Why is Bikram Hot Yoga 90 minutes?

Posted 25th October 2016

Time is of the essence.

Why 90 minutes?

With the rise of technology to ‘assist’ us with our every move, we can do more and we fit more into ever minute. We live in a ‘go’ society, a hectic fast-paced world, where we are trying to fit more into our day than ever. So why take a whole 90 minutes out, just for you, your mind & body? Rhetorical question – but that would make for quite a short article, so read on for a few more reasons…!

Tony Schwartz wrote in an article for the Huffington Post ” To operate at our best, we need to renew our energy at 90-minute intervals — not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. When we build this rhythm into our lives, it changes everything.”

Bikram Yoga has been practiced as a 90 minute series of 26 postures + 2 breathing exercises, for over 40 years. In this time, it has accumulated millions of dedicated practitioners around the world, due to the many physical and mental benefits they have experienced.

90 minutes is the optimum length of time for the class to be practised in its most effective way, allowing:

– oxygenating breathing at the beginning of class and a detoxing breathing at the end;

– the optimum duration of each posture;

– second sets, which give you the opportunity to deepen your practise and see improvements instantly;

– a complete warm-up, slightly longer than the deeper structural work;

– a long Savasana after an intense Standing Series;

– a 20 second Savasana after every posture in the Floor Series, which is the minimum amount of time for your blood to circulate fully through your system ;

– a bit of extra time for Helen to forget what posture she’s teaching, for Andy to drop in a Beyonce/Kylie reference or for Fed to crack a joke and wait for his students to get it. Or not.

Rest/Savasnana between each posture is an integral part of the Bikram Yoga series. This is where the magic happens: Dead Body Pose facilitates powerful blood flow, then lets circulation return to normal, creating internal cleansing and greatly magnifying the benefits of the postures that precede it. We, also, begin to learn relaxation.

Sweatpic This particular 90-minute series of 26 postures + 2 breathing exercises, has been proved to systematically work every part of the body, to give all the internal organs, all the veins, all the ligaments, and all the muscles everything they need to maintain optimum health and maximum function. Each component takes care of something different in the body, and yet they all work together synergistically, contributing to the success of every other one, and extending its benefits.This is why it is so important to give yourself 90 minutes. For you; your body and mind. Not to steal a famous tag line, but… you are worth it!

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