Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class (Second Edtion)

I have been using Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class (the book alone, no instructor) and found it to be tremendously effective for improving flexibility, strength, conditioning, and energy levels. I do my best to follow the instructions to the letter and perform each pose as well as I can, and it really works.I knew nothing about yoga before I started, so I intentionally chose this book for it's defined program and limited set of poses, as opposed to others that have a smorgasbord of poses that I could dabble in. As other reviewers have pointed out, some of the poses are not easy, and there are many that I still probably only get 25% right because I don't have the strength and flexibility, but the honest effort I make is paying off. I found myself getting more and more out of shape because nagging injuries stopped me every time I tried to start an exercise program. My formerly active lifestyle was slowing way down, and I just felt bad -- and felt bad about myself as a result. Bikram's yoga has turned that around in 2 short months. I've lost some weight, gained a tremendous amount of flexibility, added muscle tone, and feel a lot better about my long term health outlook.I do the full program (it takes me about an hour and 15 minutes) at least 4 times a week, usually 5 or 6. I'll probably take a class with an instructor eventually.Is Bikram's yoga the best way? I don't know. But it's working for me.

I believe one reviewer missed the point of this book. It is not intended to be a do-it-yourself yoga course. It is a guide to the yoga student who attends a Bikram yoga class. I'm fortunate to have a Bikram studio only two blocks from my house in San Francisco. Classes are crowed and instructors don't have time for a lot of one-on-one instruction. That's why it is helpful to read through the descriptions, especially after you are familiar with the poses. It gives lots of hints which cause lightbulbs to go off in my head. Bikram at home? First of all, you *must* have a super-heated room and a wall-sized mirror. And an instructor is mandatory, especially if you are beginning. It's not yoga for sissies, and I'm pretty much a sissy. But you will be surprised how good you feel about yourself after completing 90 minutes of stretching,sweating and pushing yourself to your limits. The other thing is you get maximum benefit from your workout even if you are beginning, as long as your pose is in good form. A great thing about the photographs is that he uses a variety of ages and body types so that no one is excluded. Thin, fat, young and old are all there. And I was delighted with Bikram's sense of humor--he's a great showman! He's not afraid to be silly and by doing so he takes some of the sanctimoniousness out of yoga.

Bikram Choudhury's classic Yoga work has finally been revised. Unlike the second edition of many popular books, this one is better than the first. It's good for what it has and good for what it doesn't have. The book retains Bikram's detailed, often hilarious, commentary and descriptions of how to perform each of his 26 postures (asanas) and breathing(pranayama). It also retains his unique "ideal" and "reality" versions of the poses, a great help to novices. In addition, there are more than 200 high quality black and white photos to augment Bikram's commentary. What the book doesn't contain is just as important. It eschews adding anything about the new, trendy forms of Hatha Yoga that have taken over American popular culture. After all, Hatha Yoga has been a highly successful form of physical and spiritual renewal for more than 5,000 years. As Bikram in his new introduction states,"Americans are very inventive, even if what they invent is wrong. They are inventing posture after posture, making up names for them. Then they sell their wares to innocent, uninitiated people who do not know that they are getting ripped off, even getting hurt. There are more flavors of Hatha Yoga in the West than ice cream. Americans think that's wonderful. I tell you it is disastrous. Most of these so-called Yoga systems are not Yoga at all. Giving them a Sanskrit or Bengali name doesn't make them Yoga." Bikram's series of postures and breathing performed in a 100-plus degree studio, taking 90 minutes, is one of the more challenging but worthwhile things you can do for your physical and spiritual well-being. It is certainly unique and is totally different than many of the so-called Yoga Systems available today. This book explains it all. Study it, take a Bikram class. They may change your life.

A very regular customer at my salon was recently bedridden for a day after attending what the instructor labelled his first lesson of yoga - 'Yoga Boot Camp'. Having heard her story, which I will not reiterate, I suggested she buy Bikram's Beginning Yoga, and offered to find out if it was still in print. I had purchased my copy whilst working in Saudi Arabia some 19 years ago. I pulled out my copy and re-read it - words of gold. It so inspired me I did all the exercises after 13 hours at work - and yes, I still felt the way I had during my early years of yoga - wonderfully relaxed, stretched out, and eager to repeat the lessons tomorrow.