What Bikram Yoga Is All About
Bikram Choudhury is the founder of Bikram Yoga, immortalized in his best-selling book entitled Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class. The guru teaches a sequence of twenty six yoga postures and two breathing exercises that are designed to respond to the needs of the well-being of the body. It is ideally practiced in a heated room to 105°F with a humidity of 50%. The classes follow the content of the book, with each session lasting for approximately an hour and a half. People of all ages and body types practice together to experience the tranquility and power Bikram Yoga can bring. According to Bikram Yoga, each person has a soul. And this soul experience pain and sadness every time it is forced to do something it does not will. This 'unhappy' soul loses its way and encounters more sources of disbelief and anguish. It is then up to the person to put his life back on track. This is the reason why according to Bikram, the five aspects of Faith, Self-control, Determination, Concentration, and Patience can show the path towards a happier life.
Faith allows a person to choose his path to happiness. At this point, a person asks what makes his or her soul happy and what the goal is to find that happiness. In this struggle, Bikram Yoga asserts that he or she will find the Faith to go in any direction in his or her life. This translates for the need for Self-control, manifested in the preoccupation with sexual desires, materialistic attachments, and other entertainment sources which divert a person's attention. By continuing Yoga practice, a person develops a calm body and a sound mind, which allows one to think of positive thoughts. In this state, people are more likely to exude a more content and gracious attitude, translating into tranquility and better outlook. The next stage points to having Determination, which pushes one to keep working towards a goal until a person achieves it, without giving up or straying from the path. One overcomes challenges because he or she chooses to face them. At this point, he or she must balance the mind and the body - the capability of Concentration. This allows a person to enter into a meditative state, promoting a deeper sense of being and self-worth. In this process, the person also develops a sense that effort over time, which brings the results that can satisfy and nurture the soul. This is called Patience - which the practice of Bikram Yoga cultivates in each and every person. This is just a prelude to what a person can expect from practicing the art of Bikram Yoga. To truly experience its wondrous effects, one should start this activity, and consequently find his or her inner peace. |
