Theory
The goal of Bikram Yoga is general health; Bikram Choudhury states that a heated studio helps deeper stretching and injury prevention, while reducing stress and tension. Bikram claims that his system stimulates, and restores health to, every muscle, joint, and organ of the body, while at the same time increasing circulation to all organs in the body. This supposedly helps in the prevention of heart disease and organ failure. According to Choudhury, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity, and thus the lungs must be stretched in order to withstand holding more air. In a 2007 interview, Choudhury stated that when one is practicing pranayama, he or she will eventually be able to enhance oxygen absorption, as well as improve blood circulation, as in many other forms of cardiovascular activity.
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 blood to every joint, muscle, and organ within the body. While performing a specific asana (pose), the practitioner stretches or compresses a certain part of the body, thus cutting off circulation temporarily. This restriction of circulation is believed to cause 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, it is claimed that the new oxygenated blood is able to rejuvenate the arteries that were being compressed. Many of the postures massage the lymphatic system and aid in lymphatic drainage, assisting to eliminate infection, bacteria, and toxins. Other styles of yoga also promote this theory (cf: B.K.S. Iyengar's "squeeze and soak" analogy regarding the effects of deep twists on the internal organs).
Read more about this topic: Bikram Yoga
Famous quotes containing the word theory:
“There never comes a point where a theory can be said to be true. The most that one can claim for any theory is that it has shared the successes of all its rivals and that it has passed at least one test which they have failed.”
—A.J. (Alfred Jules)
“The theory [before the twentieth century] ... was that all the jobs in the world belonged by right to men, and that only men were by nature entitled to wages. If a woman earned money, outside domestic service, it was because some misfortune had deprived her of masculine protection.”
—Rheta Childe Dorr (1866–1948)
“The theory of rights enables us to rise and overthrow obstacles, but not to found a strong and lasting accord between all the elements which compose the nation.”
—Giuseppe Mazzini (1805–1872)