Benefits of Bikram Yoga

PrettyInPunk

Hi all,

I just recently started Bikram yoga and was wondering what are the benefits of it in relation to attending a gym and doing spinning/ weights classes/ cardio. I know its good for posture and balance etc, but what about building muscle and weight loss?

Thanks for any help!

Transform

well on their site they claim the following -

“Yes, if you have it to lose. Bikram says you will have a new body with 60 days of daily practice. Each posture combines flexibility, strength and balance to work your whole body from bone to skin, With a regular practice you can loose inches and develop muscle tone, strength and stamina. The postures help to release bound-fat cells and work the endocrine glands to fire up your metabolism. Warm muscles burn fat more effectively. When we stretch, the fat has no room to sit so it redistributes to the blood stream which we then use as energy. For those who wish to lose weight Bikram recommends coming to classes earlier in the day”.

The highlighted part is the biggest load of BS i have ever read!!

Bikram = a good way to stretch, sweat and at times relax which is all great but Nothing more

Inspector Coptoor

It's a great way to get a sweat on, stretch the bejaysis out of everything and relax afterwards.
I always sleep well after a yoga session.

Other bikram sites say it burns 500-900 cals per session.
I dunno if I'd go that far but its a good workout all the same albeit a bit expensive

Transform

it should be considered as one part of a whole program and NOT seen as a stand alone form of exercises i.e. where are you building strength, fitness etc

Its a hot stretching session which again is great but i would prefer people spend more time foam rolling AND stretching

SanoVitae

There is clearly a gap in the market for Bikram Foam Rolling classes.....

Zamboni

SanoVitae wrote: »

There is clearly a gap in the market for Bikram Foam Rolling classes.....

Sweat, pain and pleasure.
If there is one, the website will be NSFW.

Orando Broom

Transform wrote: »

it should be considered as one part of a whole program and NOT seen as a stand alone form of exercises i.e. where are you building strength, fitness etc

Its a hot stretching session which again is great but i would prefer people spend more time foam rolling AND stretching

The thing about Bikram is that you have a person who is trained showing you correct posture and technique for better stretches.

I agree with you that flexibility seems to be anathema to so many people who are into fitness.

d'Oracle

Orando Broom wrote: »

The thing about Bikram is that you have a person who is trained showing you correct posture and technique for better stretches.

This is pretty much true for yoga, regardless of whether the heating is on, it is dumbed down or it has world championships.

PrettyInPunk

So no, there isn't a huge amount of benefits then in comparison to cardio and weights?? Thanks for the replies!

SaraYoga

d'Oracle wrote: »

This is pretty much true for yoga, regardless of whether the heating is on, it is dumbed down or it has world championships.

I like the way you put that... Bikram is such a comparatively gimmick-y form of yoga! And I have found my flexibility to improve when I moved on to Ashtanga/Vinyasa much faster. Bikram is a strong standing sequence, but where are the hip openers?

If you are looking for a compliment to cardio and weights, I would go for Iyengar. Or modern Vinyasa if you want a faster pace.

Namaste, Sara:)

discus

A few mates of mine do it in Fairview. One of the lads says it has sorted out all the digestive problems he's had for years.

Frank Bullitt

Tempted to try this out, iv heard great things, my main concern is that it doesnt work flexibility as well as others, which is my main goal over the next few months, really want to get my flexibility through the roof.

nice_guy80

normal yoga is just as effective for improving flexibility

get a good teacher and a class which doesn't charge much and you're away with it

xxtattyberxx

Im really looking forward to this coming to my area, its seemingly fantastic for your posture and back muscles,
Alot more intence and severe than yoga

jackswwagar

If you looking to lose weight then yoga classes are very good but in case of bodybuilding I think yoga will not help you, you have to do hard workout to gain good muscles.

gyms in nj

pinkypinky

I tried hot yoga, which is done at a lower temperature to Bikram (30 vs 40 celsius) and I didn't enjoy it. I've been practicing vinyasa for 6 years so was no stranger to any of the poses but there were a lot of beginners in the class. This particular instructor didn't explain much and was insisting we hold poses much longer than I would be used to. The heat for me was a killer, and there were 30 people in a small enough room. We worked through a couple of sequences but it was almost all standing up. Towards the end of the class, I was feeling very dehydrated, despite drinking water during and before. I'd guess it took me the rest of the day to recover from it. Needless to say, I haven't given it another go.

It would be worth trying a couple of different types of yoga before you make your decision.

xgtdec

Ive just recently started bikram as an addition to my regular routine because i was getting a little bored with my own gym and wanted something try something new for 2 days a week.

Now i aint flexable by any means so i spend a lot of time in sort of half positions and just taking it slowly to work on it.

Now im not not going to rave about it because i have not been doing it that long but here's a few things ive noticed since i started.

1. My skin is a lot betting looking, be it prolonged heat or sweat or a combo its done wonders for my skin which wasnt bad to start with but without doubt it has improved

2. Flexibility....well...not yet...or not noticably in any great way, i will say that although my flexability is bad, my sense of balance has improved and i can stay balanced for a lot longer...if only i could grab that foot while doing it

3. Sleep, this is the major one for me, im fully aware of the importance of rest, and i do try get as much as i can, nights sleep, a few naps etc, but a lot of the time i can be restless and find it hard to nod off.
On days that i do bikram....i go bed, pillow, and sleep, i imagine its almost worth doing it every day just for the sleep you get...well..i get at least.

So there you have it, if you thinking about doing it i'd say try it for a month and see, but for me it doesnt replace a gym session, its just another thing to do to mix it up!!