are that it helps ailments ranging from anemia and diabetes to varicose veins.
Astuti, a beginner who has been practicing for two weeks said that Bikram yoga has made her more energetic.
Mony said that Bikram yoga cured her fractured right shoulder and a dislocated knee due to terrible traffic accident.
"Doctors said I had to undergo surgery but I was terrified because I had never undergone surgery before."
A long-time yoga practitioner, she instead turned to Bikram yoga and claimed that she recovered completely within seven months. An MBA graduate, she then gave up her job as a financial analyst in a General Electric office in the U.S. and turned yogini instead.
However, experts warned people to be cautious about the discipline.
Noted yoga instructor Yudhi Widyantoto said that while the Bikram yoga series was not too advanced or difficult, the heat made the process unnatural.
"I'm not judging, but good and natural air circulation is very important while doing an exercise. There is a concern about possible respiratory problems," said Yudhi, a yoga teacher of 15 years.
Experts in the U.S. also warned that while a little heat and sweat is good, a lot is not necessarily better as prolonged time in a hot environment raises the risks of overstretching, high blood pressure and fainting.
Robert Sherwin of the American Diabetes Association, as quoted by the USA Today said that stretching was not the kind of thing that reduced insulin resistance.
Meanwhile, Stephen Reingold of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society said that while there were claims that the yoga discipline helped MS, heat commonly exacerbated spasticity, weakness and other disease symptoms.
Some yoga experts were concerned that Choudhury's emphasis on curing clinical illnesses reduced the spiritual dimension of the practice.
"The news about him pursuing the patent and franchise is making the practice too commercial," Yudhi said.
With all the pros and cons, it may be best for you to consult a physician first before practicing Bikram yoga.
Bikram Yoga Jakarta Yoga @ 42ø, Saberro House, Jl.Kemang Raya No. 10A 4th Fl., South Jakarta
Tel. 021-7197379/08121020389
E-mail: hotyogajakarta@yahoo.com
website: www.bikramyogajakarta.com

Labels: culture, urban

Posted by hera at Sunday, January 9, 2005 1:04 AM | Permalinks