Bikram Yoga - A Much Healthier Way of Getting High

There is a moment in every Bikram yoga class where I want to run screaming from the room. It's 105 degrees, I'm cursing the teacher and praying she'll open the door and let some fresh, cool air in. But once that feeling passes - usually more than halfway through the class when I hit the floor - it gets better.

Can Bikram yoga really replace addiction? In a way, it's a very healthy form of addiction. When I first started I went five times a week and felt guilty when I missed a class. A lot of people practice every day. I'm not one of them. Bikram is also addicting - when you haven't been for awhile you know you need to go back. Aside from the physical benefit of getting in the best shape of your life - the spiritual piece is powerful.

I always walk out of that room high as a kite - with a fabulous yoga buzz. A replacement for any drug Bikram is hot yoga but hotter and much more disciplined. If I go in the morning, I feel like I've won the lottery - at least for the next couple of days. Then I have to go back and do it again, to get the feeling again.


Bikram yogis are like parents - we have a secret community and bond that no one else understands. It's helped heal my back, neck and shoulders from tons of computer related injuries. It's good for the brain. And it's good for your body - as long as you practice the 26 postures done 2x each - correctly.

The Bikram mantra echoes those of Oprah (love yourself) and it works. For 90 minutes that's all you do - mostly in the mirror. There are studios all over the country and I recommend that you and/or your teen who is struggling with alcohol, drugs, depression and just plain obnoxiousness give it a shot. Bikram got me through a divorce, and it really does change your life.

Here's an article about yoga and its help curing addiction. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/fashion/13Mirror.html?scp=1&sq=teacher%20experience%20needed&st=cse