Bikram - Going too far?
by heathervescent
Bikram Yoga is a horse of a different color. It's not relaxing. It doesn't respect individual limitations. Every class is always the same. And no matter how hot it is outside, it's hotter inside the studio. First time Bikram attendees are often overwhelmed by the heat and mentally struggle through the 90 minute class while the drill sergeant instructor barks out orders to flex and move your body in ways you think impossible.
Today the LA Times reported Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo has charged Bikram with 10 criminal safety violations.
I came across Bikram Yoga in 1999 in San Francisco. The studio was above a weight-training gym in Potrero Hill, a district of converted warehouses and old Victorians. I panted and sweated though my first class, mental dialog playing nothing positive, constantly questioning why I continued to stay in the 100+ degree studio, even as I stretched my body beyond previous believed limitations. I left the studio that day with the opinion that Bikram is not yoga - its exercise under the guise of yoga. But I also decided that I wouldn't keep my opinion based on one class. So I immediately signed up for another month and continued to practice regularly for the next year.
I became a regular at the studio. I went to three classes a week. I stretched my body in ways I didn't realize was possible. (It helped that I was taking acrobatic classes at the Circus School at the time.) I was able to practice in mental silence, enjoying the heat, ignoring the stench of sweaty bodies. I watched the studio transform from a no-name Bikram studio to Funky Door Yoga, which later went on to open more than 4 locations in the Bay Area. One of my friends from class disappeared to move to Los Angeles to get her certification. She returned a teacher about the time I left. She was radiant in her new role.
Even after my regular Bikram practice, memorizing the sequence and being one of the class standards I still held the same opinion (secretly – I never revealed my true opinion to my Bikram cohorts). Bikram yoga is not yoga. It's exercise. Sure, you learn to overcome your mental blocks, your body increases amazing stretching ability and your health benefits at a fast rate - but Bikram seriously lacks something. And is the something that yoga is based on. Yoga is actually a spiritual discipline. A path to enlightenment, not circuit training.
So today I find Bikram is in the news. I’ve driven by his studio on La Cienga many time. The building is a non-descript story grey-beige painted warehouse across the street from a McDonalds. The only reason you can’t stop but notice it, is because of the two huge signs on top of it. Bikram’s Branding. The LA Times covered the story of Bikram's safety violations in this studio.
Inspectors in April found 160 people squeezed into a space with a maximum capacity of 49, said Deputy City Atty. Eric Rosenblatt, who is handling the case.
I would not be surprised. I've never seen a student turned away for lack of floor space. The attitude seems to be, if you're willing to pay, we'll make the space, with a barking of orders telling students to make room for the latecomers. The more sweat, the better. (And might I add, that I've never been in a clean, sweet smelling Bikram studio!)
I do commend Bikram. He has created a “yoga” that appeals to the rat race commercial American mentality. It attracts people that might not usually make it through another type of yoga. He’s embraced American business acumen as well; copywriting his postures and franchising his name. If you’re not a certified Bikram instructor and you’re teaching Bikram – you’re not legit. Bikram’s created his own brand of yoga. However, it makes me wonder, if you can still call it yoga.
| 06/30/06
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Yoga
interesting take on bikram yoga. i tried yoga myself the first time a couple months ago. my wife talked me out of bikram, she said i should go somewhere that was smaller and had a variety of classes.
i have been going at least three times a week since, and am constantly looking forward to it. after reading your take on bikram, i am glad I didnt take that route - i think one of the reasons I am enjoying the yoga is that its not the same as going to the gym.
i am also in LA, the studio I have been going to is Liberation Yoga on La Brea. www.liberationyoga.com. I like it because its small, friendly, has late classes and I can walk to it.
Posted by
timzentim
4:11 PM, Jul 1 2006
Wow. Are you in denial. Bikram is Yoga, start to finish, breath to breath. If it were free, well that would be utopia. BTW, I have no fianancial interest in Bikram Yoga .
Posted by
Richard
6:42 AM, Jul 5 2006
Denial? I don't think so. Having actively participated in Bikram for several years along with about 5 other specific yogic styles and countless non-styles for more than 18 years I am well qualified to understand and experience the evolution of yoga in the united states.
My issue is not with finances, but the lack of spirituality associated with Bikram. It challenges the body yes, but not really the mind.
Posted by
heather
5:12 PM, Jul 6 2006
