Photo used courtesy of Brooke Jacoby
Ken Krynski of Bikram Hawaii Yoga College of India teaches a Hot Yoga class at Lumeria in Makawao, Hawai’i. He usually teaches at the Bikram Hawaii studio in Kahului. Here, yogis are in Natarajasana, also known as the dancer pose.
Can You Stand the Heat of Hot Yoga?
by ashley morishita, staff writer
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Imagine walking in front of an active blow dryer set on “high,” and that is what to expect when walking into a hot yoga room. “Long-time Bikram Yoga students and yogi’s have said that if you can survive the heat, then you can survive anything,” said yoga instructor Beth Lyons of Bikram Yoga Maui. Thinking about attending a class? Bikram Yoga Maui in Kahului is open seven days a
week and welcomes all newcomers. Hot yoga is any yoga practiced in a hot room, where the temperature is from 90 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Also known as Bikram, this form of yoga was founded in India where the temperature is always hot. Bikram Yoga is an explicit sequence of 26 postures and two breathing techniques that must be executed within 90 minutes.
“The three most beneficial elements for doing hot yoga are detoxification, flexibility, and relaxation. People participate in yoga for their minds to relax and de-stress. Other benefits include, weight loss and increased flexibility, strength, endurance, and confidence,” Lyons said. Lyons said she came to be a yoga instructor by the events of September 11, 2001. “Twelve years ago, I lived in
New York when 9/11 took place. It was the first time in my life that I’ve ever felt depressed, and then I started doing yoga. I noticed that yoga helped with depression, and I felt the need to help people as yoga helped me, which eventually had become my breakthrough.” Bikram Yoga student, Lisa Rogers started doing yoga because she heard that it would help to reduce her lower back pain, “About a