Bikram Yoga Anyone?
 

Anyone do Bikram Yoga? Has it helped you lose weight or tone up at all?

I generally do iyengar yoga, and kept at it for several years (had to reduce my schedule due to work/grad school). I felt like it kept me really toned. I gained a bit of weight when I stopped going regularly, and now I am looking at a Bikram studio near my house as 1) It's much closer than the other studio I went to 2) It has classes ALL THE TIME. The studio is even open on Thanksgiving day. I have no excuse not to be able to make it to a class at the Bikram studio. They run 5 classes 7 days a week. 3) They give a student discount which makes it pretty affordable to go a lot.

So...that said, I've gone a handful of times in the past year and I just didn't love it like I love iyengar. I hated the fast pace and that a peppy woman uses a microphone to scream out the poses. The poses weren't challenging to me and I felt like I didn't have enough time to really get into them properly or hold them long enough. I did love the heated room. It made things harder and the sweating felt cleansing...I am not entirely sure how healthy this is or if it makes you burn more calories (they say it does as you are working harder).

But...I am going to give it another try due to the convience factor. Just looking for other experiences or opinions on bikram yoga.

If you don't know what I am talking about, Bikram is the yoga done in a room heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity. Classes are 90 minutes with the same 26 poses done twice each class. There are no advanced poses and it is good for beginners. :)

I go to Moksha yoga at least once a week, pref twice. I also did Iyengar, and you will be glad of the good grounding. Moksha also uses the heat. The place I go is quieter and gentler. Don't get turned off. See if different class times, and therefore teachers, have a different style so that you can find something that suits.
I also like the variety of class times this style allows, I can get a class any day that I have time to go.
I have to drive to town (30 min) to go, but the yoga classes at the community centre (15 -20 min away) were not very good, and are only once a week, so if I have to work, or am tired etc. and can't go, I miss the whole week.
Yoga really does help me tone and the heat and pace of moksha makes it quite aerobic. I have a cd to do some at home.
good luck to you

Wildflower, I have friends who have done Bikram yoga. I have never tried it, but from the questions I has asked them about it, I'd say it is good if you can stand the heat. I know for me, that I wouldn't be able to stand the heat. If you can stand the heat, then it is good because your muscles stretch easier because of the heat (you can push it), and you lose a lot of water. Bring lots of water from what I've been told. Let us know how it goes. I always wanted to try it, but I'm not a bit fan of doing exercise in hot heat.

thanks to you both.

fatmad - I wasn't familiar with moksha yoga but I looked it up. It seems like it would be more my style perhaps, but I don't think we have those classes at the bikram place. I am glad you have found success in it and hope that I can do the same with bikram. I am going to try to go a few times this month and see where it leads me.

jojo - thanks for responding. I tried a few classes before and I didn't think the heat was a problem. You start to sweat and your body cools itself off. It's pretty amazing. The part that bothered me most was the sweat dripping on my face - they tell you not to wipe the sweat off with your towl, but I just had to from my face, it drove me crazy. Otherwise, you sweat so much you will be soaking wet and that layer of sweat really does cool you. hahaa, sounds so gross, huh? The other part that I didn't like was you can't leave the room and I am a bit clausterphobic so that bothered me. But I tried to remind myself that I could leave if i REALLY wanted to. I guess they just don't want the air let in, and for people to go out and in as I would imagine that messes with your body adjusting to the heat. If you leave, they come and ask you why you left and tell you not to do that in the future. One girl left to go to the bathroom and was scolded that she should have held it. I think that's just silly, but I can understand that human instict my tell you to get the heck out of that room!

Hello, I do Bikram and love it! I think that everyone has different bodies when it comes to weight loss. I can say this, it keeps me fit. When I am doing Bikram, I can basically eat what i want and not gain weight! This is amazing to me since I tend to gain weight easily without doing something like cardio...

I have been going to bikram for 6 months and LOVE it! I am addicted! LOL I have a lot of friends that have had weight FLY off! My friend Gary lost 40 pounds in two months. My friend who just had a baby went from 165-115 in 130 days. HOLY CRAP!

Soooo, it does work, but again, I think it depends on the body type and how much have to lose.

A girl who just started has lost 4 pounds in 5 days. She has about 100 pounds to lose, so it will be easier for her.

I will say that I burn at least 600 calories per session. My husband burns about 900-1100 and he's only 170 pounds. So, it's different for everyone.

Good luck!