What is Bikram Yoga?

Bikram's yoga class is a fun, demanding and physically challenging 26 pose (Asana) series that works the entire body. It is a beginning yoga series that is suitable for all levels, health conditions and ages. It is a 90 minute class performed in a room (heated to approximately 40°C). It is designed to systematically move fresh oxygenated blood to every cell in the entire body, as well as work the entire spine through which the entire nervous system operates, thereby restoring all systems to their natural working order. Bikram’s basic premise behind the yoga is: if you have a healthy spine, you have a healthy life; all systems can then work the way they were intended to.

Every pose is meant to be performed in the given order, to the best of one's ability. A principle of the class is that one can learn to steadily make new demands of oneself, to work harder, deeper, yet calmer. Of equal importance is the principle that physical exertion and relaxation operate most effectively when practiced simultaneously. The control of breathing (Pranayama), as well as focus and concentration accomplish this. As you advance you apply yourself ever deeper into the mastery of self, by doing so we reach the true meaning of hatha yoga. "Ha"-sun, "tha"-moon, "yoga"-union.

It is a union; a meeting of body, mind and spirit.

Yoga is not an enigma

It is a science 5000 years old. It is unrivaled as a means of improving body health and suppleness, of creating peace of mind and relieving stress. But there are no extravagant promises of instant gratification. It does not magically change the world around you. The more you practice, the greater the rewards. You begin to see, that by practicing patiently and diligently, you can find the sense of inner peace to deal with this world and your part within it.
Be prepared to work hard. Be prepared to make demands of yourself and to sweat. The best way to find out about the yoga is to try it for yourself. (See CLASS INFORMATION for more)

"Yoga is the only exercise in the world you can do at any age. There is always some posture that will improve your health, mind and soul."

"No matter how old or sick or out of shape, you can still stretch and have a new beginning with yoga."

"While it energizes 100% of the body, it strengthens and develops the mind as well."

"The main difference between yoga and any other exercise is that it is the only kind of exercise you can do in any condition of health and at any age."

Bikram Yoga - About Bikram Choudhury

Bikram Choudhury began studying yoga at the age of 4. At 12 he was the youngest ever national champion of India, holding the title 3 consecutive years until Bishnu Ghosh, his guru, asked him to stop competing for the sake of the other participants. Bikram went on to pursue an athletic career as a marathon runner and a champion Olympic style weightlifter, setting world record lifts and competing in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo.

At the age of 17, an injury to his knee during a weightlifting accident brought the prediction from leading doctors that he would never walk again. With the guidance of his guru, Bikram created his 26 pose series which restored his health. Quickly he established himself as a world expert teacher, opening schools throughout the East. Combining Eastern doctrine with 3 years of working with Western doctors and scientists at Tokyo University Hospital, Bikram perfected his comprehensive system.

This system was modified for our western culture and to address our common problems of job stress, overeating, bad posture and fast-paced lifestyle. Bikram formulated the series to use and demonstrate yoga's ability to regenerate tissue and cure chronic ailments. Thus he became know as "The World's Most Knowledgeable Yoga Teacher". He has since introduced his curative methods of Yoga therapy around the world for over 30 years.

Teachers

Lydia Wright was born and raised in a ski resort, in the western US, Sun Valley, Idaho. She was introduced to Bikram Yoga by her mother, Katie at a very young age as something fun to do at home. Lydia never took to yoga as a child, she was too busy ski racing competitively career from elementary school through her years at The University of Vermont, as a member of their national championship ski team. If she was not skiing, Lydia focused on many other sports, volleyball, tennis, mountain bike riding, skate-boarding, roller-blading, surfing, water-skiing and even ran a marathon to raise money for leukemia research.

After university she moved to San Francisco, California, where she was re-introduced to Bikram Yoga by a close friend. As she says, “I knew it was for me from the very first class; I loved it.” She soon found that yoga not only helped with the stresses of her career in sales and marketing but even more importantly it helped her heal an injury that she had learned to live with for over 5 years.

At the age of 17 she was in a serious car accident which left her with 3 fractured vertebrae. After 18 months of intense physical therapy and the prospect of spinal fusion surgery to reduce the pain she decided she would rather live with the pain. After her 2nd Bikram Yoga class she could already feel something changing, that something was happening to reduce the pain. For the next 5 years she trained with world-renowned Bikram Yoga instructor, Mary Jarvis, before attending Bikram’s teacher training program in September 2003. Before opening her own studio Lydia taught for Bikram Yoga Amsterdam for 2 years.