Bikram Yoga is a challenging series of 26 postures (asanas) and two breathing exercises (pranayamas) suitable for all ages and levels of ability. Each posture stretches and prepares the specific muscles, ligaments and joints needed for the next posture. The Bikram Method was scientifically designed to stimulate every organ, gland and nerve, moving freshly oxygenated blood to 100 percent of the body, restoring all systems to a healthy working order. This 90 minute program delivers total health through the balancing and strengthening of every system in the body in order to prevent illness and injury, promote weight loss, and limit the effects of aging. In addition, the series of postures combines skills of concentration, patience, determination and self-control, which increases mental clarity and reduces stress. Bikram Yoga is practiced in a heated room to warm your muscles and help prevent injury. It allows a deeper workout and cleanses the body by flushing toxins.

The systematic combination of these postures works through the body creating what Bikram refers to as the tourniquet effect. The tourniquet effect restricts and then releases the blood flow to a specific organ or joint. Organs are cleansed and flushed with new blood, oxygen, and vitality. The same holds true for joints: the flushing effect breaks down scar tissue, improves the quality of synovial fluids and can help prevent and eliminate tendinitis and arthritis. The heat promotes sweating which allows your body to utilize its largest organ, the skin, to get rid of all the toxins that have been stirred up. It also helps the muscles in the body to relax, promoting flexibility and preventing injury.

The poses work synergistically and cumulatively to restore the body to a balanced state. The yoga builds energy, stamina and flexibility. It incorporates strength, gravity, balance and most importantly, the tourniquet effect. This technique allows the stretching, squeezing and massaging of the internal organs, flushing out the cardiovascular system and stimulating the endocrine and nervous systems in order to release deficient hormones and enzymes. The body is self-regulating and self-adjusting.