Stern: Bikram Yoga: the bad and the ugly
Stern: Bikram Yoga: the bad and the ugly
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
For the 15-dollar student discount price of one class at Bikram Yoga New Haven, one would hope you get at least some of the benefits claimed of hot yoga practice, like increased flexibility, strength, lung capacity and blood circulation. But it turns out that you may also be paying for a practice that actually impairs your health in some ways. According to its founder, Bikram Choudhury, this style of yoga increases mental and physical health by pushing both beyond their everyday limits. While we can all probably agree that some challenge is healthy, some people condemn the practice for pushing yogis beyond a reasonable, gainful strain to a realm that is taxing, stressful and contrary to the fundamental yogic principles.
Critics believe that the extreme temperatures and dampness of Bikram yoga rooms poses a high risk of causing overheating or dehydration. Since classes are usually an hour and a half long, the likelihood of these is high; so high, in fact, that next to Choudhury’s San Diego training center, medical professionals have set up a tent for those who experience these symptoms, suffer seizures or even pass out.
A more severe concern of these symptoms is heat stroke — when the body rises over 105 degrees Fahrenheit, people become confused, dizzy and nauseous, and the person’s pulse and sweating rates slow down dramatically. Drinking water, which many teachers discourage during the hour and a half long classes, doesn’t rectify these problems because sweating causes a loss of salts in addition to the liquid. In fact, drinking only water without the accompany salts like potassium or sodium, can lead to a condition known as hyponatremia, which can cause sudden death from a heart attack. And this isn’t the only threat to your heart.
Chudury argues that Bikram yoga helps blood circulate through the body by the acts of extension and compression associated with holding and releasing muscles in the exercises. Modern medicine has seen little proof of the positive effect of oxygenated blood rushing after it was cut off from a local region of the body. In fact, many physicians in India advise patients with blood disorders such as high blood pressure, hypertension and heart disease to avoid yoga asanas (postures) like headstands and handstands that cause a rush of blood to the torso and cut off circulation from the limbs. Even some seated postures can cause blood flow complications; the rapid exhaling of “kabalabhati breath” performed at the end of a Bikram session can cause internal bleeding for patients with ulcers.
Athletes seeking muscular cross-training with Bikram yoga should beware too: doctors are seeing a surge of patients whose misapplied yoga practice has caused injuries in both muscle and bone. Bikram followers believe they can obtain deeper stretching because the extreme heat facilitates elasticity in the muscle tissue. But this deep stretching can easily cause tears because muscles that are stretched beyond 20 to 25 percent of their resting length begin to be damaged, according to Dr. Robert Gotlin, director of orthopedic and sports rehabilitation at the Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan. The contortions associated with Bikram’s 26 poses, particularly the Hero and Camel poses, are especially likely to cause damage to lower back, groin, knees and ankles. The 12th pose in the Bikram sequence, “toe stand pose,” has been the cause of knee cartilage and cruciate ligament tears.
You might wonder how this dichotomy is possible: How can so many people praise a practice with myriad potential harms? The answer may lie in a misunderstanding: not of the yoga postures, but of the human body performing them. Many Bikram teachers do not take appropriate precautions to protect their students, sometimes because they are trained inadequately or incorrectly. One of Bikram Yoga Manhattan’s teacher, Jeanne Heaton, claims: “if it hurts, do it more” to cure ailments. While these words may be alluring to those suffering from excruciating herniated discs or arthritis, they have the potential to lend false hope. In fact, many people take up Bikram yoga to heal herniated discs, but the Mayo Clinic recommends a conservative treatment of “avoiding painful positions.” Blame for yoga injuries is also on the patient’s shoulders: disillusioned by celebrity hype and a desperate hope to heal, the injured student should not decide to engage in exercise that involves conditions they are advised to avoid.
On a more spiritual level, a lot of the problems associated with Bikram yoga seem contrary to traditional yoga themes of peace, meditation and oneness. One of the most controversial aspects of Bikram yoga is its support of competition. But wait…isn’t yoga supposed to decrease or moderate competition and stress associated with our day-to-day lives? Choudhury doesn’t think so. In a recent interview he said: “Competition is the foundation for all democratic societies. For without ‘competition’, there is no democracy.” Choudhury’s yogic style certainly caters to American values in other ways as well; he’s working on a reality show, merchandise line and Bikram radio channel. His style is promoted by famous people like Lady Gaga and Richard Nixon, and Bikram himself is a celebrity; he charges for book signings, owns over 40 Rolls Royces and Bentleys, has a watch collection worth millions of dollars — and he shamelessly flaunts it all.
But Choudhury’s personal behavior shouldn’t deter you from pursuing Bikram Yoga; as Charles Lamb once said, “He who hath not a dram of folly in his mixture hath pounds of much worse matter in his composition.” Rather, you should enter Bikram’s practice with a knowledge of these concerns and understanding of your own goals — oh, and don’t forget your 15 dollars.
Rebecca Stern is a junior in Berkeley College.
Comments
townieexprof 1 year, 3 months ago
one word: stroke
not heat stroke
stroke
Georg65 1 year, 3 months ago
If Rebecca Stern, who claims scientific knowledge when she wrote her article on the health disadvantages of Bikram Yoga, experiences excitation, contraction, coupling, dilatation, hard, hot, and flaccid feelings, she might feel bringing her a heart attack or go through le petit morte, that the French so eloquently describe. Rebecca would "objectively" claim this experience as unholy and quote Miguel de Morillo and produce an auto-da-fé. No Rebecca dear, it is not what you think it is, although it sounds like sex! It is the Frank Starling mechanism (not Sterling like our hall) of muscle contraction that improves health and is why cardiologists encourage their patients to exercise for recovery. I am perplexed by the "objectivity" of Stern's article in this day an age of long winters, walking side walks, soda machines in schools, obesity, and diabetes epidemics in our country. Why do we cardiologists, emergency physicians, orthopedic surgeons, gastroenterologists, and psychiatrists at Yale, and around the nation, practice the sport of Bikram Yoga? Are we suicidal? Are we high on endorphins? Do we want hyponatremic induced heart attacks, kabalabhati breathing induced ulcers, herniated discs, and heat strokes? Isn't it the objective of exercise to stretch first, breath, get our heart rate up, get hot, and sweat? So what happened with drinking water and stretching before a race or a hike in the summer, what happened with no pain no gain, what happened to that fella H Pylori? As Rebecca would say, " Ah it just is trash from that media journals such as New England, JEMA, or Ainnals who are not as objective as my article on Bikram Yoga New Haven in our prestigious paper. Maybe Rebecca Stern, with her statistical literacy and unbiased observation, demonstrated here in her article about the practice of Bikram Yoga, can start enlightening us on the health benefits of double cheeseburgers and fries.... Ah yes, don't forget these items are less then 15 dollars.
lmyya 4 months, 1 week ago
I don't mean to suggest that people's personal experience with yoga are unhelpful, but I would love to see some actual studies on this particular kind of yoga. Whenever I read an article it is either testimonial in nature, or it is filled with anecdotal "evidence." When it warns that Bikram yoga may be dangerous, it is always followed by a flurry of very passionate, very angry and sometimes insulting responses defending bikram yoga. These might be helpful even so, if they would include a link to actual evidence. But they are always along the lines of "I think this article is wrong because my personal experience is .. . ." You are probably right about your own experience, and maybe even the experience of your ten best friends. Still, testimonial or anecdotal evidence is not very useful to those of us trying to research something. It is not a very strong tool to counter scientific (or supposedly scientific) articles. I don't mean to say I don't care about your experience, but can someone point me to a comprehensive study on Bikram yoga? And yes, I have practiced it regularly (four to seven times a week) for a year. I have had many observations, good and bad, noticed some correlations that may or may not be causally related, and have many unanswered questions about it. One of which is: Why the dearth of studies??
lmyya 4 months, 1 week ago
Excuse me, Georg65: I did not mean to post this as a reply to your comment. Only as a reply to the article. I mistakenly included it under your particular comment, so feel free to ignore . . . and I will kindly ignore your French in return . . .
Georg65 1 year, 3 months ago
I want to comment, to the people who might not know, that Miguel de Morillo was the Great Inquisidor and who will read the following article, even go and support Rebecca Stern's anti exercise notion and hider us from any kind of endurance exercise. . Cardiac Biomarkers, Electrolytes, and Other Analytes in Collapsed Marathon RunnersImplications for the Evaluation of Runners Following Competition Arthur J. Siegel, MD,1,4 James Januzzi, MD,2,4 Patrick Sluss, PhD,3,4 Elizabeth Lee-Lewandrowski, MPH, PhD,3,4 Malissa Wood, MD,2,4 Terry Shirey, PhD,5 and Kent B. Lewandrowski, MD3,4 Objective studies have many variables, Rebecca, and are not always cause and effect. Yet we are still running Marathons and practicing Bikram Yoya!!
kateh 1 year, 3 months ago
I think, Rebecca, that were you to practice this yoga on a regular basis, you would find that Bikram's methods do far more good than any sort of harm. For many Americans, Bikram yoga is indeed very beneficial. In addition, with regard to your comment about the yoga misapplying its spiritual direction, in the studios where I teach and practice, we very specifically do not focus on competition. We are focused on the beginner student and helping him or her achieve their goals for better health and overall well-being. The whole practice is a moving meditation. As far as I am concerned, your article struck me as a bunch of misinformed, pompous babble. Perhaps this yoga is not for you. But, for many Americans who are in need of an overall wellness program, Bikram yoga is indeed a true healing modality. I am sure you recognize that sweating, stressing the body to a certain degree and developing your strength and flexibility are hardly harmful activities. Most Americans could all use a little more Bikram, to my way of thinking.
bikramforever 1 year, 3 months ago
As a reporter who does Bikram yoga, this article is so off the mark I don't know where to begin. So odd as the author never actually says she's attended a class, even to observe. Shouldn't that have been the foundation of this article? Bikram yoga is a true blessing in my life and totally different from any other yoga I've done. It's hard, not impossible. I've never seen an instructor push anyone too hard. You get dizzy, you drink water. You sit down. No one thinks anything of it. They only ask you to stay in the room so they can make sure you're OK. And it happens rarely. You get used to the heat after a few classes. The amazingly quick results, which I saw by Class #3, included loss of stubborn belly fat, great skin (it's a yoga class and sauna in one!), better sleep, increased energy, better posture, extreme arm toning. IT WORKS. So you see benefit right away and keep coming back. Even if you modify poses. I find it REFRESHING to have a teacher say, "Struggle with this pose a bit." I feel like it is someone being real with me. Caring about me. They don't sugarcoat the difficult postures. Life is a struggle. Struggle makes you strong. Struggling is trying. We should all struggle more, struggle is learning. Bikram is all about mental and physical strength and balance and it is beautiful. In our crazy multitasking world, 90 mins. of Bikram is a sole focus your own body, your own weight, and a premise you will eventually master these poses to the best of your ability. I agree with the previous post, this is "misinformed, pompous babble." Open your mind. Try a class. Ignore this article.
YogaLiana 1 year, 3 months ago
Rebecca, did you even take a Bikram yoga class? There are no headstands or handstands in the beginner class. As a teacher, myself, we don't discourage drinking water, we discourage guzzling water. If you slam a liter of water in just a few seconds, odds are you'll feel worse than when you reached for the bottle. The seated postures, last no more than 20 seconds and every posture during the floor series is followed by a savasana (since you didn't do your research, savasana is dead body pose and it allows the blood to circulate naturally and quickly to decrease the heart rate and encourage the mind-body connection). How is sitting on the floor for a few seconds different from, say, sitting at your desk writing a biased, un-rsearched article, sitting in your car or on an airplane? As for the shoulder injuries you talk about, I've never seen, in my 7 years with Bikram yoga, anyone injure their shoulder in a Bikram class; usually they take a different form of yoga and are injured THERE. If my student has any sort of injury, there are ways to slightly modify the posture to help them. There are ways to do parts of the postures until the injury heals and the student is able to actually go into the pose. Saying that Bikram teachers are inadequately trained, is beyond insulting. Did you research what the training is about? It's 9 weeks, with Bikram, Rajashree and Emmy Cleaves (Rajashree is his wife and a leading expert in yoga therapy, Emmy Cleaves is our most senior teacher, again, since you clearly skipped the research in this article) as well as other senior teachers from aroundthe world. We take 2 classes a day and in between, we take classes in postures, anatomy/physiology, therapeutic applications, health benefits of the series, modifcations, the 8 limbs of yoga (yes, yoga is more than just sitting the physical postures) for up to 20 hours a day. Every 3 years, we attend re-certification. Most teacher training "workshops", those teachers you get at the Y or Lifetime Fitness, spend a weekend getting certified. Which class do you want to be in now? As for the man, himself, Bikram doesn't charge for book signings, he charges for the lecture, followed by the book signing. How is that unusual? How is it strange that, as a celebrity, he has fancy cars (junk cars he found and fixed up himself, actually)? Other celebs do it and we don't bat an eye. As a yoga competitor, we don't compete against each other. Yoga competition is based on the intrisic competition; the competition against yourself. We use it as a way to inspire others to do yoga. When I competed at nationals in 2009, the warm-up room for the competition wasn't filled with women sizing eachother up, rather, we took turns doing our routines and getting feedback on them from the rest of the competitors. Do yourself a huge favor, Rebecca Stern, go to your nearest studio and buy yourself a 10-lesson pack and take class everyday. Then re-write this article.
Mom1028 1 year, 3 months ago
Dear Rebecca, Obviously you have no fans. Your article is biased and not researched . I am somewhat surprised that an institution such as Yale would let you published an article that has no form and no facts to back up your statements. I also hope that you know that Richard Nixon is dead and he has been for sometime. So unless he is promoting from beyond grave I see no value in your statement. The first principle of writing such article is to collect and analyze facts. In the field law it is called discovery. Then from that pool of information you must ask more questions which will allow you to discover further and built your case. Only once you feel confident that you have the information that will allow you to make a solid and air tight case, then you can share your knowledge and open yourself for questions and rebuttal. Only knowledge will allow you to weather this phase. Shame on you and on the Editor of Yale News. You allow Rebecca to make a fool of herself and of you as well.
yogagyrl 1 year, 2 months ago
I, too, feel that I have to comment on this article. I have been a Bikram teacher for 8 years and practicing this series for over 10 years. I feel so confused as to why you think, Rebecca, that this is an objective piece of writing....and why you think that writing an article on something that you (seemingly clearly) have not actually experienced for yourself. Of course, Bikram yoga is NOT for everyone...it is a VERY challenging practice, and it takes tremendous determination and patience to come to class day after day. I have done many variations of yoga over my life, but when I started practicing Bikram yoga, I felt different and knew that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. As a teacher, I cannot tell you how many people have shared amazing healing stories with me over the years, and how many times students were able to do something they thought they would never be able to do... SO, I encourage you to TRY a class!! In fact, try a few....it takes a few classes to actually know how you feel about it! See for yourself what it's like...just remember to come hydrated, it's a bummer on your first class if you don't
jdarrell 1 year, 2 months ago
I was disappointed to see that the Yale Daily News would allow such a piece of sensationalist journalism to be published. Ms. Stern's article is poorly researched, fails to cite many of her sources, and provides a lopsided, inaccurate view of a yoga practice that has been extremely beneficial to many, myself included. Who are these "some people" who "condemn the practice," the "critics" to whom she refers, and what credentials do they have that we should accept their assessment? And why does Ms. Stern feel she can silence the voices of the many supporters of Bikram yoga? Why do the opinions of the doctors and scientific researchers who believe in the health benefits of the practice not deserve a place in this article? Anything can be made to look bad when you pick and choose whom to cite and what information to include; I could write an article on a substance that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, flushing of the face, headache, fatigue and disturbed sleep, and has been linked to iron poisoning, kidney stones, and early miscarriage in pregnant women, and probably cause quite a health scare. Yes, even Vitamin C can look pretty awful if you leave out the many benefits it provides and exaggerate the potential side effects.
Ms. Stern claims there is a high likelihood of overheating and dehydration when practicing Bikram yoga. Why is it, then, that in the 2.5 years I have been practicing Bikram, I have not seen a single person suffer from these ailments during class? Yes, the risk would be high if students were not properly hydrating before/during/after class, but contrary to Ms. Stern's claims that drinking water during class is something "many teachers discourage," the Bikram teachers are actually quite insistent that we hydrate ourselves properly. In fact, there is even a built-in water break during the ninety minutes, which we affectionately call "party time." They do discourage us from drinking water at points during the practice, such as before any forward compression posture, because curling forward with a stomach full of water can make you feel nauseous, but that is quite different from putting a roomful of people at risk of heat stroke, as Ms. Stern seems to imply. Additionally, the Bikram teachers educate us about the importance of electrolyte replenishment, and electrolyte replacements are available at the studio. Ms. Stern's article makes it sound as if Bikram yogis are all about to keel over of a heart attack from hyponatremia, but this is no more a risk of Bikram yoga than any activity which induces sweating. Should we shut down Payne Whitney? Disband our varsity athletic teams? Will Ms. Stern be standing on the streets of New Haven this summer to hand out pamphlets on hyponatremia to the runners sprinting by? At least at the yoga studio, I am educated and constantly reminded about the importance of hydration and electrolyte replenishment, whereas I can come and go from Payne Whitney without speaking to a single person. cont’d.
jdarrell 1 year, 2 months ago
cont’d. Ms. Stern writes that many of the poses in the Bikram series are "especially likely" to cause various sorts of damage to the human body. First of all, the postures, or "asanas" that we do as part of the 26 posture series are not original to Bikram yoga. They are all drawn from the larger set of asanas that comprise Hatha yoga, a system of yoga that dates back to the 15th century. Does Ms. Stern really mean to be so dismissive of poses that have been practiced for physical/mental health benefits for approximately six hundred years? Additionally, we practice Bikram yoga under the careful guidance of a well-trained teacher. Unlike other forms of yoga, where the teachers do the yoga postures along with the students, in a Bikram class, the teacher stands at the front of the room (or circulates throughout, as necessary), gives verbal directions, and, most importantly, watches us. That means if we are performing a posture incorrectly or are putting ourselves at risk for injury, there is someone there who will catch our mistake and give us the necessary correction to make sure we do not hurt our bodies. And contrary to Ms. Stern's claims that Bikram teachers are trained inadequately or incorrectly, all Bikram teachers are required to go through a nine week certification program that includes lessons on anatomy and physiology in addition to twice-daily yoga classes. Ms. Stern's citation of a yoga teacher stating "If it hurts, do it more" is also misleading. The teachers I have encountered are careful to differentiate between discomfort and "red flag pain." We have all felt that burning in our quads as we hold a squat or the discomfort of stretching a particularly tight muscle; we may use the words "pain" or "hurt" to describe the feeling, but it is beneficial to our bodies. Red flag pain is our body sending a signal that something is wrong and we are at risk of injuring ourselves. We are encouraged to push through the discomfort, to hold stretches or strengthening exercises at a level of discomfort we can tolerate, but we are also told to never, ever try to push through red flag pain.
There are many more problems with Ms. Stern's article, but I will refrain from pointing out each flaw individually. It makes me sad to think that even one person might have decided to not try Bikram yoga after reading this biased, poorly written, highly problematic article, as the benefits the practice offers are enormous. I believe Ms. Stern and the Yale Daily News owe Bikram Yoga New Haven and all Bikram studios and students an apology, and I call upon the paper to print a retraction of the article. In the future, I hope the editors will be more careful about what they choose to publish. As a Yale student myself, my reputation is affected by the quality of work appearing in publications issued by my institution, and I hope the Yale Daily News will hold itself to a higher standard in the future.
omorris 11 months, 3 weeks ago
I think the article is far from being "biased" - Ms. Stern seems to only caution those who attend class to be mindful of potential health risks.
I do yoga quite regularly, and used to Bikram for some time. It should be mentioned, for those that have brought up the healing benefits of the practice, that there is a difference between "hot yoga" and "Bikram yoga." While doing yoga in a heated room has a lot of benefits (that I felt immediately after doing my first Bikram class), the predominant message in the practice of "Bikram yoga" (and I have been to several classes at several studios) seems to be "push through the pain." In fact, I was even advised by a doctor to phase out Bikram yoga and opt instead for something more gentle. Bikram instructors are trained in both the practice AND philosophy of this specific brand of yoga... it's not necessarily the practice, but the philosophy (a very intense and somewhat competitive one) that gets me.
I don't normally post comments on articles like this, but as a recent college grad, I know all too well the level of dedication and effort required to attend school at all, let alone become involved outside of the classroom and contribute original work to publications. I think it's a bit shameful that some of those commenting have (to my mind, unjustly) crucified the poor girl. To the Yale student (jdarrell) that commented on "the affect to their own reputation," or whatever... shame on you! Besides, I am here to tell you that being a "Yale grad" does not speak for itself. Having common decency, and offering respectful and enlightened criticisms, will speak much more to your "reputation".
Stern does a good job of synthesizing points that have been made elsewhere about the potential side effects of doing yoga improperly, or subscribing to a yoga philosophy that is potentially misleading. Thanks!
devi101 10 months, 1 week ago
Great article Rebecca! i quit Bikram after daily practise of over 2 years and have never felt better. Its a cult and hard to break away from the nonsense the teachers sprout. Each for their own, I enjoyed it to a point and then my body just felt over done, over heated and I never felt i was good enough thanks to the teachers who were kept pushing and pushing. Too much. A number of women at my studio felt the heat adversely affected fertility and so stopped. The decision to leave came for me when a long time student said to me on the mat before class, 'i can't believe I am going to do this everyday for the rest of my life'... she even goes twice on saturdays and to be honest she doent show much physical conditioning or mental stability if im honest.. Please, its wrong how misleading the cult like mentality that develops in studios, can take people..
Since starting other yoga practise that is actually fun, where we smile and support each other, i will never go to bikram again. and the person who said bikram found his bentleys... Please, the man is a clever capitalist living in beverly hills! Did he also find his long time lover (sorry rajashree) and gold rolex?? there are worse ways to make a million than by selling yoga, but dont make him into the dalai lama, bikram sells a series of asanas, but does not embrace a thing about yogas real philosophy in his own life. even teachers at my old studio who worked for him at tecaher training will tell you that! thanks rebecca, i really loved your article! The fanatacism and cult like following of this practice is evident by the OTT responses..! namaste*
OnTheFence 3 months, 1 week ago
Dizziness, feeling that you’re going to vomit and light-headedness are commonly discussed in the classes I have attended. During these classes the sensations are described as "normal". I've done Bikram Yoga several times and after 6 months have come to this conclusion: being dizzy, nauseated, vomiting, and light-headed are NOT normal. These are alarms from your brain telling you to stop. They're signals to discontinue what you are doing or your brain is going to shut-down your body for you by making you pass out or lay down. I believe some people are not affected by this and therefore are able to enjoy Bikram Yoga. My body is intolerant of it therefore instead of causing damage to my internal organs with heat exhaustion and symptoms of heat-stroke, I elect not to participate. Live and let live, for me it means running, swimming, bicycling, and hiking, climbing, and playing sports in a temperature that is not conducive to heat stroke. For you, it may be Bikram. Most importantly is that everyone is listening to the signals their bodies send them, and to respect each other’s physical limitations. Simply put, there hasn't been enough time to conduct appropriate scientific research to weigh the benefits against the long term side-effects of Bikram. It will be interesting in 20 years to see what is discovered.
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