Bikram Yoga is a specific sequence of 26 yoga postures performed in a heated room which allows muscles to get warmed up quickly, enabling deeper stretching which lessens the chance of injury. It’s the amount of calories burned in Bikram Yoga that makes this type of yoga so popular though.
Which Yoga Method is Best?
Apart from any hubris and nit-picking that might be apparent under the surface, the Bikram method is extremely sound, effective, and innovative. That is why there are so many copy-cats trying to ride his coat tails and it’s also why Bikram’s method is so popular with yoga practitioners around the world. You’re going to sweat profusely, cleanse yourself of toxins, and hopefully have classmates who believe strongly in deodorant and personal hygiene.
Bikram Yoga: Hot Yoga by Another Name
Some people may wonder what is the difference between Bikram and hot yoga? Well, the main difference is that master Bikram Choudhury developed his method with very specific parameters and has sued people for tacking his name on a hot yoga class that isn’t exactly what he proscribes.
Bikram Yoga involves two sets of 26 yoga postures in sequence. The back-to-back sets are to be performed in one ninety minute class.
Essentially, the yogi Bickram doesn’t want anybody slapping his name on the class unless they were trained at his Yoga College of India in Beverly Hills, use the texts he approves, and decorate their studios exactly how he sees fit. He believes the sequence is the optimum manner in which to stretch the muscles, ligaments, and joints of the human body.
Hot yoga is a more generic brand of basically the same thing with variations of poses, time, sequence, and the temperature of the practice room.
Calories Burned During Different Yogo Workouts
With all that effort, the bottom line for most people is in the results; specifically in how many calories Bikram yoga burns during the ninety minute class. Like anything in life, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. And so many variables are at play here that I’m talking in approximations with these calorie-crunching calculations.
The easiest way to get an answer here is to use a free online calorie counter that you can find online like the one at http://www.bikram-yoga-noosa-australia.com/weight-loss-and-yoga.htm. Weight and time are all they need there. I’m 185 pounds and in a 90 minute class I’d burn 1259 calories (although technically there shouldn’t be an option for time since 90 minutes is proscribed).
Continue reading onto the second page to find out more about burning calories with Yoga workouts.