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| YogaDancer,
I have read several of your posts where you seem critical of the Bikram method as it pertains to protection of the spine and the "string of pearls" concept.
It is my understanding that the postures used are "basic" Hatha yoga asanas, not invented by Bikram. So, is it the postures themselves, the way Bikram instructs that they be done, the order they are done in, or the lack of other postures that you are concerned about? Could you please be a bit more specific?
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| I wouldn't necessarily say I'm critical, but more that I'm careful.
You are correct in that asanas are asanas, or 'basic hatha poses." It's more the WAY they're being done that concerns me. However, each tradition has a different way of looking at these asanas. For example, check out this link for Trikonasana. None is really better or worse for a body that's already strong and flexibile, but there are those in some traditions that would argue that.
I enjoy many of the Bikram variations, but I don't feel that someone new(er) to yoga, without a strong spine, reaps the benefits of these variations and can sometime risk injury. I feel the same way about Sivananda, which tends to use the spine, albeit with extension, with the lower back as a fulcrum point.
For example, Dandyamana Janu Sirsasana. One curls the neck to put the crown of the head on the knee. OK. Great. What if someone's got a reversed cervical curve, buldging disks, or an instable sacrum? This version of this pose would be contra indicted. However, if one were to have a more flexible spine and were able to elongate before curving like this, that buldging disk (for example) would have more room to NOT be pinched. If your sacrum is stable, this feels GREAT! If it's not? It can pop a SI joint, no matter what your flexibility is.
Another concern, and the Sivananda tradition does this, too, is how when lying down and quickly sitting up with straight legs between seated postures? If someone isn't strong in the abs and lower back, they take this all in the lumbar and neck. They throw their heads forward for momentum in a motion similar to that which produces whip lash. The lower back strains to rise. Someone already strong could act this asana with the ab strength it should be using.
My training and focus in yoga is Special Conditions and Injury. I cannot TELL you how many people I see in my classes who are injured from attempting yoga (usually for the misplaced reason of weight loss) styles, not just Bikram, for which their bodies aren't open or ready to attempt.
There's one thing to hanging in there, which Bikram asks/demands, but why not open the body, build some strength and flexibility, then move into something that could be really enjoyable? Rather than pushing and straining through something that for the first few weeks is a great risk of strain or injury?
Bikram says that he is not a spiritual person, so why should he expect that of his teachers. A small element taught in the spiritual aspect of yoga is sterum sukham. Ease and strength. This means moving through asanas without tension in any part body, (this includes that nutty pushing your tongue against the roof of your mouth for balance. Who thought of THAT?) with even breath. Even in, even out. It is historically believed that the benefits of yoga are lost once one loses the smooth flow of breath. I digress, but if someone's into it purely for the workout, they're still not getting much of their gasping or straining. Musles need oxygen to move, stretch and become strong.
I also do admit to taking exception to what I see as wild health cures Bikram has on his site. Many can be attibuted to the Western body getting off its dead ass and getting some exercise in the first place. And I know yoga can help the body in miraculous ways. (I'll tell you about our Parkinson's patients someday.) But I am skeptical of anyone who makes claims that are absolutes.
See what I mean? I think it's the WAY the asanas are used, disregarding any current physical condition of the student. Other than the clearly obvious, that is. But then, Bikram's training isn't to align or find freedom in a pose.
Thank you for asking me to clarify what I meant. It helped me put these thoughts into more order.
Christine |
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| Thanks Christine, for clarifying. I can certainly understand your concerns. I guess I have a tendency to expect people to do their own research and take responsibility for their actions before trying something like Bikram. I was in pretty decent shape physically from years of aerobics classes, hiking, etc. before I tried Bikram but I read his book first, read what I could on the internet and talked to a person I work with that had taken a few classes. I would think that anyone with any type of injury or problem would do a lot more research before trying any kind of new physical activity.
I agree with you that Bikram's claims are pretty far-fetched and unfortunately, there are probably a lot more gullible people than I realize (maybe gullible is too harsh? naive, overly trusting?) that would just jump right in and swallow it all and perhaps end up hurting themselves or at least being disappointed .
You seem very knowledgeable and I commend you for providing sound advice.
Namaste,
Kathy Ann |
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| Kathy Ann, you are not the norm. Even most doctors are saying, "go take yoga" to back patients, pregnant women, drug addicts and everyone who walks through their door! But WHAT yoga?
I myself had to correct my gynocologist when she told me that sometimes 3 hours+ of yoga a day wasn't enough activity or weight bearing exercise. I (was rude) told her she had no idea what she was talking about and explained Ashtanga Yoga to her. Can YOU do 72 push-ups with your own body weight? Every day, sometimes twice a day if I'm feeling frisky? 
Unfortunately, like aerobics in the 70s, there is very little regulation or any standards in the yoga world. Hence we have the huge disparity in training requirements like Ashtanga to YogaFit to Bikram, then Iyengar and Anusara. Wayyyyyyyyy different.
If I were going to hand my body over to someone and trust them to make changes in it? I, too, would check out what I was getting into.
I forgot to mention that for someone strong? Janu Sirsasana, standing or sitting, done with the proper muscle activity is EXCELLENT for sciatica.
Christine |
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| Christine,
So much for Western medicine, eh? I swear, the more time passes by, the more I lose faith in Western medicine, in general anyway. I know that from a scientific standpoint, the West has made tremendous strides and discoveries and there are amazing technologies available. But I also think that something has been lost along the way as far as intuitive skill goes and the narrow focus that excludes alternative methods.
Your comments on the diversity of Yoga and the lack of controls or regulations to govern it reminds me of the same situation that exists with herbal remedies. It's a bit of a double-edged sword. The freedom and range of choice that makes it so appealing also presents a certain danger of unknown or unforeseen risks. I guess I would prefer NOT to have either Yoga or herbal remedies regulated though. That just seems too bizarre to imagine the Yoga police patrolling the studios!  |
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| We have plenty of yoga police already. Trust me, dah-lik! They're young, new to yoga and evangelistic about their chosen tradition being the "right" way. Without experiencing anything else.
Kind of like anything born again, I guess.
I appreciate your questions. They did cause me to stop to think to explain myself. A good exercise for a teacher!
Christine |
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| Christine,
I have been a bit disappointed in all the bickering and self-righteousness that seems to exist in "Yogaland". With it's connection to Eastern philosophy and spirituality and the emphasis on serenity, I guess I expected more tolerance and acceptance, more "Namaste" so to speak. I guess it's just human nature. 
Born again??? Been there, done that - trying to distance myself a bit for the very same reasons!
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| It's very difficult to practice just being in the face of those who must make you agree with them.
I learned something in my 2nd marriage. My husband and I don't fight. I know people say that, but we find ourselves shrugging and saying things like, "I can see your point, but I think it's nuts" or "I just don't agree with that" or "I'd rather you didn't do xxxx. Consider xxx?" and moving on.
What I determined was a change in myself caused us to be able to do this. I don't have to fight with him until he agrees with me, so  (here's the clincher) I am not wrong.
I think you can see my point with those who are so adamant that their yoga is right and others are wrong.
That's where in your initial question about me being critical of Bikram? I had to say I wasn't necessarily critical but rathrer concerned. The yoga is what the yoga is. It's what we do with it. Now, I do have criticism about the wild health claims, but that's another thread! We're all looking for miracles in our lives and I do happen to think a dedicated yoga practice can offer incredible changes, call them miracles, in our bodies, outlook and spirit. But that's me. 
Keep practicing, expose yourself to other styles so you can understand where others are coming from, and always be open to someone else's experience and truth. It makes us better yoga students, teachers and human beans. I think!
Christine |
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| Thanks Christine. I think I am pretty open minded and certainly don't insist that Bikram is "the only way". I'm just very enthused because I feel that it has benefitted me even in the short time I have been practicing as far as improvements in my flexibility, breathing, balance and I have lost a great deal of my belly fat which I have always struggled to lose.
This might sound strange but a lot of the attraction for me was that Bikram is so standardized and accessible. I can't tell you how many gyms I have joined over the years because they had aerobics classes that I liked only to have the classes changed or eliminated altogether at some point. It has been a continual frustration for me. I work full time and have to have something that I can fit into my schedule. So, I discovered Bikram and low and behold, there are studios all over the place, flexible class schedules, it's the exact same workout, no membership fees, and NOBODY can take it away from me! Also, the fact that it provides a cardio workout is important to me probably because of my family history of heart disease. My mother's whole side of the family had it and she died at 55 of a heart attack. I am now 52 and have been doing cardio-type workouts for maybe the last 25 years. And, now I absolutely LOVE going to my Bikram classes. I look forward to going and hate when I have to miss. I haven't been this enthused about any kind of physical activity since I first started aerobics classes back in the 80"s, maybe not even then. I usually was doing pretty good if I could get to the gym or a class twice a week but now I am pretty faithfully going to 3 Bikram classes a week and trying to figure out a way to squeeze in another one.
As far as the spiritual side goes, I have become more and more disillusioned with "religion" and seeking more "spirituality". I'm sure you know what I mean by the difference. And it's funny that just doing some research on the word Namaste led me to an interest in exploring some of the Eastern philosophy and spiriituality which I think the West could benefit from a great deal. I still have my faith and personal beliefs but I'm just trying to take it to a higher level, above all the dogma and "holier than thou" type of thinking.
I have bought some books on other types of Yoga and now subscribe to Yoga Journal magazine and read various info on the internet so I am trying to stay informed. I may try some other types someday - I am certainly open to that, but for now I am consumed by Bikram and that's really all I have time for. And, I still have a long way to go with those postures. I have improved a great deal since I started but there are still many challenges left for me. |
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| It figures you're a now-former gym rat!
Bikram, like classes with Ashtanga teachers who have either never had or lost the point, attracts the gym crowds. Don't misunderstand me, Kathy Ann, I don't care how yoga comes to someone's life, as long as it does! It's just an observation. Some would say Bikram isn't yoga without the spiritual aspect, but I happen to disagree. Focus, intent, and the whole body experience can be just that.
Still, had we met, I would have suggested you start with something that would have cared for your body more safely. It sounds like you do have good teachers, though, who might know the difference. Did you ask them yet, from where they came or if they studied something before?
I can also see why you'd be gun-shy after born again experiences. I kind of feel sorry for those who are looking so hard they embrace that type of judgementalism. It has never occurred to any of them that perhaps the rest of the world doesn't need to be born again because we never lost it, does it?
Hang in there.
Christine |
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? for YogaDancer re: safety for spine
