A Bikram Yoga Class Experience (from a yoga teacher's perspective)

There are eight limbs of yoga, as written in the The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

• Yamas : Universal morality
• Niyama : Personal observances
• Asanas : Body postures
• Pranayama : Breathing exercises, and control of prana
• Pratyahara : Control of the senses
• Dharana : Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness
• Dhyana : Devotion, Meditation on the Divine
• Samadhi : Union with the Divine

The Yamas (meaning “bridle or rein”) Patanjali describe as restraints that we willingly and joyfully place on ourselves in order to focus our efforts. Self-restraint can be a positive force in our lives, the necessary self-discipline that allows us to head toward the fulfillment of our dharma or life purpose. Practiced daily these moral virtues will accomplish the inner quest that makes you whole.

The first yama, ahimsa, teaches us to practice kindness and compassion; meaning to not to cause harm by being kind and treating others and ourselves with care. This includes you’re body - caress it when in poses - don’t force it. Let your muscles, tendons, bones and body align with each breath, but only until you reach that sweet spot of comfort.
I recently attended my first Bikram Yoga class at Big Ron’s Yoga and don’t feel that students were taught to practice ahimsa during their yoga practice. Since I’ve only attended one Bikram class so far I cannot say yet whether or not I like or dislike this style of yoga. What I can say with complete confidence is the teaching style was completely opposite of my teaching style and philosophy.

My yoga teaching philosophy is providing students with poses and breathing techniques to meet their individual needs. “Nearly 4,500 people ended up in the emergency room after yoga injuries in 2006, up 18 percent since 2004 per this article on MSNBC (that’s an entire separate blog topic for some other time)

My teaching style is safe and researched when it comes to students seeking Yoga in Florida classes. I’ve created and taught custom yoga classes for individuals with conditions such as glaucoma, ulcerative colitis, bulging discs in the cervical vertebrae and insomnia.

When I’m teaching a group of individuals consisting of all shapes, sizes, health conditions and yoga experience I make sure to verbalize any poses with contraindications as well provide many modifications for poses; that way each individual can do what feels right in that moment. I also incorporate this “do what feels right” philosophy in my own personal yoga practice even though I felt belittled by the Bikram teacher for steering away from “locking my knee” and “pushing harder.”

In my opinion, the phrases that were flying out of her mouth during my 100 minutes of 100 degree yoga were harsh and unhealthy. Maybe she was picking on my postures since I told her prior to class that I was yoga teacher? But I would never tell a student no matter how experienced to “push harder” and “lock that knee” (locking the knee will cause hyperextension). No to mention forcing a student to get into the “right” pose….there is no “right pose.” I’ve heard many extremely experienced yogis say that a yoga pose cannot be perfected since there is are infinite ways to go deeper into a pose and master it.

I wonder how “true” to the Bikram routine my class experience was since I’ve heard from Sara Devi that it must be taught word for word and pose for pose? Overall, this class was a great physical workout but definitely not mentally as I was concentrating on trying not to hurl on my mat. (No exaggeration).

No matter what type of yoga class I encourage individuals with any health conditions to speak to the yoga teacher prior to attending the class.