Bikram's Yoga Exercises

Bikram Yoga, also known as hot yoga, is a series of 26 poses or postures conducted over a period of 90 minutes and performed in a room heated to approximately 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Developed over 30 years ago by its founder, Bikram Choudhury, Bikram Yoga is designed to warm and stretch the muscles, ligaments and tendons, to increase flexibility and cleanse the body of toxins.

Breathing Poses

According to Bikram's Yoga College of India, the Bikram Yoga series of 26 postures should be practiced in order, and each pose should be completed twice before moving on to the next pose.
Bikram Yoga begins and ends with a breathing exercise. The standing deep breathing pose expands the lungs and prepares the muscles for action. You perform it by clasping your hands beneath your chin and inhaling, while tilting your chin toward the ceiling and raising your elbows. Lower your chin as you exhale and bring your elbows together.
The last pose, called "blowing in firm," allows the body to relax and release toxins. While sitting on your knees, rapidly inhale and exhale through your nose, forcing your stomach in and out with each breath.

Standing Poses

Half-moon pose energizes the body and increases spinal flexibility. Stand with your feet together and clasp your hands overhead. Exhale and bend to the side.
To increase flexibility in the hip joints and strengthen the legs, use the awkward pose. Stand with your knees bent and extend your arms overhead, palms touching.
Eagle pose is a balancing posture that firms the muscles and strengthens the joints. Standing on one foot, wrap one leg around the other and intertwine the arms, elbows bent, palms in front of your forehead.
Standing-head-to-knee pose that helps develop concentration and balance. With both hands, grasp the sole of one foot and extend your leg forward; lower your forehead to your knee.
Standing-bow-pulling pose improves the elasticity of the lungs. Reach back and grasp your ankle. Bend forward lifting your back leg and extend your opposite arm.
The balancing-stick pose perfects control and balance. Clasp your hands overhead and bend forward, extending one leg, so that your arms and leg are parallel to the floor.
Standing-separate-leg-stretching pose starts with a wide stance. Lower the crown of your head to the floor and cradle each heel in your palms.
According to Bikram Yoga Dallas, the triangle pose is the only posture that improves every muscle, joint, tendon and internal organ in the body. From a forward lunge, place one hand at the instep of your front foot. Raise the opposite hand toward the ceiling and straighten your knees.
Standing-separate-leg-head-to-knee pose greatly improves blood circulation. Step one foot forward and, keeping the legs straight, lower your forehead to your knee.
Tree pose strengthens the internal oblique muscles and is done by balancing on one foot, while bringing the other foot to the opposite hip joint. Tree pose flows into toe-stand pose by bending the support leg and lowering the hips.

Floor Poses

After relaxing in corpse pose, back bends, and forward bends and twists are done while kneeling, sitting or lying on the floor. Corpse pose, along with wind removing, sit up, cobra, locust, full locust, bow, fixed firm, half tortoise, camel, rabbit, head to knee and spine-twisting pose, comprise the 13 floor poses.