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Bikram and hot yoga in Denver
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Bikram Choudhury's book on his style of yoga is available on Amazon.com
Bikram yoga, also known as hot yoga, is a relatively new style compared to some of the ancient forms. Yogiraj Bikram Choudhury, born in India in 1946, developed and copyrighted a style of yoga that is practiced in a room heated to 105°F with humidity of 40%. The heat of the room combined with rigorous postures causes the practitioner to sweat more than the average yoga class, allowing the body to detoxify. The heat also allows the muscles to become suppler and increase flexibility.
The classes are designed to follow very specific guidelines set in place by Bikram himself. All classes are 90 minutes long, do not have music, and consist of 26 postures and two breath exercises. All Bikram instructors have gone through rigorous training under Bikram himself, and the guidelines for this practice extend to the dialogue used by the instructors, and to the studios themselves, regulating where mirrors can be in the room and requiring floors to be carpeted.
Like any form of exercise, there are definite risks that can come along with Bikram yoga. Because of the extreme heat, the risk of dehydration, fainting, and heat exhaustion are significantly increased over that of any other style of yoga. The heat also allows the body to be more flexible, increasing the risk of injury from stretching beyond normal limitations. Hot yoga is also contraindicated during pregnancy because it causes the core temperature to increase.
There is a huge controversy surrounding Bikram and his teachings within the yoga community. The controversy stems from his attempt to copyright and franchise his style of yoga, taking it as far as multiple law suits against other studios offering similar classes, and many in the yoga community believe that yoga should not be trademarked for personal profit. Bikram yoga is also viewed by many to carry a sort of competitive nature that goes against many people’s idea of what yogic teaching should be.
Below is a list of studios that offer Bikram yoga in the Denver metro area.
Bikrams yoga college of India, Westminster & Longmont
Bikram’s college of India, Boulder
Yoga on 6th, Denver
The following studios offer hot yoga, a style based on Bikram’s series but not taught by certified Bikram instructors.
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