It is about self-realization, community, and healing. The traditional and ultimate goal is to achieve samadhi, also known as enlightenment. Yoga aims to create harmony in the body, mind, and spirit. There was ancient wisdom and healing in the flows that could not be corrupted by a power-hungry human being. In the end, it was clear that the poses and practice had actually preceded the person…by thousands of years. We grappled with wanting to distance ourselves from disgusting behavior and continuing to get the physical pain relief/stress relief/spiritual connection we had experienced with the 26 & 2 sequence for years. The scandal caused many of us who benefited from our regular 26 & 2 practice to struggle through feelings of betrayal by the person and love of the yoga. Subsequently, he filed for bankruptcy and left the US. And over the next 5 years, the world uncovered inappropriate and unacceptable behavior from Bikram the teacher. While Bikram yoga gained popularity due to the benefits many people received from their regular practice, trouble brewed with the Bikram Choudry team. Turns out, science agrees! Look for our next article on the health benefits of heat exposure. He believed India’s climate added unique benefits to practicing yoga. Specifically, he practiced and taught in heat up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity around 40%.

As a matter of fact, that’s when Dan opened his original yoga studio here in Connecticut.īikram’s unique spin on the Hatha-based practice was creating the environment similar to India’s native climate. By the 1990s, Bikram yoga had become popular worldwide, with yoga teacher training meaning thousands of Bikram studios began emerging. And he quickly attracted Hollywood stars. He used twenty-six poses, practiced in a specific sequence in a 90-minute routine.īikram brought this practice to the US in the 1970s. While practicing with his mentor, he borrowed the poses he was taught and created a practice he named after himself.

He originally learned yoga from a mentor in India Bishnu Charan Ghosh. History of Bikram Yogaīikram Choudhury was a student of Hatha yoga. Read on to learn the history of what used to be called Bikram yoga and why you should try Hot Yoga 26 & 2. There are different hot yoga classes, but the original hot yoga 26 & 2 classes were popularized in the US by a man named Bikram Choudhury back in the 1970s. Asana practices include Vinyasa, Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga yoga, and Hot yoga. There are many different yoga practices, and the asana practice is just one of the 8 limbs of yoga. And we do create an environment that intends to mimic the hot and humid climate of the yogis in millennia past. Because of the heat and humidity in India, there was no need to create a different environment called “hot yoga.” So, while we can’t claim to be the OG, OG hot yoga, we do practice the original hot yoga that was brought over to the US. The roots of yoga began over 5000 years ago in India. And some people don’t realize it, but hot yoga 26 & 2 is the OG hot yoga in the US.

Bikram hatha yoga sequence