Bikram Choudhury - Hot Yoga | Bikram Yoga Poses And Postures

Bikram Choudhary, an Indian yoga guru, has founded a style of yoga named after him

. Bikram Yoga, or Hot Yoga, as it is popularly referred to, has a series of 26 poses, ideally performed in a hot room, where the temperature is more than 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Bikram Choudhary has copyrights to all of these 26 poses.

Bikram Choudhury - Yoga And Controversy

Bikram Choudhary was born in the year 1946. He was a disciple of Bishnu Gosh, a guru who focused on translating ancient Indian texts and philosophies into practices that can be readily adapted into the cultures of the west. A single session of Bikram yoga usually includes about 27 postures and 2 breathing exercises, and lasts for approximately 90 minutes.

Since Bikram Choudhary has a U.S copyright on the poses he has founded, anyone who wishes to teach this style of yoga has to first undergo training and certification from him at the Bikram's Yoga College of India, in Los Angeles. The training and certification can also be obtained at any of the 500 studios that he runs all over the world. It is estimated that he has already trained a number of instructors, all over the world. This training is very expensive, and starts from $9000 per person. There may also be some additional charges involved which one may have to incur during the tenure of the training.

It is believed that Bikram Yoga, which is performed in a hot and humid environment, encourages profuse sweating, thinning of blood and natural expulsion of toxins. The flexibility of the body also increases by practicing these poses. All the poses aim towards improving the general well being of the practitioner, restoring health and rejuvenating the body. There are also specific postures to practice, for improving the heart, lungs, muscles, mental capacity, blood circulation and the health of joints.

There has however, been a raging controversy over copyrighting of the poses as, 'Bikram yoga'. Numerous historians and yoga practitioners have claimed that Bikram Choudhary's style of yoga draws heavily from other ancient forms of yoga and therefore, a copyright is not valid. He has attempted to copyright the poses several times and every time he does it, he has met with strong resistance and protest from yoga practitioners all over the world, especially those in North America. In the year 2009, he tried to legally force instructors into teaching agreements, which were considered to be largely one sided. Thus, Bikram Choudhary's attempts to copyright, trademark and franchise yoga, for his own personal profit, have not been well received by yoga practitioners the world over, as it goes against both yoga tradition, and its philosophy. Bikram Choudhary has come under severe criticism for a highly materialistic lifestyle that is in complete contradiction of the values of yoga that he preaches.

by: Kevin Pederson

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