Bikram's Beginning Yoga Class: Revised and Updated

I'd say this is a useful as a supplement to regularly going to Bikram Yoga classes.Some of my classes are taught by the woman who was the first UK teacher to qualify and there is another very experienced teacher there and there are differences in the way that they, as well as the newer teachers, teach some of the postures, important differences apparently.The fact that people who have only recently finished their training are telling you things that are different from the book shows that Bikram has made subtle changes to the training over the years. I think this book was published over ten years ago, the original version even longer ago.If you have no chance of getting to a Bikram class because you don't have a studio near you then this book is still a lot better than nothing (you can also watch videos on Youtube) and you can get a CD with the dialogue talking you through it as well. There is interesting information in here that you don't usually hear in a class. The instructors just don't have the time to say much apart from the dialogue.A revised edition is needed. Some people seem to complain about the black and white photos but it's not important to me. As for the "conversatons", well yes they are made up (presumably) and might seem corny but it is a way of imparting information and it does this in a light hearted way without making it too dreary or intense.It's not expensive so I'd recommend it to anyone practicing or interested in Bikram Yoga.

I bought this when I first got back into bikram yoga as I wanted to understand each of the postures better and pick up some tips on technique. I thought "what could be better than a book by Bikram himself?". It's written as a script for a class and it is amusing in areas and there are some useful insights. The postures are supposedly split into "ideal" and "reality", though I find there is not a huge difference between them. I have since bought Gabrielle Raiz's "Hot Yoga Masterclass" which is I find much better structured and more useful.

I boutght this book to try and get a better understanding of Bikram Yoga - the why's and wherefore's. It expounds the benefits of going every days etc, which for me is not feasible, given all my other comitments. It does not adequately explain WHY the various poses work, nor what the underlying philisophy is. It's written quite casually & does not do an adequate job os describing the poses either. A web companion with videos of poses and a good deal of editorial enhancement would massively improve this book.

This book is great but I am not sure I would class this as a beginners book. I think it's worth going to a few classes first to really understand what the poses should look/feel like, but this book is certainly a good guide and serves as a reminder of what the human body can do. There are some excellent before and after shots of people who've practiced yoga and gotten better at the Bikram poses.

LOVE this book. Clear instruction illustrated with pictures. What I find especially helpful is the comparison between the ideal of what the pose is supposed to be, and the 'real' - which is where ordinary non-athletic people like me usually are! Since I don't live near a Bikram Center I'm doing this at home, and find the book especially clear and helpful for self-learning.

This book is very well written & encourages the new comers to Bikram to not give up once you start Bikram. Easy & pleasant read, useful to have to understand the postures better. Very useful . Would recommend it as an aid to read after having attended your first Bikram session . It helped me understand that I wasn't doing the poses the right way & How to improve.

I have just started a Bikram yoga class. I love this book because it shows you all the poses as they are ideally done plus what a beginner can expect to be able to do. Plus it has notes from people who go to classes, and clearly explains the benefits of each pose. Lighthearted too. Only criticism is that some of the photos are a bit strange, and of poor quality.

for all yogis doing Bikram yoga, this is a great book to fully explain the postures and what you can expect from said postures, where as beginners we go wrong and where with little repostioning we can be better, a book you can keep going back to no matter how long you have been practicing