
Increased glucose tolerance in obese subjects ( p 20 classes) Glucose tolerance (75 g GTT, FPG) body composition (fat mass and lean body mass using DEXA, BMI, body mass) Smoking within last 6 months, uncontrolled diabetes, personal history of stroke, prior myocardial infarction, and known coronary heart diseaseīikram's beginner's yoga class (room heated to 40☌, 40% humidity, same 26 asanas and breathing exercises each class), 90 min/class, 3 classes/week Īpparently healthy, relatively sedentary (30

Choudhury suggests that the heated environment helps warm and prepare the body for movement and assists with removing impurities from the body. Class finishes with a seated kapalabhati breathing exercise (i.e., quick, strong exhalations) and a final savasana.

A 20-second savasana is taken between each asana in the floor series. The standing sequence is followed by a 2 min savasana (supine relaxation, i.e., corpse pose, Figures 1(l) and 1(m)) and a sequence of floor asanas (35–40 min, Figures 1(n)– 1(aa)). Every 90 min class begins with standing pranayama (deep breathing) followed by the standing asanas (45–50 min, Figures 1(a)– 1(l)). Three factors together distinguish Bikram yoga from other forms of hatha yoga: (1) the set sequence of 26 asanas and two breathing exercises ( Figure 1), (2) the heated environment (40.6☌, 40% humidity), and (3) the instructional dialogue. Future research should adhere to CONSORT guidelines for better design and reporting to improve research quality in this field.īikram yoga is a popular, standardized system of hatha yoga developed by Choudhury, and, today, there are over 600 Bikram yoga studios worldwide. There is vast potential for further, improved research into the effects of Bikram yoga, particularly in unhealthy populations, to better understand intervention-related adaptations and their influence on the progression of chronic disease. Non-RCTs report that Bikram yoga may, in some populations, improve glucose tolerance, bone mineral density, blood lipid profile, arterial stiffness, mindfulness, and perceived stress. According to published literature, Bikram yoga has been shown to improve lower body strength, lower and upper body range of motion, and balance in healthy adults.

The purpose of this review is to contextualise and summarise trials that have evaluated the effects of Bikram yoga on health and to provide recommendations for future research. However, to date, there are no comprehensive reviews of this research and there remains a lack of large-scale, robustly-designed randomised controlled trials (RCT) of Bikram yoga training. Several studies evaluating the effect of Bikram yoga on health-related outcomes have been published over the past decade.
Bikram poses in order series#
Bikram yoga is a style of hatha yoga involving a standarized series of asanas performed to an instructional dialogue in a heated environment (40.6☌, 40% humidity).
