Yoga vs. Yoga

I found this article about Bikram on Yogadork.com.  Click HERE if you're interested in more Bikram crazy-ness.

What I find interesting is Bikram's opinion that his yoga is the only yoga.  I've done Bikram Yoga.  I can tell you that it is certainly not completely unique and it's certainly not the 'only yoga', both of which are claims that Bikram likes to make.

I enjoyed the intense workout that Bikram Yoga gives, but the poses were similar to other types of yoga, and of course, there are other forms of yoga that obviously pre-date Bikram which disproves Bikram's claims.  I also found the man himself a little much.  Seriously.  You're not Elvis.  Also, I missed the calmness of yoga - Bikram classes are completely void of anything anywhere close to calmness.  So, while I enjoyed fact that it was an amazing workout, I found the philosophy a little hard to agree with which eventually sent me running for my nearest Moksha when the craving for hot yoga hit.  Also, Bikram is a very strictly controlled class.  There are no variences.  The teachers actually follow a script, which they repeat to every single class they teach.  It can get... a little overdone.  By day five, I was giggling every time the instructor told me to open my chest 'Like a flower. Petal. Blooming' and fold over 'like a japanese ham sandwich'.  Or to 'lock your knee, lock your knee, lock your knee.'  I mean, what do those first two quotes even mean?

Moksha takes the quietness and calmness of what I would call stereotypical yoga and mixes it with the heat and intesity of a Bikram workout.  The instructors don't yell.  Sometimes, there's great music.  You don't feel like a failure at life if a pose is a bit too much for you.  Also, while the classes are about 90% the same every time, there are differences in poses from class to class and, also, Moksha will alter their series every once in awhile.  Nothing major.  But enough to keep it interesting.  I don't know if I could do the same 90 minute class every day for the rest of my life.

Obviously, I'm a little biased.  I guess it comes down to personal choice.  If you'd like to have an instructor conduct the same class every day, using the same script every day, yelling at you every day, then go take a Bikram class.