Hot yoga came to the United States in the 1970s with the arrival of Bikram Choudhury, a native of India whose guru had sent him to help spread yoga to the West. Bikram yoga is a strictly codified — copyrighted, in fact — series of 26 postures and two breathing exercises performed in a room heated to about 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat element has always been controversial, and some critics contend that it makes Bikram practitioners more prone to injuries such as muscle pulls.
Muscle Pulls
You can incur a muscle strain or pull by stretching a muscle beyond its capacity, causing it to tear. “Once you stretch a muscle beyond 20 or 25 percent of its resting length, you begin to damage a muscle,'' Dr. Robert Gotlin told “The New York Times” in a 2004 article on the controversy surrounding hot yoga. Bikram theory holds that warm muscles are easier to stretch safely. Critics, however, counter that the extreme nature of hot yoga practice draws competitive, Type A participants who might disregard or fail to recognize pain raising their risk of injury.
Awareness
The Bikram series requires yogis to perform each of its 26 postures twice. Teachers direct the students to observe their bodies’ condition and limits during the first performance of a pose, then to deepen the posture in the second set. Although a certain amount of “good” pain sensation is expected with stretching, Bikram instructors commonly caution students to stay mindful and not push through to the sharp or stabbing pain that indicates potential or actual injury. Students can further protect themselves by decreasing the depth of any pose to a position in which they can hold it comfortably, with proper form, for the recommended duration.
Postures
Potentially problematic poses in the Bikram hot yoga series include toestand and fixed firm pose, which require yogis to rotate their hips and knees outward and inward, respectively — motions that put the knee joints under tension. Postures that stress the shoulder joints, such as standing bow-pulling pose and bow pose, could aggravate rotator cuff injuries if performed incorrectly. Bikram theory maintains that “all backbending heals the spine,” but students with a history of back problems should nonetheless approach backbending and forward-bending postures gently.
Prevention and Treatment
If you are concerned about muscle pulls, are working through an injury or have any other concerns about your physical condition, tell your Bikram instructor before class. Bikram teachers study anatomy as part of their required nine-week certification training, and will happily offer posture modifications and other advice to help you practice safely. If you do suffer a muscle pull in a hot yoga class, treat it with ice packs, elevate and rest the muscle if possible and return to moderate exercise as the pain subsides. See your doctor if pain is severe or accompanied by other symptoms.
Considerations
Bikram Choudhury copyrighted his 26-posture sequence in 2002, effectively preventing yoga studio operators from using the Bikram name or the official sequence without being certified and licensed by Bikram headquarters. Some operators get around this requirement by offering “hot yoga” classes that contain some but not all of the official Bikram postures and which may or may not be conducted with the same degree of heat.
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