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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
 
| There have been several posts that talk about doing Bikram without the heat, or people not really understanding why Bikram would help to rid the body of toxins, or even people who don't think the heat is good. I am relatively new to yoga and newer to this board. I read Bikram's book and I believed it. I can visualize the toxins leaving my joints and being replaced by good clean blood. I think they leave my body by my sweat. I think the heat is an integral part of the process.
What do others think? I can be a little naive. Do you think this is all smoke and mirrors and that this is just an exercise routine that feels more intense because of the heat with no added benefit? or possibly with injury? |
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| Peg, Co-workers accuse me of being too "black & white," i.e.,they argue that life has many shades of grey and things are neither totally right or totally wrong. Rubbish I tell them. It's our politically correct society that beats our thinking into jello and makes us believe that evil can be excused for things that happen in childhood, or that there's some reason it's OK to fly a jetliner into a building.
You read Bikram's yogic philosophy and practice his style, it works for you and you rejoice in the results (I do too by the way)--so go with that and who cares what anybody else believes? I know of no quantifiable metrics that can prove the style is beneficial or not. I know I have become a new person. I don't take the style or any utterance from Bikram as absolute truth same as any data that I read or see or hear. However, when it works for me, I figure, in the worst case, it can't be bad. |
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| To the original questioner:
The main function of Sweating in the Human Body is Temperature Control and NOT releasing toxins. Ideally Sweat should not smell or taste bad. If it does that means a) Toxins are too much b) Kidneys and lever are very inefficient.
Next, heating the body to release more sweat is a bad procedure because, the sweat is occuring to counter act the heat, which is not a normal environment to the system. This sweating occurs by spending the body energy just to counteract the heat. So, with time, energy is lost. Same occurs with Saunas.
You, of course, feel good in short run. But, loose in long run.
To release the toxins a) the best way is fasting b) next fruit diet for a month or so. c) taking lot of rest d) and changin diet which of course is vegetarian with lot of fresh green leafy raw veges.
Om ShantiH
neel kulkarni www.authenticyoga.org |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 338
| KULKARNN,
Just wondered if you ever took Bikram?
Peggy |
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| I will say that when we did training (yoga 5 days a week, twice daily, once on Saturdays -- 9 weeks -- in unbelievable heat & humidity), by the end my perspiration had absolutely no odor or taste. My skin was just velvety.
I don't know if that was from my kidneys functioning so well because of all the yoga or because of all the excessive sweating. |
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| Peggy,
I am 52 and have been practicing Bikram since last October, 3 times per week. I am a "believer" in the sense that I love the effects of the heat - sweating, warming the muscles, etc. Bikram works for me, but it's obviously not for everyone and from what I have read here in this forum and elsewhere, I don't think any other form of yoga arouses as much controversy as Bikram.
You will find opinions ranging all the way from those who say the heat is terrible for you to that it's wonderful and everything in between. I have made the observation before that many people in various parts of the world live in climates that approximate the conditions of a Bikram studio and they work and play and live day in and day out under those conditions. Are they all unhealthy? Probably not. Are they all healthy? Probably not.
I also read Bikram's book and I think there is a lot of good information there but I also take it with a grain of salt because I think some of his claims are a bit "out there" and he insists his form of yoga is the only "true" form which I seriously doubt.
So, if Bikram works for you, you can rest assured that there are thousands of others that share your enthusiasm. Just keep an open mind and perhaps explore some other styles just to have some comparison.
Namaste and Peace |
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are you really a believer, or am I the only one
