I love practicing Bikram yoga in other countries. Husband and I went to Rome and hearing the dialogue in Italian was one of my favorite parts of the trip, closely following Carciofi alla Romana and the fact that Nutella is considered a food group. Plus, I now know the Italian word for “change” is “cambia.” Healthy and educational.
The slight differences in international studios are interesting to note (Italian students seem to groan more than their American counterparts) but generally, I am comforted by the routine and I’ve felt very welcome in Bikram studios in far off lands.
While Bikram is my yoga/drug of choice, I thought I would branch out and try some other varietals. Some Ashtanga, some Vinyasa, I even threw some Iyanger in there. It’s been fun, flirting with other practices. I’ve learned cool new things. But there is one constant I’ve found.
I warn you, it’s unpleasant.
At every studio I’ve gone to, they ask if I’m new to yoga. I tell them I’m new to the studio but I have yoga experience, mostly Bikram. As soon as that comes out of my mouth, tension fills the room and I feel like an interloper.
“Well, this is not that.”
Well, of course it’s not that. If I wanted that, I’d be at the studio where they do that.
And why say “that” like you are pointing to something slimy on the floor?
Why is Bikram the red-headed stepchild of yoga?
Where is the non-judgmental yogi attitude I’ve come to love? Did I balk at the new studio when I was told to get blocks and straps, just because my main form of yoga doesn’t use props? Hell, no. I did it their way because I was in their house.
Yet, I’ve experienced it all, from eye rolling to a long lecture about how Bikram is going to distroy my skeletal system and kill me in my sleep.
Is it because Bikram is a relatively new form of yoga? Is it because of the heat? Is it because Bikram Choudhury himself is a bit of an odd duck, who takes branding super seriously? Maybe it’s not a targeted hot yoga vendetta at all. Maybe people are just generally dogmatic and want to prostheletize their own way, bashing yours in the process.
I would love to return to the idea of different – yet equally valid – paths up the mountain. I believe that we are all trying to get to the same place with our yoga; different branches of the discipline just speak to us in different ways.
Practice and let practice, yogis.
If you’ve had similar experiences (or vastly different ones) please share. I’d be interested to know how others interpret this phenomenon…
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Just here. Just now. 
There’s a guy who practices regularly at my home Bikram studio who always warms up before class with a headstand, and sometimes does some salutations after class. We talked before class the other day, and he said he practices Ashtanga on a regular basis, encouraging me to try out some other kinds of yoga, even if Bikram is my main focus. It doesn’t sound like there was any vibing, putting down of his Bikram practice when he first got involved in the practice.
I would love to try other kinds of yoga, but I am super broke at the moment as I am saving up for Spring Bikram teacher training (as you know), and am on work-trade at the studio, granting me with fully discounted classes.
And that’s interesting about your international yogi experiences. I hope to someday practice (and maybe TEACH) in other countries. A teacher of mine spent some time teaching in Thailand.
-Jacob
Taking classes internationally is really awesome – I can only imagine how fantastic it would be to teach! My husband travels for work, and he’s also practiced in Canada and South Africa. It’s really interesting to have this shared common experience in a foreign culture! Thanks for reading, Jacob!
Having started in Iyengar yoga I had the opposite experience when I tried Bikram for the first time. Same disdainful attitude for the other discipline.:)
Oh, no! Bad, yogis, BAD!
Interesting. I’d have to guess that any animosity stems from the copyrighting of Bikram yoga by Mr. Choudhury and the inability to teach it without attending his teacher training. Though I’m contemplating tryting to attend Bikram teacher training in 2012, I would love to travel the world and try out different types of yoga. I’ve already got a trip to Rishikesh, India on my bucket list. But now that you’ve brought this up, it seems that most of the people at my studio who travel internationally usually just stick to Bikram. Though I’d hope to be different, I realize that almost all of the studios I’v visited in the USA are Bikram and several of the ones that weren’t were Bikram knockoffs. So, I’m probably not much different in that I just stick to what I know and love. On a different note, I’d be interested to hear more about about how Bikram is going to destroy the skeletal system and kill people in their sleep.
I agree about the copywriting issue, I think that gets people riled up. But many people also seem critical of the practice itself. I’ve had a massage therapist tell me she loves Bikram, because it wrecks people’s bodies and she gets more business – which offended me on sooo many levels. I also had another yoga teacher tell me that locking out the knee would lead to me requiring knee surgery by the time I’m 40. So people definitely have their opinions!!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, David! I hope you get to training one day!
lots of good thoughts here! first of all, it’s great that you’re willing to branch out and try other styles. i think it shows a sense of exploration and adventure ~ which is good to see in a traveler.
and i agree that it’s disappointing to see the disdain for bikram yoga coming from other teachers. it’s too bad that we can’t all understand and be tolerant of other styles and expressions of the practice.
as for *why* bikram yoga is the “redheaded stepchild of yoga” (love that phrase!)… hard to say. i think the branding and copywriting has something to do with it, as well as bikram choudry’s personality.
i also rarely see a bikram presence in my local yoga community. i don’t see bikram teachers turning up at community events, supporting initiatives or collaborating with other studios/businesses. i also rarely see bikram teachers on the roster for conferences or other yoga gatherings; perhaps this is because it’s almost impossible to practice a hot sequence outside of the bikram studio. but it also, to me, shows a rigidity and lack of willingness to get involved.
i believe that the only way yogis will be tolerant and non-judgemental is through dialogue, experiential knowledge and collaboration. if we all challenge ourselves to step out of our comfort zone and experiment with other styles, we’ll be able to appreciate what every approach has to offer.
Thanks for all your great thoughts on this! I absolutely agree about the necessity of dialogue and collaboration. It was very interesting to get out of my comfort zone – it gave me great respect for other branches of the practice. I do think that Bikram’s persona plays a role, as well. Maybe I should care about that more than I do, but I figure – he’s not in my hot room, who cares if he’s a weirdo? I care much more about the fact that feel better than I ever have in my life!!! Thanks so much for your wonderful contribution to the conversation!
Very thoughtful points. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you stopped by!
little known fact: bikram was adopted and his natural hair color is red
Well, that explains everything. Thank you.
This saddens me, too! I am a Bikram student of a couple of years, now, and every time I visit family, they want me to accompany them to a yoga studio they have been meaning to check out. I get the same reaction when asked if I am new to yoga at a non-Bikram studio. I’ve been trying to think of a better way to introduce myself that would put things on a positive note. Thoughts?
Great blog! Keep writing!
I just tend to go in with a cheerful, accepting and loving attitude. I say I do Bikram, but I’m excited to learn more about other disciplines. I try to give what I would like to receive. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much. But at least I know I am being a good yogi – their reaction is their decision! But yes, it’s sad and annoying to deal with…but I’m going to keep trying!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so happy you enjoy the blog!
Loved this post and my husband and I often talk about this. I have tried lots of other styles from the yoga buffet. Some teachers snub me if I say I practice Bikram Yoga and a few have been very welcoming. I did a retreat in Costa Rica with Baron Baptiste (before I became a Bikram teacher) and he was so welcoming. At one point in class he said, “You can always spot the Bikram students in the room. They can truly balance on one leg for a long time!” So nice! Paul Grilley from Yin Yoga was also totally “normal” towards me when I attended his workshops. I also attended an Iyengar workshop in MN and the teacher said, “Iyengar students, help the Bikram students set up the props.” I loved it!
Jimmy Barkan used to represent Bikram Yoga at Yoga Journal Conferences. After Jimmy split from Bikram, there hasn’t been any Bikram representation at those conferences. But Yoga Journal constantly snubs Bikram, so I don’t blame him. There are lots of teachers who are offering posture clinics and there is (if you are a woman) the awesome Bikram Yoga Women’s Retreat.
As for why Bikram is always snubbed, he can be “difficult” to love. He is a controversial figure. He tells crass jokes sometimes. He isn’t shy about showing both sides of the coin — the good and the bad.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! It makes me so happy to hear about different disciplines being helpful and accepting of one another. I’d love to do a retreat one day. Yoga in a beautiful locale??? Sound ideal to me!
Thank you for reading!
I had a very similar experience when I tried a different style of yoga. Not only did the teacher state “We won’t lock you out of the room.” but the other students gathered around me and began to give their testimonies of how the one Bikram class they took had bright lights, mirrors and the teacher yelled at them in a room that was too hot. Like someone else said. That’s their choice to be like that. It’s just not the yoga for them.
Ew. Judgey yogis are so gross. I like to say something really zen, like “Well, it’s just all different paths up the same mountain and I guess that path wasn’t for you” to attempt to make them feel bad about being snotty. I don’t think it works, but it makes me feel better than saying something like – “well maybe it’s just because you are wimp.” Better karma, I would think…. Thanks so much for reading!
I do love that you wrote this article. Thank you for your work! 🙂
I’m just sitting here wondering…how is being judgemental (“Ew, Judgey Yogis are so gross”)–even when it’s about Judgemental People–any different than any other form of judgement?
Doesn’t seem to me that being judgemental of them is any different than what they’re doing… Just curious about your view on this. Perhaps judgemental people are here to teach us what it is to be truly unconditional in our state of peace within ourselves.
When we are holding a place of “wow, who do you think you are? you’ve meant to be higher, and look at you!” that’s a VIBRATION we are resonating with…that attempts to put ourself in a (false) place of being “better” than them, too. Which seems to be similar to what they attempted to do to us/you by “judging” bikram in the first place.
To say something that is an attempt to “make them feel bad” (even if the WHY “about being snotty” seems validated…) seems like the same underlying attitude to me. I know I’ve certainly done this too, at times, in my life and at moments when I’ve felt that I certainly knew better than others on particular topics. In those moments when my mind wanted to “teach someone a thing or two” I have a clue that there’s some insecurity in me that NEEDS to be right in that moment. And seeing myself in the judgmental people…helps me to truly let go of resonating with that judgmental vibe. Letting go of the need to be right, gives me AND them space to be wherever we need to be.
And too, when I know that people tend to feel this way anyway (threatened or insecure) when I mention “Bikram” or that I’m “Fasting” for eg. it’s so much easier to not mention it in the first place. If a part of me REALLY wants to let others know, I have to look UNDER that and ask, why do I want to feel superior here? Can’t I just be at peace with my decision to practice, and not need to tell the world about it?
I love how you wrote, what you wrote. You seem really open minded to me, so I decided to just put my immediate thoughts down here…I’m headed to Bikram now, it’s been a while, I’ve been deep in mama mode! So excited to return!
Hoping you enjoy your day…
Yep – I fully admit that sometimes I am intolerant of intolerance and judgmental of the judgey. It’s tricky. That’s why I’m still a work in progress. 🙂 It’s good to look at those things, though, and try to come to a greater sense of peace with them. So glad you are able to get back to class – enjoy! Namaste and thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
I love trying different bikram studios as well, it’s so comforting to know it will be the same where ever you go but different at the same time. I haven’t tried too many yet Just kentucky, thailand, and georgia. I’d like to try it everywhere I go. Love this post have experienced what you’re talking about with the “that” too funny
It’s always interesting isn’t it? Thailand! Cool! I can’t wait to get more international Bikram under my belt. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Ya – Bikram explicitly criticizes practically all other forms of American yoga – so their feelings are probably hurt. Plus the packed Bikram rooms, full of every size, shape, color, gender and age of totally focused and determined yogis probably make them jealous!
Many people cannot take the heat. They do not have the motivation or self confidence to stick out a class. So people disdain what they think they cannot have.
I do Bikram periodically and I find it has a supporting role in my yoga practice. The intense heat tends to create a mental focus all its own and Bikram’s inclusion of pranayama adds power to the practice. In general however, I much prefer a power-flow type practice for going deep into the yoking experience. I find all the western gurus from Bikram to Baptiste etc. a little annoying in their materialism but I am grateful for their studios. I like Baptiste’s vinyasa for asanas and flow but I am very committed to Iyengar’s interpretation of Patanjali. The Asanas are only one of the 8 petals, westerners are far too focused on the benefits to the body.
Hi Mark,
Glad to hear that you have found a balance of practices that work for you. That’s what it’s all about, listening to your body and honoring your individuality. There is no one yoga answer that works for everyone. While it’s true that some people are only concerned with the body, I think there are many westerners (me included) who go deeper with the 8 Limbs, study Patanjali and consider it to be a whole-life spiritual practice. I think that’s a wonderful thing! Thanks for reading and namaste.
I’m fully intending to remember and use that phrase ‘different and equally valid paths up the mountain’ 🙂 There’s no Bikram anywhere near me, and I suspect it wouldn’t be for me as I struggle even on a summer’s day here (a heady 25 Celsius, if we’re very lucky) but that doesn’t mean I’d never give it a go if I had a chance, or be disrespectful or unwelcoming to someone who does it.
Thanks! It’s so funny – I’m Canadian and hate the heat, too. But somehow, in the yoga studio it works for me. Thanks for reading!