When anything becomes popular, hybrids and branches form from the original idea in the name of money. Don’t you think Van Gogh would be nauseated to see his ‘sunflowers’ on coffee mugs? Munch might need a sedative when faced with his ‘Scream’ in the form of a plastic blow up doll. If someone will pay for it, there’s a market for it. It’s just part of our culture.

Even yoga has taken all kinds of strange forms in the last few years. What was originally a solitary, deeply personal lifestyle choice has become bastardized into ‘yoga booty’ workouts and even...brace yourself...naked men’s yoga. One of these strange off sets and a popular one at that, is known as ‘Bikram’ or hot yoga. The way these classes are marketed, you would think that it was an ancient practice like Indian sweat lodges or the Japanese sauna. Imagine my surprise when learning that Bikram is really just the same as any other yoga class, just with a enough of an extreme sport edge to earn the participant bragging rights. Who is this Bikram? I imagined him to be a long dead champion of yoga, who had imparted his wisdom about the human body and it’s capabilities in Sanskrit scrolls. Did he live on a mountain top or a temple? Did he purify his body daily with ghee while swallowing and eliminating long ropes of cotton? Insert error buzzer sound here. The man lives in Beverly Hills. Bikram Choudhury calls himself the ‘Yogi to the Stars’ and travels the world teaching his particular brand of hot yoga to the glamorous and affluent. He has set up Bikram studios all over the world and even offers teacher training in his specific style. Recently he decided to copy right his sequence of poses and has initiated lawsuits on various different schools/instructors for moving their bodies in the Bikram way without his permission. Mr.Choudhury of Beverly Hills did not design these asana. The positions he uses are centuries old, the only thing he has created is the sequence. You can imagine how much controversy this had created in the yoga community. Hot yoga is generally performed in a room heated to 105 degrees with a humidity level of forty percent. If you are a person who doesn’t particularly enjoy sweating or who is even mildly claustrophobic, you may want to stick to regular yoga practice. Imagine taking a sauna, only you’re with approximately twenty other people (some who have strong opinions about deodorant) and you’re doing power yoga. Although I may not agree with the philosophy behind Bikram yoga I can’t deny that it is effective. A friend of mine, who has danced professionally for years, took one Bikram class, stated plainly that it ‘kicked her ass’ and never took another. Because of the intensity, it may appeal to those who want to announce their new hobby to others with the kind of swaggering confidence reserved for rock climbers or lion tamers. It may not be suited to the beginning yogi or those who suffer from panic disorders. Keep your cool with Bikram yoga guidelines that will help avoid injury or sickness during class. Consider your limitations carefully before joining a hot yoga class. A membership to a Bikram studio is quite expensive as Choudhury needs new rims for his Hummer each season. Take a sample class. Depending on what you want from your yoga practice, it may be perfect for you. It may also cause you to crawl, gasping and soaked through from the studio. Like any yoga class, you need to respect your limits and be sure you are comfortable in order to get full benefits. Find Bikram yoga equipment here.