Yoga teacher Bikram Choudhury uses traditional hatha yoga poses as the basis for his copyrighted program. A Bikram yoga class consists of 26 specific yoga postures performed in a room kept at 105 degrees. Choudhury says the heated room increases the body's flexibility and helps flush away impurities.
Standing
The first posture in a Bikram yoga class is pranayama, or the standing deep breathing pose. This pose is intended to bring oxygen deep into the lungs, helping to prevent respiratory problems. Other standing postures include half moon pose, in which you bend to the side, and the standing separate leg stretching pose, in which you bend from the waist. The more difficult standing poses require more flexibility and call on your ability to maintain your balance. These poses include the awkward, eagle pose, standing head to knee, standing bow pulling, balancing stick, triangle pose, standing separate leg head to knee and tree.
Seated and Kneeling
The first of the seated postures in Bikram yoga is the hands to feet pose. You begin seated with legs straight in front of you, then bend from the waist until your hands reach your toes, increasing spinal flexibility. Other seated or kneeling postures include the fixed firm, half tortoise, camel, rabbit, head to knee, spine-twisting and blowing in firm. The most difficult kneeling posture is toe stand, which strengthens and stretches the knees and hips and develops your ability to concentrate.
Lying
In six of the Bikram yoga postures, you lie either on your back or your stomach. You lie flat on your back in dead body pose, or savasana, a traditional yoga method of relaxation. The other Bikram yoga posture performed on your back is wind removing pose. The cobra, locust, full locust and bow are all performed on your stomach and are intended to increase spinal flexibility and core strength.
Order
Bikram yoga's scripted sequence of postures is intended to address every part of the body, warming and stretching each muscle, ligament and tendon in a particular order. A Bikram yoga class moves from pose to pose in the same order every time, and lasts for 90 minutes. The official Bikram yoga website contains explicit directions for the temperature, environment and instruction of the class, and says no postures or styles of yoga outside the specifically listed 26 poses may be included.
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