Bikram s Yoga College of India Revenue and Competitors

With roots in hatha yoga, Bikram yoga was created to heal. Bikram Choudhury, a life-long yoga practitioner in Beverly Hills and founder of the Yoga College of India, developed Bikram yoga after he was injured in a weightlifting accident. The healing benefits he discovered have attracted many practitioners to this yoga form. "The whole concept is 'let's take all the things that Americans do to themselves and reverse it,'" Parker said. "One of the reasons we use heat is it helps to detoxify the body. Moist heat is better for your joints." With the heart working to hold each pose 10 to 60 seconds, Bikram also provides cardiovascular benefits, she said. By heating up the yoga studio, Bikram instructors are able to replicate the hot climate of India, where yoga originated 4,000 years ago. Choudhury is so committed to the healing focus of the Bikram yoga series that no one is allowed to become a certified instructor until he or she has passed an intensive 16-week training session, Parker said. Accompanying lifestyle changes, including stress reduction, increased body awareness, sense of acceptance and appreciation for relaxation, further enhance the physical benefits of regular Bikram practice. While there are many forms of yoga and more than 800 yoga postures, Bikram yoga isolates 26 "medicinal" postures. "Most of us have had back problems. I don't know of anybody over the age of 20 who doesn't. So we do a lot of back stretching," Parker said. "A lot of people use Bikram yoga for healing. We see a lot of people coming here because their chiropractor sent them. We've had people come off of their medications. That's what happens with yoga. It's powerful stuff."Students are advised not to eat for at least two hours before a yoga class to allow their digestive system to cleanse and work freely. They also are encouraged to drink lots of water and to bring bottled water with them. After a session they can take a shower to cool down. Parker said students should also drink plenty of fluids containing electrolytes that are rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium. A hot yoga session tends to deplete the body of these natural salts that are necessary for regulating organ function. Wearing the right types of clothing in a heated studio is also important. Men usually wear a swim suit or jogging shorts. Women usually wear shorts or capris and a yoga/athletic top. T- shirts are optional. A large towel and yoga mat - all available for rent or purchase at the studio - are also required for yoga sessions. "Some people after class get an amazing burst of energy," Parker said. Kate Chapman of Quincy emerged from her first yoga session drenched in sweat but feeling no pain. "It went really well," she said. "The hardest part for me was the heat. I've done yoga classes before, but not with the heat." Chapman, a mother of two, said 15 years ago her goal was simply to remain fit. "Now, it's for balance and mental state."The different postures work to improve every vital system of the body - endocrine, respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive and emotional - and reshape the skeletal system to its natural alignment. Restoring a healthy balance among these systems is considered the key to reducing or eliminating pain and a host of chronic ailments like stress, anxiety, lower back pain, hypertension, diabetes and depression, Parker said. "Yoga is a marriage between the heart and the lungs. The more lung capacity you have, the longer you're going to live," said Parker, who has seen people "coming in on crutches and walking out" without them. Liggett, 52, like Parker, was a high-powered corporate executive. He worked at Reebok in Canton. Golfing and running were his hobbies. He began studying yoga to improve his golf game and to ease the chronic pain caused by daily long-distance running. "I was a runner for 30 years. I got into yoga because I was having so many problems with my body, because of running.