What is Bikram Yoga? 26 Pure Bikram Yoga Poses and Its Benefits

By | November 25, 2018

Yoga is one of the exercises that help in keeping body healthy, fit and free from most of the health issues. Yoga is followed in India from ancient times and practiced by most of the famous people to maintain their fitness. It is done completely with hands or legs and there is no requirement of any equipment unlike the gym or any other exercises. Each posture of pure Bikram Yoga is having several benefits. And if anyone is suffering from any specific problem then they will be able to get it cured by doing it for the mentioned period of time.

There are several yoga gurus in India training pure Bikram yoga at various centers. Yoga is getting popular mostly in the western countries these days who are wishing to maintain good health. These instructors follow and teach their students all the yoga asanas that are required for maintaining a healthy body.

What is Bikram Yoga?

Bikram Yoga is not something a specific type or form of yoga. But it is the traditional yoga in the revised form practiced by one of the experienced yoga gurus with the name Bikram Choudhary. This pure Bikram Yoga is designed from the original Hath Yoga and is known as hot yoga since 1970’s. This specially designed classes of yoga have many better health benefits and due to which it has been accepted by most of the western countries. All over the globe Bikram Yoga got popularized and at present there are near about 1500 hot yoga studios. And these studios are maintained only by the certified pure Bikram Yoga instructors. Pure Bikram Yoga practitioners include famous personalities and celebrities across the world.

Bikram and Hatha Yoga

Bikram Yoga is a revised form of the traditional hath yoga with lots of variations in it over the traditional ones. Pure Bikram yoga is in the following way and differs from all others.

  • One of the most important things is that Bikram Yoga is a set of 26 poses along with two breathing exercises. And the same is followed in the teaching centers all around the world.
  • The special feature of Pure Bikram Yoga is that it is performed or trained only in hot rooms where a temperature of 40 to 42 degrees centigrade is maintained.
  • The complete set of Bikram Yoga is a 90 minutes class.

Bikram Yoga Benefits

Bikram Yoga is offering lots of benefits that are essential to survive a happy life. Let’s have a look at the benefits of doing Bikram Yoga poses.

  • One can be flexible with lots of new strength added to the body.
  • The body will be able to balance everything finely and also there will be perfect coordination along with the endurance.
  • Bloating will be reduced at high levels.
  • Anxiety comes into control at the same time the stress levels will be decreased.
  • One who is suffering from sleeping issues can sleep now without any difficulty.
  • As the energy levels get increased one gets more activated.
  • This form of yoga is the perfect one for who is thinking to lose their body weight at a faster rate.
  • One of the major benefits is people can find that their body gets toned in a perfect way.
  • One can find themselves younger than earlier it means the aging effect slows down.
  • By performing Bikram Yoga skin glows naturally and shines.
  • One will be able to concentrate on the work they are doing.
  • Willpower along with the determination get enhanced in such a way which is not even expected.
  • One can gain the power of self-control on them under any situations or circumstances.
  • The immune system will be perfectly strengthened in such a way that all the illnesses present will get healed.
  • The mind gets a soothing effect and at the same time peace along with calmness.
  • This yoga will move oxygenated blood to all the organs of the body along with fiber.

Pure Bikram Yoga Poses

26 poses and 2 breathing exercises of Bikram yoga are dealt with warming, stretching of muscles, ligaments along with tendons to get the health benefits. There are 26 postures of Bikram yoga we are going to discuss in detail along with its benefits.

1. Standing Deep Breathing (Pranayama)

The set of pure Bikram yoga poses starts with the Pranayama which is a breathing exercise in the standing position.

Stand with your feet grounded interlace your fingers place the knuckles of those interlaced fingers firmly beneath your chin.

Simultaneously as you inhale slowly raise your elbows like wings on either side of your head while resisting with your fingers. Lower your chin into the lowermost part of you.

Standing Deep Breathing

Elbows should be at their peak at full inhale. The goal is to eventually elevate your elbows until your forearms meet your ears. Do not bend forward only lower your chin in a fluid movement open your mouth and release your exhalation slowly and steadily from your mouth for a long gown of six.

While simultaneously dropping your head backwards your elbows touch at the exact end of the exhale. Most people only use 10% of their lungs never allowing them to reach the maximum intended capacity which was intended.

This exercise brings the lungs to their full capacity increases circulation to the whole body and prepares the muscles for activation. During your exhalation bring your arms wrists and elbows forward meeting in front of your face, drop your arms naturally to your sides.

All the issues related to breathing gets repaired such as Bronchitis, shortness of breath along with emphysema. It also helps in providing oxygen all over the body at the same time improvises focus on ay work that is being performed.

2. Half Moon Pose (ArthaChandrasana)

Stretch your arms overhead sideways interlocking your fingers and making a tight grip without bending your arms or legs.

Slowly bend directly to your right as much as possible keep your entire body facing forward. Keep your arms straight and simultaneously push your hips directly to the left feel the pull along the entire left side of your body.

Look at your Halfmoon reflection in the mirror from the side your body is in a straight line. Stretch a little bit more and stay there for 10 seconds.

Half Moon Pose

Slowly come up to center position while keeping your arms overhead. Lift your torso to the ceiling while keeping your arms straight and pressed against your ears palms flat and thumbs locked holding tight.

Bend slowly to your left as much as possible while pushing your hips to the right come slowly back to center position and straighten your arms overhead. Lift your torso up out of your hips inhale and hold your breath and slowly drop your head back as much as possible.

Bend arms and body backward while keeping your arms straight. Push forward more and bend backwards more and your weight should be on your heels. Slowly come up to center position keeping your arms over your head palms together and thumbs crossed.

Then forward from the hips all in one piece from glutes to fingertips. When you no longer can keep your legs straight completely relaxed bending your knees as well as reaching around your legs grabbing hold of your heels with your hands and allowing your four fingers and thumbs to touch the floor.

Bend your elbows and press the inner forearms completely against the back of your calves. The goal is eventually to touch your elbows together behind your knees. Stretch your body towards the floor while touching your stomach to your thigh muscles chest on the knees and face below the knees. Straighten your legs as much as possible concentrating on your exhalation as you breathe while lifting your hips toward the ceiling. Hold this pose for six breath cycles. Release your heels and come up slowly. now lower your arms slowly to your sides.

3. Awkward Pose (Utkatasana)

Stand with your feet apart more than six inches with your heels and toes square like an H.  Do not allow your knees to track past your big toes. Raise your arms in front of you so they are parallel to the floor with palms facing down keeping all muscles engaged and tight.

Stand up on your toes like a ballerina with your knees apart six inches. Sit until the backs of your thighs are parallel to the floor as if you were sitting in a chair.

Awkward Pose

It is okay if you cannot come completely down and instead try to come halfway down. Focus on one point in the room keeping total concentration with that spot.

Slowly come up continuing to keep hands and arms parallel to the floor and allow your arms to meet your side’s while slowly lowering your feet completely to the floor

4. Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

Stand with feet together and raise your arms overhead swing your arms down and allow your right arm to wrap around the left crossing at the elbow.

Twist your right hand towards your face and around the left forearm bend your knees about six inches until you feel a healthy pull and transfer your weight to your left leg while lifting your right leg high bringing it over the left thigh and wrapping around your calf and foot totally.

Eagle Pose

Once your leg is wrapped sink down even deeper onto the standing leg.

Uncross arms and legs and reverse posture to the left then raise arms overhead and back down to your sides.

5. Standing Head to Knee Pose (Dandayamana Janu sirsasana)

Slowly lift your right leg and interlock your fingers in front of you hinge down from the hips to allow your interlocked fingers to grasp firmly beneath your foot about one inch from the base of your toes with your thumbs resting on the tops of your toes.

Straighten your leg completely and keep your thigh muscles tight. Now pull the ball of your foot and your toes towards you bending your elbow straight down toward the floor.

Use your strength to pull more on the toes with your hands push more forward with the heel. Slowly straighten up and pull your knee towards your chest before allowing your right foot down.

Standing Head to Knee Pose

Then pick up your left foot and lock your standing leg and reverse the pose holding it for 10 seconds. The pose helps develop concentration patience and determination.

Physically it tightens the abdominal and thigh muscles improves the flexibility of the sciatic nerve and strengthens the tendons and biceps of the thigh muscles and hamstrings in the legs.

Then slowly straighten up and allow your arms to fall back at your sides.

6. Standing Bow Pulling Pose (Dandayamana Danurasana)

Lift your right arm from your side and allow your palm space up with your arm outstretched.

Bend your right knee and lift your right foot backward and upward placing your foot into your cupped hand.

Standing Bow Pulling Pose

Raise your left arm in front of your fingers together and pointing forward.

Lovell your hips squarely forward with the raised in ease moving directly to the floor. Roll forward like a wheel until your abdomen is parallel to the floor. While at the same time 20 toes and kicking your right foot upward and backward with all your sweet.

Allow your leg to come slowly back downwards while allowing your hand to slowly come to your side as well repeat with the left side.

7. Balancing stick Pose (Tuladandasana)

Reach your hands above your head and allow your right leg to come forward about three feet with level and squared hips. While hinging from the waist and pivoting forward on your hip joints and raising your left leg behind you until your entire body is parallel to the floor.

Balancing stick Pose

Step back to Center with feet together and arms still outstretched over your head.

Repeat on other side of the body and release your arms back down to your sides standing

8. Standing separate leg stretching pose (Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimottanasana)

Lift your arms overhead take a big step to the right about three to four feet allow your arms to come down hinge forward from your hips putting your weight onto your heels.

Standing separate leg stretching pose

And sliding your arms down the back side of your legs to grip the backs of your ankles firmly near the heel with your thumbs on the outside of the feet.

Slowly straighten up and raise your arms back parallel and bring your right foot back to center. Raise your arms to meet back overhead and allow them to fall back down to your sides

9. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

Raise your arms to meet overhead and then allow them to fall parallel to the floor. While simultaneously taking a step to your left with your left leg push your hips and stomach forward.

Keep your left knee strong and flexed while turning your right foot and leg directly to the right bending your right knee while keeping your spine straight.

Triangle Pose

Keeping your arms straight bend your torso directly to the right while placing your elbow in front of the right knee and the fingertips against the big toe.

Look up at the ceiling fingers together and palm facing forward straighten your right leg back to standing and turn your right foot forward with your arms still extended sideways.

Turn your left foot and leg to the left while keeping your right foot facing forward. Straighten the left leg and turn body and foot to the front then move your right leg back to center.

This is the only posture in the world that improves every muscle joint tendon and internal organ in the body it revitalizes nerves mains and tendons.

10. Standing separate leg Forehead to Knee Pose (Dandayamana Vibhaktapada Janu Sirsasana)

Elevate your arms to have your palms meet overhead.

With your right leg take a big step sideways also turning your hips torso face and arms overhead directly to the right.

Standing separate leg Forehead to Knee Pose

Keeping both legs straight then forward from your hips and touch your chin to your chest.

Straighten up still facing to the right and reverse the pose to the left

11. Tree Pose (Tadasana)

With your feet together fix your gaze upon one spot in the room. Reach down and take a hold of your right foot to meet the top of your left thigh with the sole facing the ceiling.

Tree Pose

Straighten your spine and tighten your buttocks force the bent knee downward and have your palms meet in front of your chest.

Gently lower your right leg to the floor and relax it. Refix your gaze and pick up the left foot continuing the pose on the other side.

12. Toe stand (Padangustasana)

Exactly isn’t Tree Pose shift your weight to your left leg and lift your right foot up onto your left thigh. Place your hands in front of your breastbone palm to palm bending from the lower spine reach forward with both hands to the floor.

Supporting yourself with your fingers sink down slowly the rest of the way on the ball of your left foot until your right buttock is sitting on your left heel.

Toe stand

Once you are down with your legs still crossed over your left side move your hands to your side sitting on your heel and balancing yourself on the bottom.

Stand up slowly by putting both hands in front of you. Or she left me backward until its strength and come up the same way you went down.

Lower your right foot and shake the leg to relax it.

Raise the left foot onto your right thigh and repeat the toast end on the left side

13. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Spread your towels on the floor and lie flat on your back. You should never live with your feet toward the front of the room.

Arms should be at your sides with palms facing upward feet relaxed and flopping.

Corpse Pose

Breathe normally and completely relax for two minutes.

Corpse pose return circulation to normal and teaches complete relaxation

14. Wind Removing Pose (Pavanmuktasana)

From where you lie in Savasana, bend your right knee towards your chest interlacing your fingers of both hands and taking hold of the raised leg two inches below the knee.

Keep your elbows close to your body and shoulders relaxed on the floor. Pull your knee to your chest with your foot relaxed. Lower the right leg and both arms to the floor and then bend the left knee and reverse the pose. Then lower the left leg and both arms to the floor.

Wind Removing Pose

Lift both knees up to the chest and clasp your arms around them just under the knees and hug them tightly hands grasping opposite elbows.

Keeping your shoulders on the floor pull your knees down to the chest as much as possible. And lower your chin to your chest and force your hips downward until your tailbone touches the floor. Lower both legs and arms to the floor

15. Bikram Yoga Sit Up (PadaHasthasana)

Lie down on your back with your toes flexed upwards towards the ceiling and bring both arms overhead and cross your thumbs.

Bikram Yoga Sit Up

Promptly dive forward while you exhale and reach for your toes keeping your legs on the floor.

16. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Lie down on your towel on your stomach with your legs and feet together all the muscles in your legs and buttocks are tight like rocks.

Look up at the ceiling using your spine strength to lift yourself and raise your torso off the floor only to your bellybutton.

Cobra Pose

Arch your back as much as possible with head and torso still only using your spinal strength. Slowly lower out of your torso and turn your face to one side.

17. Locust Pose (Salabhasana)

Lie on your towel on your stomach with your chin on the towel. Put your arms under your body with elbows turned upward against your abdomen raise the right leg straight upward to a 45-degree angle.

The toe of your right leg should be pointed slowly lower your right leg to the floor while still keeping your arms under your body. Lift your left leg straight up and hold with the toe pointing.

Locust Pose

Slowly lower the left leg and tilt your head down so that your lips touch your towel. With arms in the same position and legs, straight toes pointed take a deep breath and raise both legs and hips simultaneously off of the floor.

Lower both legs slowly with control and pull your arms out from underneath your body and relax them at your side’s the palms up and turn your face to one side.

18. Full Locust Pose (PoornaSalabhasana)

Lying on your towel on your stomach stretch your arms out to the sides with your palms facing down.

Full Locust Pose

Put your chin on the towel and your knees legs and feet together on a deep inhalation all in one movement look up at the ceiling and raise your arms head chest torso and legs up and off the floor.

Slowly come down and turn your head to one side with your arms relaxed at your sides.

19. Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

Lie on your stomach on the towel then your knees and bring your feet towards your buttocks. Grasping the instep firmly about two inches below your pointed toes.

Bow Pose

On a deep inhalation look up at the ceiling while lifting your thighs and upper body off of the floor. Kick backwards against your hands while lifting the legs even higher off of the floor.

Roll your bodyweight farther forward the higher that you kick. Lower your torso and leg slowly and turn your head to the side

20. Fixed Firm Pose (SuptaVajrasana)

Move your feet apart only the width of your hips. Place your hands behind you on your feet.  Bend your right elbow down to the floor behind you. And then bend your left elbow to the floor so that your torso is leaning backward supported by the elbows.

Fixed Firm Pose

Raise your arms overhead opposite hands grabbing opposite elbows with both arms flat on the floor.

Tuck your chin downward towards your chest and completely relax. Come up slowly using elbows and hands for support and rest your hands on the tops of your thighs.

21. Half Tortoise Pose (ArdhaKurmasana)

Kneel down Japanese-style at the front of your mat. Raise your arms up over your head sideways with your palms together. The arms touching your ears then slowly forward on your lower spine in a straight line from the tailbone to your fingertips.

Half Tortoise Pose

Stretching your spine forward and emphasize this deep exhalation. Stretch your arms forward as much as possible then touch your forehead to the mat with your chin away from your chest.

Totally relax your back and shoulders come up exactly as you went down slowly in one solid piece keep your hips touching your heels and back is straight lower the arms down sideways.

22. Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

Stand up on your knees on your mat. Knees and feet six inches apart. Put your hands on the back of your hips with your fingers pointing toward the floor.

Keeping your hands on your hips drop your head back completely. Bring your right hand down and take a firm hold of your right heel thumb on the outside and fingers pointing downward.

Camel Pose

Then bring your left hand down and take hold of your left heel thumb outside again and fingers pointing inward. Simultaneously arc your torso backward .you should feel it in the small of your back come up slowly the way that you went down.

Right hand to the right hip and left hand back to the left hip to help you to straighten.

23. Rabbit Pose (Sasangasana)

Kneel on your mat Japanese style reach around and grasp your heels so that your thumbs are on the outside and you are cradling your heels in your palms.

Lower your chin to your chest with emphasis on your exhalation and curl your torso slowly and tightly forward. Until your forehead touches your knees and the top of your head touches the floor.

Rabbit Pose

Lift your hips into the air rolling your body forward like a wheel if there is a gap between the forehead and knees walk the knees forward until they touch the forehead rather than reaching for the knees with the forehead.

Very slowly uncurl back up to your kneeling position an exact reversal of the way that you came into this posture.

24. Head to knee pose and stretching pose (Janushirsasna with Paschimottanasana)

Sit on the floor and stretch your right leg to the right. Bend your left knee raise your arms overhead sideways and with your arms and head together stretch down over the straight right leg.

Take hold of your right foot with both hands and fingers tightly interlocked under the toes and the thumbs crossed on the tops of the toes.

Head to knee pose and stretching pose

Pull back the toes towards you as much as possible. Come up slowly and reverse the pose on the left side. This is a pulling exercise and slowly bend your elbow straight down toward the floor.

Tuck your chin to your chest and touch your forehead to your knee. If your knee is bent try to push it down with your forehead. Come up and extend both legs straight out in front of you. Take hold of your big toes with the first two fingers of each hand.

Pull the toes towards you as much as possible. With the emphasis on exhalation and without bending your knees touch your elbows to the floor and touch stomach chest and face to your legs.

Your goal is to pull your heels off of the floor and touch your forehead to your toes come up slowly and allow your hands to rest at your side.

25. Spine Twisting Pose (ArdhaMatsyendrasana)

Bend your left leg so that your knee is on the floor and your left heel is touching the side of your right buttock. Bend your right knee and bring your right leg over the left leg.

Putting your right foot down just to the left of your left knee. Bring your left arm to the right and over your right knee. Press the elbow of that arm back against the right knee in between the left knee and the right ankle.

Spine Twisting Pose

Grasping the kneecap firmly with your palm. Turn your head to the right and twist your face shoulders and the whole torso to the right unwind.

Reverse legs and arms and do the pose to the left side now.

Spine twisting pose is the only exercise that twists the spine from top to bottom at the same time. It increases circulation and nutrition to spinal nerves veins and tissues. It improves spinal elasticity and flexibility in addition to the flexibility of the hip joint.

26. Blowing in Firm (Kapalabhathi)

Kneeled down Japanese-style with your spine very straight and hands resting on. Begin to blow your breath vigorously through your lips as though blowing out a candle.

Blowing in Firm

Concentrate on your exhalations pull in your stomach and firmly and then immediately relax in your stomach and contracted firmly with the next exhalation.

Repeat this 60 times slowly and rhythmically giving each exhalation one count.

Watch Bikram Yoga Video:

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All the above are the set of 26 poses in Pure Bikram Yoga, which helps in maintaining a balanced health from the head to toe by circulating blood as well as oxygen to entire body parts.