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Bikram Yoga, commonly known as hot yoga is a system of yoga that Bikram Choudhury synthesized from traditional yoga techniques and popularized beginning in the early 1970s. Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class runs approximately 90 minutes, incorporates a series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises, and is ideally practiced in a room heated to 105°F with a humidity of 40%.

In the United States, Choudhury has claimed and been aggressive in enforcing broad copyrights in most aspects of the practice, teaching, and business of the system. While these claims are not definitively resolved (i.e., by any judicial ruling on the merits), Choudury has extracted legal settlements from a number of yoga teachers and studios.
Bikram yoga aims toward general wellness and claims the heated studio facilitates deeper stretching, injury prevention, and stress and tension relief. Bikram yoga is claimed to systematically stimulate and restore health to every muscle, joint, and organ of the body. There are two complementary aspects of the 26 exercises, asanas (postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), though many other branches of yoga also use these methods.
According to Choudhury, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity, and just like any muscle, the lungs must be stretched in order to (through practice) withstand holding more oxygen. When one is practicing pranayama s/he will eventually be able to enhance oxygen conversion and absorption, as well as improve blood circulation. (Choudhury, 2007) This is true of any cardiovascular activity.

It is common for beginners to experience dizziness and nausea. Like many forms of yoga, immense amounts of focus and discipline are required to complete a session. There is much controversy as to whether or not performing strenuous exercise in a room over 100 degrees is safe.

Choudhury claims that blood circulation is affected immensely during Bikram Yoga because of two processes called extension and compression. These two dynamics are said to work together to deliver fresh oxygen to every joint, muscle, and organ within the human body. While performing a specific asana (pose), the body is stretching or compressing a certain part of the body, thus cutting off circulation temporarily. This restriction of circulation causes the heart to pump more blood in reaction to the shortage.

The pumping of excess, fresh blood is called extension. Once the asana is complete and the individual comes out of the posture, the new oxygenated blood is able to rejuvenate the arteries that were being compressed. Because of the volume change and influx of fresh blood, it is said that infection, bacteria, and toxins can be released through this process.

Another controversial component of Bikram Yoga pertains to the prevalence of Bikram competitions, regionally and nationally. While practitioners of other forms of yoga maintain that competition contradicts the idea of peace and unity, Bikram contends, "Competition is the foundation for all democratic societies. For without 'Competition', there is no democracy."

The 26 Asanas (postures)

#	Sanskrit	English
1	Pranayama Series	Standing Deep Breathing
2	Ardha Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasana	Half Moon Pose with Hands To Feet Pose
3	Utkatasana	Awkward Pose
4	Garudasana	Eagle Pose
5	Dandayamana - JanuShirasana	Standing Head To Knee Pose
6	Dandayamana - Dhanurasana	Standing Bow Pulling Pose
7	Tuladandasana	Balancing Stick Pose
8	Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Paschimottanasana	Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose
9	Trikonasana	Triangle Pose
10	Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Janushirasana	Standing Separate Leg Head To Knee Pose
11	Vrksasana	Tree Pose
12	Padangustasana	Toe Stand Pose
13	Savasana	Dead Body Pose
14	Pavanamuktasana	Wind Removing Pose
15	Bhujangasana	Cobra Pose
16	Salabhasana	Locust Pose
17	Poorna - Salabhasana	Full Locust Pose
18	Dhanurasana	Bow Pose
19	Supta - Vajrasana	Fixed Firm Pose
20	Ardha - Kurmasana	Half Tortoise Pose
21	Ustrasana	Camel Pose
22	Sasangasana	Rabbit Pose
23 and 24	Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana	Head To Knee Pose with Stretching Pose
25	Ardha - Matsyendrasana	Spine Twisting Pose
26	Khapalbhati	Blowing In Firm

Bikram Choudhury

is a multi-millionaire Indian yoga guru and the founder of Bikram Yoga, also known as Hot Yoga, a copyrighted series of 26 hatha yogaFahrenheit or greater) environment. Choudhury is a student of Bishnu Ghosh (brother of Paramahansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi.

The Bishnu Ghosh guru lineage has focused on translating Eastern philosophies and practices into a language that is more closely attuned to the Western mindset than can be found within their original traditional Indian contexts.

Biography

Born in Calcutta, India, Bikram Choudhury began learning Hatha Yoga poses at the age of three. At five, he began studying with Bishnu Ghosh (Paramahansa Yogananda’s brother) and won the National India Yoga Championship four consecutive years in his teens.

With the guidance of his guru, Bikram created his 26 posture series which restored his health.

At 14, Swami Shivananda declared him "Yogi Raj" (King of the Yogis). At age 20, a weightlifting accident crippled Bikram. As an adult he opened yoga schools in India and Japan, and in 1972 he opened his first U.S. school in San Francisco. Bikram arrived in the United States in 1973 at the invitation of president Nixon and the urging of Shirley MacLaine. Celebrities, athletes, and others began to flock to him.

His main school is currently near Hollywood, California. In the 1990s he began offering nine-week teacher certification courses, and certified instructors now number in the thousands with Bikram Yoga studios all over the world. Generically known as "Hot Yoga," Choudhury's style done in a heated room remains one of the most popular methods of yoga.

^{Scientific evaluation}

^{In a United Nations-sponsored research project at Tokyo University, Bikram helped doctors prove that yoga regenerates tissues and cures chronic ailments.}

^{Combining Eastern discipline and Western medicine, Bikram made his system suitable for all ages and levels of fitness.}

^{_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

^{German / Deutsch}

^{Bikram Yoga ist eine Hatha-Yoga-Methode und wurde von dem indischen Yogameister Bikram Choudhury,}

^{Schüler von Bishnu Gosh (Bruder des Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi) entwickelt. Bikram Choudhury wurde 1946 in Kalkutta geboren .}

^{Bikram Yoga ist eine markengeschützte Serie von 26 Yoga-Übungen, die in einem heißen Raum praktiziert werden (bei ca. 35-40 Grad Celsius).}

^{Allgemein ist Bikram Yoga als Hot Yoga bekannt und ist mit mittlerweile über 1000 Schulen weltweit eine recht populäre Yogaart.}

^{Die Yoga-Positionen sind fordernd, angeblich aber von Studenten jeden Fitness-Levels durchführbar.
Es werden 26 Körperübungen (Asanas) und 2 Atemübungen (Pranayama) praktiziert.
Der heiße Raum macht eine sichere Muskel- und Sehnenarbeit möglich und durch das Schwitzen soll der Körper entgiftet werden.
Angeblich werden pro Übungsstunde (90 Minuten) mindestens 680 Kalorien verbrannt.}

^{Die 26 Haltungen / Asanas der allgemein praktizierten Anfängerserie}

#	Sanskrit	Deutsch
1	Pranayama Series	Brustkorbatmung mit schmetterlingsartigen Armbewegungen
2	Ardha Chandrasana - Pada-Hastasana	halber Mond mit Kopf zu den Füßen - Streckung
3	Utkatasana	dreifach Kombination aus Kniebeuge und Zehenstandsübungen
4	Garurasana	Adlerhaltung
5	Dandayamana - JanuShirasana	Stehender Kopf zu den Füßen - Streckung
6	Dandayamana - Dhanurasana	Stehender Bogen
7	Tuladandasana	Balancierstangen - Haltung
8	Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Paschimottanasana	Beinstreckungshaltung im Stehen
9	Trikonasana	Dreieck, Bikram- (mit Ellenbogen vor dem Knie und Fingerspitzen zw. großen und zweiten Zeh)
10	Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Janushirasana	Standing Separate Leg Head To Knee Pose
11	Tadasana	Baum
12	Padangustasana	Zehenstand - aus dem Baum heraus hinsetzen
13	Savasana	Tote Körper - Haltung
14	Pavanamuktasana	Wind Removing Pose - Knie liegend zum Bauch ziehen
15	Sit up	Sit up
16	Bhujangasana	Kleine Cobra
17	Salabhasana	Heuschrecke
18	Poorna - Salabhasana	volle Heuschrecke - Flugzeug
19	Dhanurasana	liegender Bogen
20	Supta - Vajrasana	Heldenstellung
21	Ardha - Kurmasana	halbe Schildkröte
22	Ustrasana	Kamel
23	Sasangasana	Kaninchen
24	Janushirasana - Paschimottanasana	Kopf zu den Knien - Streckung im Sitzen
25	Ardha - Matsyendrasana	Drehsitz
26	Khapalbhati	Khapalbhati-Bikram-Atmung - Bauchatmung, aber durch den Mund

^{Quelle: Unter GNU Lizenz von Wikipedia.org}