Bikram yoga

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if Bikram yoga, a style of heated hatha yoga, would improve endothelial function in young and middle-aged and older, healthy adults. This trial was performed in 36 young (n = 17) and middle-aged and older adults (n = 19) who completed 3 weekly Bikram yoga classes for 8 weeks. Height, body weight and body composition were determined and endothelial function was measured noninvasively using brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) before and after the intervention...

BACKGROUND: Bikram yoga is a relatively new, but an increasingly popular form of exercise. Its health benefits were demonstrated on physical and psychological measures. AIMS: The current field study tested the acute effects of Bikram yoga on practitioners' positive-/negative-affect and state-anxiety, and their link to the self-perceived stress, in Bikram yoga participants. METHOD: Field study, within-participants design, testing perceived stress and its relation to changes in positive-/negative-affect and state-anxiety in 53 habitual Bikram yoga participants...

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with arterial stiffening and diminished quality of life. Bikram yoga may be a feasible alternative to traditional exercise among obese individuals. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Bikram yoga, a heated style of hatha yoga, on arterial stiffness in normal and overweight/obese adults. METHODS: Forty-three (23 normal body mass index or BMI; 20 overweight/obese) apparently healthy participants completed an 8-week Bikram yoga intervention...

The study aimed to test the Embodiment Model of Positive Body Image (Menzel & Levine, 2011) within the context of yoga. Participants were 193 yoga practitioners (124 Iyengar, 69 Bikram) and 127 university students (non-yoga participants) from Adelaide, South Australia. Participants completed questionnaire measures of positive body image, embodiment, self-objectification, and desire for thinness. Results showed yoga practitioners scored higher on positive body image and embodiment, and lower on self-objectification than non-yoga participants...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: Cortisol reactivity to stress is associated with affective eating, an important behavioral risk factor for obesity and related metabolic diseases. Yoga practice is related to decreases in stress and cortisol levels, thus emerging as a potential targeted complementary intervention for affective eating. This randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of a heated, hatha yoga intervention for reducing cortisol reactivity to stress and affective eating. METHOD: Females (N = 52; ages 25-46 years; 75% White) at risk for obesity and related illnesses were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of Bikram Yoga practice or to waitlist control...

Individuals with low distress tolerance (DT) experience negative emotion as particularly threatening and are highly motivated to reduce or avoid such affective experiences. Consequently, these individuals have difficulty regulating emotions and tend to engage in maladaptive strategies, such as overeating, as a means to reduce or avoid distress. Hatha yoga encourages one to implement present-centered awareness and non-reaction in the face of physical and psychological discomfort and, thus, emerges as a potential strategy for increasing DT...

BACKGROUND: Tactile acuity in the back relates to voluntary lumbo-pelvic control and is lower in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Two-point discrimination (TPD) thresholds are higher, indicating decreased tactile acuity in patients with CLBP. Yoga has been shown to help relieve CLBP. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the hypothesis that regular practitioners of yoga have increased tactile acuity (i.e., lower TPD thresholds) when compared to matched controls who regularly perform gym-based (resistance training or aerobic-type) exercise...

CONTEXT: Bikram yoga has gained a large following, possibly because of widespread claims boasting energy expenditure of up to 1000 calories per session. However, these claims are unfounded because no scientific study has investigated the metabolic response to a complete, standardized Bikram yoga class. OBJECTIVES: This study intends to determine energy expenditure, heart rate, and sweat rate in novice and experienced practitioners from a standardized Bikram yoga class...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

While yoga is gaining increased popularity in North America and Europe, its safety has been questioned in the lay press. The aim of this systematic review was to assess published case reports and case series on adverse events associated with yoga. Medline/Pubmed, Scopus, CAMBase, IndMed and the Cases Database were screened through February 2013; and 35 case reports and 2 case series reporting a total of 76 cases were included. Ten cases had medical preconditions, mainly glaucoma and osteopenia. Pranayama, hatha yoga, and Bikram yoga were the most common yoga practices; headstand, shoulder stand, lotus position, and forceful breathing were the most common yoga postures and breathing techniques cited...

Bikram yoga is an exotic form of physical activity combining hatha yoga and thermal therapy that could positively impact metabolic health. Although this increasingly popular alternative exercise may be ideal for obese adults due to its low impact nature, few studies have elucidated the health benefits associated with it. As an initial step, we determined the effect of Bikram yoga on glucose tolerance. Fourteen young lean and 15 older obese subjects completed an 8-week Bikram yoga intervention in which classes were completed 3 times per week...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Bikram yoga is the most popular form of hot yoga, despite the limited information available on its cardiovascular benefits. This study sought to determine the effect of Bikram yoga on arterial stiffness and insulin resistance in young and older adults. METHODS: Twenty-four young (mean age±standard deviation, 30±1 years) and 18 middle-aged and older (mean age, 53±2 years) adults completed an 8-week Bikram yoga intervention. Bikram yoga classes were performed for 90 minutes per session, three times per week, in a room heated to 40...

A 34-year-old Filipino lady presented to the emergency department with breathlessness and muscle cramping following a Bikram yoga workout. The patient reported sweating excessively while performing 90 min of strenuous exertion in a humidified room heated to an ambient temperature of 40.6°C. After the workout she drank 3.5 litres of water before experiencing breathlessness, severe muscle cramps, nausea and general malaise. Initial investigations revealed severe hyponatraemia (120 mmol/l). Despite early sodium replacement the patient dropped her Glasgow coma scale to 9/15 and developed tonic clonic seizures, requiring intubation and admission to the intensive care unit...

There has been relatively little longitudinal controlled investigation of the effects of yoga on general physical fitness, despite the widespread participation in this form of exercise. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the effect of short-term Bikram yoga training on general physical fitness. Young healthy adults were randomized to yoga training (N = 10, 29 ± 6 years, 24 sessions in 8 weeks) or a control group (N = 11, 26 ± 7 years). Each yoga training session consisted of 90-minute standardized supervised postures performed in a heated and humidified studio...

This pilot study evaluated the impact of Bikram Yoga on subjective and objective sleep parameters. We compared subjective (diary) and objective (headband sleep monitor) sleep measures on yoga versus nonyoga days during a 14-day period. Subjects (n = 13) were not constrained regarding yoga-practice days, other exercise, caffeine, alcohol, or naps. These activities did not segregate by choice of yoga days. Standard sleep metrics were unaffected by yoga, including sleep latency, total sleep time, and percentage of time spent in rapid eye movement (REM), light non-REM, deep non-REM, or wake after sleep onset (WASO)...

Exercise training programs can increase strength and improve submaximal force control, but the effects of yoga as an alternative form of steadiness training are not well described. The purpose was to explore the effect of a popular type of yoga (Bikram) on strength, steadiness, and balance. Young adults performed yoga training (n = 10, 29 +/- 6 years, 24 yoga sessions in 8 weeks) or served as controls (n = 11, 26 +/- 7 years). Yoga sessions consisted of 1.5 hours of supervised, standardized postures. Measures before and after training included maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force of the elbow flexors (EF) and knee extensors (KE), steadiness of isometric EF and KE contractions, steadiness of concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) KE contractions, and timed balance...