So you’re thinking of trying yoga? Great! No matter which form you choose, you are sure to get a good workout. However, it is important to make safety a priority. If you have any underlying medical conditions or physical limitations, some types of yoga will be better for you than others. In fact, certain kinds of yoga can be downright dangerous.

The word yoga means union, the union of mind, body and spirit. Most people have heard about the following forms of yoga:

• Hatha
• Kundalini
• Vinyasa
• Bikram

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There are a number of different kinds of yoga being taught these days, some ancient, and others modern. Bikram is a modern invention derived from Hatha yoga, the most traditional form of yoga that dates back more than 5,000 years.

Bikram is also commonly referred to as hot yoga, though not all hot yoga studios these days are Bikram. Bikram (pronounced BEAK-Rahm), was founded by Bengali yoga teacher Bikram Choudhury, who came to the US in the 1970s via Hawaii and California.

Bikram is relatively simple in some ways because it uses only 2 Hatha breathing exercises and 26 Hatha yoga postures out of the thousands available. They are done in the same sequence every lesson, earning Bikram the popular name of bootcamp. Continue reading →