Thoughts on Bikram Yoga

Just finished this book. I highly recommend it if you currently do Bikram yoga or are interested / intrigued! It's a great read! Not only is there an entire section devoted to describing each posture with hints or "Bikram's Key" and the benefits of each posture but Bikram also answers some FAQ such as why his classes are so hot! 

It's amazing to see how a pose, such as "Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose", can help relieve pain from sciatica as well as massaging the internal abdominal organs and small and large intestines giving added flexibility in the pelvis, ankles, hip joints and the last 5 vertebrae of the spine (p 137). I love knowing that each posture was selected for a reason. As Bikram says he took "these specific 26 postures to systematically work every part of the body, to give all the internal organs, all the veins, all the ligaments, and all the muscles everything they need to maintain optimum health and maximum function." (p 72)

Some favorite quotes / takeaways:

• "It's never too late, it's never too bad, and you're never too old or too sick to start from scratch once again." (p 13)
• "The way to learn is to do." (p 15)
• "Let me encourage you the way I encourage all my students. Can't do a particular yoga posture today? If you persist in trying the right way, a day will come when you can. Don't cheat or change the posture to conform to your individual weaknesses. If you do, the real benefit goes out the window. Would you rather suffer for 90 minutes or 90 years? The right way is the hard way, and it's up to you to make it work." (p 67)
• "Let's say there's a special room in your house just for meditation. Everything about it is conducive to peaceful contemplation, and you can walk in, lock the door, take the phone off the hook and be completely undisturbed anytime you want. You sit down on your favorite soft meditation pillow, light your favorite incense, play your favorite relaxing music, and begin your meditation. Great. Enjoy. You know what you're going to get from this kind of meditation? A fat ass and a lazy body." (p 75)
• This was in reference to Bikram's 90 minute yoga being a meditation and the importance of finding peace under any condition - not just the calm room. Throughout the book Bikram describes himself as giving tough love! He's also very comical as see in the previous quote!
• "Another overall way yoga heals is by serving as a diagnostic tool. Your inability to hold a posture correctly can often tell you which parts of your body are weak or not functioning well. Like a good mechanic, you'll be running a diagnostic checkup on yourself, locating imbalances to be worked on and organs or other systems in need of repair." (p. 79)

Want to learn more? Go this this website.