Yoga: The heat is on

Sweltering heat is the only way to describe the weather in Mumbai. And while the temperature never really shoots past 35-37 degrees, it has now. It is 41 degrees at Andheri’s True Fitness. Over 20 members of this fitness facility are performing yogic asanas.

Bikram’s Hot Yoga, as this workout is known, works on the premise that heat enhances flexibility and thereby boosts the effects of yoga. Add to that, at the temperature of 40 degrees and above, the body burns close to 500 calories an hour just by breathing… so one can only imagine the amount of calories that could be burnt.

This 40-year-old yoga technique was introduced in Mumbai a few months ago when True Fitness opened up. Hot yoga was introduced in the 1970s by Bikram Choudhury, a 65-year-old, Kolkata-born yogiraj (a yoga expert). Choudhury has been practising yoga for 4-6 hours a day since he was a teenager. Over the years, he went out to win the National India Yoga Championship for three consecutive years and was hailed the undisputed leader in yoga of his time. A weightlifting accident that had rendered him immobile was cured by practising ‘Hot Yoga’, which encouraged him to open yoga schools in India, Japan and finally the US, where he gained immense popularity.

Back in the blazing hot yoga room at the fitness centre in Mumbai, 20 members are warming up. Warm-ups are extremely important with any form of exercise and sports and especially so for hot yoga for the body has to acclimatise to the heat of the room. The emphasis lies on diaphragmatic breathing, the right way to breathe from the stomach.

Once it is in order, the class begins with the asanas. The first of the asanas to be performed is the ardha-chandrasana (half moon pose). Hands stretched and joined over the head, the body has to bend towards one side of your body and then, the other without providing any support—no bending of the arms and knees nor forward tilting of the body. With this, the stretch is felt on the side of the body from the waistline down to the thighs. The benefits: this asana promotes kidney functions and helps to cure enlargement of the liver and spleen.

During the hour-long class, 25 more asanas are performed. Of the entire list of asanas, the first four are basic postures to relieve the body of its stress; the fifth to the 12th asanas are known to reap results in cases of weight control, insomnia and obesity. Best for cancer and arthritic patients are the asanas from 13-18 and the rest help with diabetes.

Each asana is chosen such that no single part of the body remains elusive to the workout, therefore, allowing a holistic approach to exercising. Unlike using the gymnasium, where one focusses on cardio on one day and weights on the other, yoga asanas works out all the muscles of the body evenly. These asanas have also been chosen to ensure that the most commonly known ailments—for which allopathic treatments can stretch for painfully long periods, like cancer and arthritis—are addressed.

On the flip side, yoga can be harmful if the asanas are not done right. An argument among fitness experts is whether hot yoga treats all medical ailments, especially when speaking of high blood pressure. The reason being that in the heat, the body loses water content and therefore could have an ill-effect on the patient. Therefore, no yoga teacher will ever profess that the asanas, unless you have been trained for a long time, should be done without supervision. But Bikram’s Yoga has done wonders and so far, there have been no complaints.

Bikram’s Hot Yoga can be availed of for Rs 36,000 a year at True Fitness, Third and Fourth Level, Crystal Point Mall, New Andheri Link Road, Andheri(West), Mumbai-400053; 022-67846784; www.truefitness.in

Five Asanas

Yoga for Insomnia, Obesity and Weight Control: DANDAYAMANA-JANUSHIRASANA

• When you learn to lock the knee properly, this posture improves the flexibility of the sciatic nerves and strengthens the hamstrings and leg muscles.
• It works the muscles of the back, biceps and triceps.

Yoga for Stress: ARDHA-CHANDRASANA

• Strengthens every muscle in the body’s core, especially in the abdomen.
• Increases the flexibility of the spine; promotes proper kidney function and helps to cure enlargement of the liver and spleen.

Wind-removing Pose: PAVANAMUKTASANA

• By pulling the right leg down, you are compressing and massaging the ascending colon.
• When both legs are glued to the chest, you massage the transverse colon and compress the entire digestive system.

Cobra Pose: BHUJANGASANA

• Cobra strengthens the lumbar spine, relieving pain and combating slipped or herniated discs, scoliosis and arthritis in the region.
• Improved digestion, relief from menstrual disorders, improved appetite and raising low BP.

Half Tortoise Pose: ARDHA-KURMASANA

• Enhances longevity.
• Great for tense necks and shoulders.
• Increases blood flow to the brain.