 "Photo: Courtesy of Terra McLeod")
Imagine a sweltering subway platform in August. Now picture yourself contorting your body into different poses, stretching your muscles and tendons in the heat. That’s Bikram yoga, the newest trend for those looking to get fit in new and unique ways.
Bikram studios have been sprouting up all over the world from China to Australia to just a few blocks from Lincoln Center. Students who have tried the method have experienced numerous benefits, from weight loss to elimination of pain from injuries. Even celebrities like Brooke Sheilds and Madonna have taken on this heated workout.
While the prospect of contorting your body into odd shapes while confined to a stiflingly hot room may seem bizzare to those who mostly stick to the elliptical machine, Bikram yoga is an easy sport to learn and a great way for students to get active while benefitting from the soothing mental effects of this “moving meditation.”
What is it?
According to Bikramyoga.com, Bikram Yoga is a 26-posture series designed to warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons the way they were meant to be stretched. Students practice in a 104-degree room on a towel-covered mat. Every posture is done twice. Commonly practiced yoga poses like tree pose and triangle pose make appearances among the 26 postures. The instructor stands on a platform in front of the room and calls out the posture series while students listen and get into the postures on their mats.
Many instructors refer to Bikram Yoga as a moving meditation, reminding students to focus on connecting their movements to their breath at all times. Yoga is about connecting the mind, body and breath into fluid movement. Bikram Yoga adds the heat and promotes further detoxification in the body.
Ask the expert
Terra McLeod, a regular instructor at Bikram Yoga NYC, started Bikram Yoga in 1994 and has been seriously practicing since 2002. She teaches at several of the NYC locations, mostly in Midtown.
If you think that Bikram Yoga is just for new-age, lovey-dovey hippie types, think again! Runners, martial artists and bodybuilders practice Bikram Yoga to enhance their performance in their other sports.
“Bikram Yoga is great for all types of athletes,” McLeod said. “There are great postures for most mainstream athletes. Many [mainstream athletes who] come into the class will think it’s easy, but it’s not.”
McLeod said that students experience multiple benefits. “You learn to strengthen, heal yourself and prevent injury,” she said. She explained that the poses are natural poses that our bodies should be able to do and that yoga helps to open people up to strength and flexibility.
“Bikram Yoga can open up [students’] bodies in ways they may not be used to, and thus find a balance between their strength and flexibility,” she said.
Who would enjoy this?
If you can stand the heat and like getting limber, this is the sport for you. Bikram Yoga works every muscle in your body from the inside out. Dancers and gymnasts would excel in these classes, since many are flexible already. That doesn’t mean trying Bikram will be easy, though. Anyone who practices Bikram needs to stay hydrated and eat a significant snack beforehand.
Even more mainstream athletes like football players would benefit from Bikram Yoga because they would increase blood flow to the muscles and increase their lung elasticity—essential for building speed and endurance. Runners and singers would also benefit from these effects.
What are the benefits?
Students experience numerous benefits from Bikram Yoga because it works the body from the inside out. Among those benefits are:
Detoxification
Easier weight loss
Increased mental and muscular strength
Increased flexibility
Improved circulation
After having practiced for 3 months now, I have noticed that my cravings for sugary and salty foods have nearly disappeared. I can also make healthier food choices because Bikram Yoga exercises mental strength while holding postures.
Typically, students experience easier weight loss in their Bikram Yoga practice. Some lose as much as 100 pounds throughout their practice. Students’ skin gets clearer, their muscles get stretchier and their metabolisms skyrocket.
Bikram students also tend to feel calmer day-to-day and experience less pain in their bodies. As a result of practicing Bikram Yoga, I sleep more soundly at night and eliminated lower back pain that I was experiencing.
What are Fordham students saying?
After taking her first Bikram yoga class last weekend, Kara Anthony, FCLC ’11 and Alvin Ailey B.F.A. dancer, said, “It exceeded my expectations with the pace of the class and the advanced movements. I liked the fact that it was very calming and centering for the mind and the body.”
Cierra Cotton, FCLC ’11 and also an Alvin Ailey B.F.A. dancer, went to Bikram yoga for her second class.
“I would go back because of the positive environment created by the students and the teachers,” Cotton said, “It doesn’t matter what you look like. The teachers promote a positive body image. They tell you why each move is good for you.”
If you feel like you want to give up after the first class, don’t worry. Cotton felt that the second class was much easier than the first class.
“It was easier because I was used to the heat. The first time I did it, I felt like I was going to pass out. Be sure to drink plenty of water before attending,” she said.
Both Anthony and Cotton felt comfortable with their experiences at Bikram Yoga.
“I would definitely go back,” Anthony said. “My plan is to do it once per week now.”
Where you can find it in NYC
There are two studios that are 12 blocks away from Fordham. The Midtown Studio is on 48th Street and 8th Avenue. The Upper West Side studio is at 72nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. For schedules and rates, check out Bikramyoganyc.com
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