There's some criticism in one of the Tribes I belong to about the Bikram Yoga practice that I'm dedicated to now. The argument is that it is fundamentally risky and unhealthy. The main argument has to do with the risks involved with that kind of heat exposure. (90 minutes of exercise in temperatures at least as high as 105 degrees and humidity of 50%.) I finally felt a need to respond to the particulars and I've posted that below here.

After I wrote it all out, I realized that in this case, it's wiser just to let it go, and hopefully that poster will just go away to vent his frustrations elsewhere. Rather than let it go to waste, I thought I would post it here.

So enjoy. If you feel like giving me your two cents, please feel free to comment.

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Wise men say there comes a time to just let it go. I think they also say it's about balance, so here's my two cents.

I'm not a studio owner, or a certified teacher, so some of these issues may have an official response that I'm unaware of. I can't and don't speak for Bikram, or his teachers. I can only speak for myself.

I do know that on the occasion of the first class, a questionaire has to be filled out by the newbie. That questionaire addresses some of these issues. And the person signs a disclaimer, stating that he/she understands the risks, and that they take on those risks knowingly.

Part of the personal growth that seems to occur with regular Bikram practice is a growing sense of awareness of one's own body, where it's at and a sense of personal responsibility for what you do with it. Part of that has to do with learning what your body can tolerate (in terms of the degree of heat, amount of exertion and deepness of stretching) and then pacing oneself accordingly within the confines of the 90-minute class. At times I've found myself pushing myself too far and too much. I learn from that experience and feed that back into my practice. The next time I practice I take that learning into account, along with a judgment about the current state of my body and the environment of the studio, and proceed with my practice accordingly.

This is part and parcel of the meditation, the concentration. All the while, trying to stop the internal dialogue and quiet the mind.

In my opinion, pushing yourself beyond your limits is necessary for the changes to occur. My teachers constantly caution against pushing into pain, but in my own experience learning about the pain is part of the personal growth. The pain is your body telling you where its limits are, and I've learned just how far I can push into that pain in order to effect the changes I want to occur. I don't think there's anything new and profound about this. This is pretty elementary knowledge for both ballerinas and football players.

The classic books on the subject discuss the pain issue. Read "Raja Yoga" for example.

Personally, I think this process is a necessary part of the learning experience. If you accomplish it, then you are successful with your practice.

I'm over fifty years old and not particularly active or athletic. I've attended about 200 Bikram classes in 2006, in three different Bikram studios. (Plus some at home to the CD.) I never attended any yoga classes before. I have NEVER experienced ANY of these extreme adverse symptoms you describe. I'm responsible for nourishing myself properly before the class. I'm responsible for hydrating myself as recommended. I very rarely sit out a posture. And I pace myself accordingly through the class, depending on how I feel my body is on that occasion. Some times I have a weak class and I don't push it. On other occasions, I feel VERY strong and I push it to the maximum. I've done two back to back doubles, which means over 3 1/2 hours in that environment. I still did NOT suffer any of these extreme symptoms you caution about.

I've experienced a tremendous increase in muscle strength and tone. I've lost a lot of fatty weight. I think I'm more graceful and confident in my movement and activity. I think I have a more youthful and glowing appearance. In short, I'm more healthy as a result of my practice -- both mentally and physically.

It works for me and it works for a lot of the other regulars that I see in the studios on a daily basis. That's my two cents worth.