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| I have been reading the posts and wanted to defend Bikram Yoga. Obviously everyone's experience is different, but I love this type of yoga.
I have practiced yoga for 7 years, only Bikram since February. Prior to that I grew up with hippie parents, so practiced yoga all growing up as a child and teenager.
For me I always do better working with an instructor than on my own or with DVDs. In the past the challenge was always find a yoga instructor that I connected with. Even when I would find someone, they would eventually move on.
In February I started with Bikram Yoga at a studio here in Grapevine, TX. I love it. I have been in class with all of their instructors. I have always felt that I was getting true instruction and support. I have never felt "bullied" as have been described in other posts.
I have seen better results than I ever had with previous yoga. Areas that I could never seem to tone up are getting sculpted better than before. I always feel challenged and am so proud of my progress.
I love the series, I love the heat, and most importantly I love the results.
Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but from reading the boards, I didn't want anyone to not try Bikram by being scared off by negative comments. |
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| Congratulations, I hope that you continue your practice and get the benefits you seek |
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| And, also please keep us posted regularly (let us say for 2 years) of how Bikram is working out for you and the results, etc.! |
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| gig - 2006-05-09 2:21 PM
I have seen better results than I ever had with previous yoga. Areas that I could never seem to tone up are getting sculpted better than before. I always feel challenged and am so proud of my progress.
i suppose its a matter of what results one is looking for.
what yoga did you practice as a child and teenager?
my parents were yuppies, so i practiced pride and vanity growing up as a child and teenager...
and still today!
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| dhanurasana - 2006-05-09 5:03 PM
i suppose its a matter of what results one is looking for.
what yoga did you practice as a child and teenager?
my parents were yuppies, so i practiced pride and vanity growing up as a child and teenager...
and still today!
ROFL |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
 
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Gig,
That was a nice post. I too have had the same experience with my Bikram practice. I'm not really sure about the reasons (there are sooo many) why this is the most controversial yoga, but one thing I do know is this. Usually when you're doing something good, people get jealous and envious of you. It's always so much easier to criticize than praise....especially in this judgmental world we live in. I know this is Bikram's fate...after all his name does mean "Famous". As always, in every culture, from time immemorial, famous people always get ridiculed, gossiped about and so on. Having that said,
As I have posted so many times, Bikram is NOT the only yoga in America or anywhere for that matter, with its problems and defects. Use your common sense, do what you need to do and move on. Dwelling in negativity over yoga is pointless and a waste of time and energy. People that do dwell in this type of behavior are not *true* yoga practictioners as far as I'm concerned. A *true* yoga practictioner has respect for everyone and that is not limited. One of the best things you can do for yourself, in fact, it is part of the yoga practice, is find good Satsanga - which means good association. If you feel you are not, then move on...whatever type Yoga you are practicing. This is the most important aspect of Yoga - any kind, type or whatever!
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| I often wonder if ole Bikram ever reads these posts or hears about them through the rumor mill. I imagine he could give a &$(% if anybody defends him or not. He's doing his thing and living like a king--take him or leave him. I have no first hand knowledge of the lad but have taken a workshop with his wife and found her to be the antithesis of his public persona. As Tourist mentioned, and many of us have discussed, if it were not for the "macho" image of Bikram yoga, several of us would still be jogging and pumping iron 'cause that's the manly thing to do. My logical mind concurs that some heat is good for working the ole body. That same mind, fortified with 50 years of being in the military will NOT stand for any crap out of some newbie churned out of the Bikram teacher mill who lacks the questioning wherewithal to examine every thing Bikram and his staff spurts out during that training. Then overlay that with business practices such as expiration dates on class cards and junvenile attitudes displayed by the majority of the teachers I've encountered and it becomes, "Bite me Bikram."
If somebody like that, party down. |
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| Bruce - 2006-05-09 7:42 PM
As Tourist mentioned, and many of us have discussed, if it were not for the "macho" image of Bikram yoga, several of us would still be jogging and pumping iron 'cause that's the manly thing to do.
??
Macho?
Like "The Village People"?
I used to pump iron and wrestle and play football and all the machismo fueled activities, but i don't feel like any less of a man because I no longer participate competitively.
Maybe the marketing is for appealling to a bigger base?
is that your point?
Well, anyway, I never knew before I read about Mr. Bikram, that Yoga had a national competition and champions, i just figured it was what the wise man on the mountain practiced.
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| While I appreciate the invitation to continue on your boards, you guys seem to turn so negative so fast, that I really don't plan to continue visiting the boards.
It is a shame that people that share similar interests have to be so negative.
All I was saying is that Bikram Yoga really helps some people (like me).
Best Regards. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
 
Location: A Blue State | Bruce - 2006-05-09 7:42 PM I often wonder if ole Bikram ever reads these posts or hears about them through the rumor mill. Sure he does, or at least his staff do. Then they create an account on these boards and post something accusing everybody here of being "negative". It ain't negative to ask questions and to point out obvious issues. It is negative to ignore the positives, if they are there. As Tourist mentioned, and many of us have discussed, if it were not for the "macho" image of Bikram yoga, several of us would still be jogging and pumping iron 'cause that's the manly thing to do. My logical mind concurs that some heat is good for working the ole body. Amen. I too will give credit where it is due. Bikram got me into yoga, no denying it. That's a positive. That same mind, fortified with 50 years of being in the military will NOT stand for any crap out of some newbie churned out of the Bikram teacher mill who lacks the questioning wherewithal to examine every thing Bikram and his staff spurts out during that training. Then overlay that with business practices such as expiration dates on class cards and junvenile attitudes displayed by the majority of the teachers I've encountered and it becomes, "Bite me Bikram." If somebody like that, party down. Gotta agree that people need to think and not just follow a pattern. People who cling thoughtlessly to patterns usually get pretty upset when some [negative!] person questions the reasons for the pattern. Good ideas can stand up to inspection, and bad ones cannot... |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| gig - I am sorry you aren't feeling like you want to stick around. I am wondering though, how you expected us to react, seeing as you had already read a lot of our posts about Bikram and felt it necessary to post additional support? Note that I say additional, since many here do support the Bikram method and/or at least accept that it is the right practice for some individuals at some point in their yoga practice. Did you think everyone who had negative experiences or opinions would suddenly just change their minds? I am not trying to be snide here, I am curious. Considering some of the really serious issues some people have had with Bikram, I am surprised at how calm the responses were, actually. |
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| Dear gig:
1. You should not get upset. That is NOT Yoga.
2. You should not leave, otherwise, you will loose the point you wish to make.
3. You wanted to share a good experience with Bikram practice. But, you titled your post: Defending Bikram. That has a connotation of contradiction with others. You should just share your experience and leave it to others.
4. When others write against it ( I never wrote against it, fyi, except the Heat issue which I shall write regardless of whether it is Bikram or NonBikram or Hot Vinyasa, or Hot Dog), they may be sharing there experience. You should not worry about it unless you think there is something for you to attend to.
5. You are still not strong in the B practice. You point is well said that you found B to be better than other things you did in the past. But, you did not write what you did in the past. But, your point is still well stated and appreciated. However, you r B practice is new. So, I stated in response that you should continue the practice and let us know.
6. Lastly, no one wrote anything against you OR anything which defies your statement. So you should not be upset.
7. Therefore, now smile. |
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| 
wow
i'm sorry if i was negative
Bikram is awesome
but
i like other Gurus as well |
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| Regarding the Bikram, love it or hate it aspect of the above.
I've not tried this form of yoga but it occurs to me that the heat may explain the emotionality expressed over this form. Personally I find that the hotter I get, the more claustrophobic I get and the more space I need around me. If I've understood other threads properly, the heat enables one to go more deeply into the asana. As many asana are known to release emotions, could this explain why tempers sometimes run hot too?
Fee |
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| kulkarnn - 2006-05-09 10:54 PM
7. Therefore, now smile.
Good advice regardless of the situation.
I also agree with Fee, high heat tends to make tempers flair. Don't really think that's the issue with Bikram though, since he seems to get more negative comments than any other branch, with the exception of Dahn, which isn't really yoga at all. Other places also use high heat, but don't seem to attract the same level of negativity. |
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| GreenJello - 2006-05-10 7:58 AM
kulkarnn - 2006-05-09 10:54 PM
7. Therefore, now smile.
Good advice regardless of the situation.
I also agree with Fee, high heat tends to make tempers flair. Don't really think that's the issue with Bikram though, since he seems to get more negative comments than any other branch, with the exception of Dahn, which isn't really yoga at all. Other places also use high heat, but don't seem to attract the same level of negativity.
i think the litigious nature of Bikram and his history in the US court system fully explain any negativity that exists
it doesn't justify negativity
and pointing out the litigious nature of Bikram is not, in my opinion, being negative,
but I do believe it explains the waves of negativity that exist
i'd like to say that I believe that any path to more yoga practice is good
but the means to that ends does not always make everyone feel good
heck, there are people out there who still think yoga is the Devil?!
Edited by SCThornley 2006-05-10 9:22 AM
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| SCThornley - 2006-05-10 9:19 AM
and pointing out the litigious nature of Bikram is not, in my opinion, being negative,
Pointing out the flaws in anything shouldn't be misunderstood as being negative. Particular when those flaws can have serious consequences for the health and well being of people involved in that activity, sport, group, etc.
but the means to that ends does not always make everyone feel good
heck, there are people out there who still think yoga is the Devil?!
It bothers my fundamentalist parents, though they're trying to get over it, so yes. |
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| i come from southerners
and there are two kind of belief systems
Southern and Other'n
so, really, there are things i don't talk about with certain family members, just not worth the expenditure
if they ask, i tread carefully, if they don't ask, I don't tell.
sorta like the military!?--but not really
oh, when i say Bikram, i'm mean Bikram the man, not Bikram the practice
getting all hot and sweaty can be good, when i wrestled this was a must
i still break a sweat in the middle of my asanas but it's not that important any more
Edited by SCThornley 2006-05-10 10:55 AM
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| SCThornley - 2006-05-10 10:53 AM
so, really, there are things i don't talk about with certain family members, just not worth the expenditure
if they ask, i tread carefully, if they don't ask, I don't tell.
sorta like the military!?--but not really
Bingo. I also live in a very conservative area, with lots of ignorant christians. So I watch what I talk about. For a long time I didn't even tell friends of mine I was doing yoga. One of them called when I was on the way to the studio, and I mentioned it to see what reaction I would get. He was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing and said "Are you trying to meet girls?" I replied in the affirmative, because I'm always looking to meet nice girls. 
For the most part people here just don't know what to make of it, so I don't bother troubling their little minds. |
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| if you knew everything that you didn't know but didn't know everything that you knew now, would you know more?
as you know more you realize how little you really know, and how much more there is to know
what you know is inside the circle, outside the perimeter is what you don't know, as your circle grows so does the perimeter and the perceived unknown gets larger and larger with each additional pearl of wisdom
we all have small minds
love your people
god loves stupid people, that's why there are so many of them
Edited by SCThornley 2006-05-10 12:48 PM
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| To be completely fair to Bikram, he did only sue 1 studio (along with issuing cease and desist orders to others) that was clearly violating his copyright. Interesting to note also that the big court case between him and open source was the open source sueing Bikram. Not the other way around.
In this case the open source I personally feel was a group who still wanted to do Bikram yoga, holding teacher training of their own in the Bikram system (without changing the system) and still wanted to call it Bikram yoga. Show a little repect. If you change the system, don't call it Bikram yoga. This is the main reason I never supported them.
The whole thing would not be a big deal if people learned the 84 asanas and made up their own system and called it something else. Do that and Bikram can't do a thing to you in court. |
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| yogabrian - 2006-05-10 1:32 PM
To be completely fair to Bikram, he did only sue 1 studio (along with issuing cease and desist orders to others) that was clearly violating his copyright. Interesting to note also that the big court case between him and open source was the open source sueing Bikram. Not the other way around.
In this case the open source I personally feel was a group who still wanted to do Bikram yoga, holding teacher training of their own in the Bikram system (without changing the system) and still wanted to call it Bikram yoga. Show a little repect. If you change the system, don't call it Bikram yoga. This is the main reason I never supported them.
The whole thing would not be a big deal if people learned the 84 asanas and made up their own system and called it something else. Do that and Bikram can't do a thing to you in court.
????
okay, but really if you read the economist article you might have a different opinion....
http://www.economist.com/people/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2765973
and anybody else wonder why the web site was down today?
If you like Bikram, good.
From what i've read about him from his website and from outside articles, that's not my idea of a guide/guru/teacher-national competitive champion, sure, teacher, no-but to each their own
keep practicing, good luck
Edited by SCThornley 2006-05-10 8:08 PM
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| The problem I have with Bikram is not his practice but his "Business Practice." He told many people to come to training pay him $5000 and then go open a studio. He never set any standards (prior to 2001) to these teachers. Therefore, a teacher, should be able to open a studio under any name and teach Bikram Yoga. In addition, if that teacher feels the studio shoudl offer Ashtanga Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, or any other type of Yoga then the teacher/studio owner should be able to offer yoga.
In addition, Bikram provided no business support to these teachers. How can you ask someone to restrict his/her business to one method if you clientele demand more? How can you stop a teacher from exploring other methods and offering that teaching method to their students? If the teacher calls it Bikram Yoga and teaches it that way then there is not problem. If the teacher offers a class called Ashtanga then there is no problem.
These orginal teachers never signed franchise or licensing agreements and therefore should not have to comply with Bikram's unreasonable requests.
As a former owner and operator of a studio, it is unreal to think that a teacher treats his students in this manner. Bikram Yoga is good. Bikram the person is greedy and evil.... There are so many miserable studio owners out there because Bikram does not run a supportive environment.
Watch how studio's change hands or close all the time. I would never recommend opening a studio under Bikram.. Go and enjoy your practice.... |
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| As a former owner and operator of a studio, it is unreal to think that a teacher treats his students in this manner. Bikram Yoga is good. Bikram the person is greedy and evil.... There are so many miserable studio owners out there because Bikram does not run a supportive environment.
bikram didn't create the capitalist world--he's just a player in it. Studios cost money to lease. Heating bills cost money. We have to charge money to pay others who charge money. Thousands of people go to bikram training because they want it. If the high demand didn't exist for his training he could only charge $500 instead of $5000.
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| The article posted really did not say anything that has not already been said here. And the fact remains that Bikram to date that I know of has only sued 1 studio. It is also fact that the open source unity did attempt to sue Bikram and presented a case so weak that the judge recommended a settlement or no one would be happy.
While I do not agree with Bikram, his business practices or how he trains his teachers to teach yoga, I do reconigize parts of his copyright.
Part 1: the sequence.
he did put it together and choroegraph the 26 poses. While his editing of the 84 asanas are not that big, he did do it. The rights to that should belong to Bikram.
Part 2: His name
Bikram's yoga college of india does belong to him. If you want be one, play by his rules.
part 3: his dialogue
He did put together a specific dialogue that accompanies his class. Once again want to be part of his franchise and teach his poses, play by his rules.
The part I do not agree with is the fourth part of his copyright.
In essense it would give Bikram the right to sue ANYONE who teaches anything similar. This is absurd. I teach a system that stems from the same orginal sequence as Bikram's (the 84 classic asanas) I was trained by someone who trained with Bikram 25 years ago. Should I not teach just because there are similar poses in my series?
I think not. This would give Bikram too much cart blanche and not allow people to leave his orginization if the want.
In the end it seems that those who don't want to be a part of Bikram simply can't call their yoga system Bikram yoga or be a yoga college. Seem fair enough.
BTW: sorry for grammar, it has been a LONG day |
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Defending Bikram
