Bikram Yoga - why so much energy???

Thank you Kate. Very kind.

Also to be noted is that toxins would be released rolling around for 90 minutes in a sauna, dancing in a sweat lodge, trekking across the desert, eating an appropriate diet, avoiding toxic environments...

...when we begin to perceive Yoga as BEING the release of toxins through sweat glands we wander down a treacherous path :-)  It is merely a by-product of a certain sort of practice, as Kate so aptly points out.

I personally wouldn't place more emphasis on a practice that purges them then I would on practices that avoid them.

Gordon--Your answer makes so much sense. I love the things I learn here. As a practicing yogi, I want to add one more perspective: Yoga, like massage and other forms of bodywork, releases toxins, stored energy and emotions from the body, enabling it to work more efficiently. When I do a particularly rigorous practice, it often takes a couple of days to flush out all that has been released. Drinking lots of water before and after the practice seems to speed the process along.

What a fantastic response. I love that - the laws of physics. Things of motion remain in motion, etc. etc. etc. That will motivate me those moments where I'm tempted to collapse on the couch and stop all forward inertia.

Exercise boosts seratonin levels, which is one of the reasons it is recommended for patients with depression, in addition to the points Gordon made. Seratonin is responsible for feelings of well-being. There is a great article about hormones here: http://www.angelfire.com/hi/TheSeer/seratonin.html

Three factors. Physics, chemistry and purpose.

A body at rest tends to remain at rest while a body in motion tends to remain in motion. It is Newton's First Law or the Law of Inertia.

There are a variety of chemical reactions that occur in the body as a result of large muscle activity. It is common for some mental health practitioners to advocate large muscles activity to their patients suffering from depression. I presume it is this very chemical reaction that mandates such advice - though I do not know the nuances.

Additionally the lymphatic system, which is the only system in the body without it's own pump (respiratory-lungs; circulatory-heart etcetera) relies on movement of the body in order to get things going.

I don't think exercise inherently gives energy. It is part of an equation, yes. Think, for example, if you were fasting and thus not taking in any fuel to burn. The more energy you used the less you would have - baring survival behaviors which are inherent.

So it it more may be more accurate to say that exercise, in conjunction with other factors (proper nutrition and sleep) can energize the body.

At the physical level, any excercise, but in my opinion especially yoga, improves circulation. When your muscles get more blood and oxygen, they are more efficient at burning calories (which are just measurement of energy burned). You open up stagnant areas and your body thanks you for it!

Ah! Well, this is timely, I happen to have the answer for you. As I've mentioned here elsewhere, I'm in the two-day pranic healing level 1 workshop this weekend. Today the teacher explained to us that exercise cleans up the aura and our energetic system. SWEATING, specifically, not only does a physical detox but also sweats out negative energy from the body. So the Bikram may give you energy because you have a) sweated out a lot of negative energy b) improved your aura through exercise and c) yoga poses themselves have energetic benefits and are designed to improve the flow of prana throughout the body.