Bikram Yoga

As a yoga enthusiast, I've tried quite a few different forms of yoga, but my newest adventure has been with BIKRAM YOGA in particular. I've had a pretty wicked (alright, maybe I'm just a baby) knee injury from snowboarding, and have been itching to get into something that will help my injury heal. A local bikram studio offers a new studen special of just $39.00 a month for unlimited classes. This is exactly what my knee needs right now. I've done my first session and have already seen great results, was able to achieve more than I thought, and have a revised sense of "wellness". I still will continue to work upper body, but can now engage some muscles I haven't been able to use for the last two weeks and see about getting my body back on track to continue training. Before I began Bikram, I did my normal research of something I'm unfamiliar in, here's what I found:
Wikipedia says:
Bikram Yoga's goal is general health and Bikram Choudhury says that the heated studio helps deeper stretching and injury prevention, while reducing stress and tension. Bikram claims that his system stimulates and restores health to every muscle, joint, and organ of the body. Bikram's Yoga claims to increase circulation to all organs in the body, and that this helps in the prevention of heart disease and organ failure. According to Choudhury, many people only use up to 50 percent of their lung capacity and thus the lungs must be stretched in order to withstand holding more oxygen. In a 2007 interview, Choudhury stated that when one is practicing pranayama she or he will eventually be able to enhance oxygen conversion and absorption, as well as improve blood circulation, as in many other forms of cardiovascular activity.
Choudhury claims that blood circulation is affected immensely during Bikram Yoga because of two processes called extension and compression. These two dynamics are said to work together to deliver fresh blood to every joint, muscle, and organ within the body. While performing a specific asana (pose), the practitioner stretches or compresses a certain part of the body, thus cutting off circulation temporarily. This restriction of circulation is believed to cause the heart to pump more blood in reaction to the shortage. The pumping of excess, fresh blood is called extension. Once the asana is complete and the individual comes out of the posture, it is claimed that the new oxygenated blood is able to rejuvenate the arteries that were being compressed. Many of the postures massage the lymphatic system and aid in lymphatic drainage, assisting to eliminate infection, bacteria, and toxins. Other styles of yoga also promote this theory (cf: B.K.S. Iyengar's "squeeze and soak" analogy regarding the effects of deep twists on the internal organs).
Benefits
Weight loss: the amount of calories burned per session varies from person to person, but estimates range between 500 and 1250 depending upon intensity of practice and other factors.

This seems a little bare on the benefits right?! Right. Hooray for calories burned, but I really care about what other benefits I'm getting, here's more of what I found.
BENEFITS:
Reshapes your body
Restores flexibility
Tones, strengthens, and lengthens your muscles
Strengthens your spine
Improves circulation
Reduces risk of sports injury
Achieves relief from pain
Reduces your weight – lose pounds by balancing your metabolism
Raises energy level
Diminishes the effects of stress
Increases balance, coordination, focus and discipline
Clears your mind
Calms your soul
Ensures healthy and balanced functioning of the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, digestive, elimination, respiratory, endocrine, and mental systems of the body
BENEFITS OF THE HEAT:
Warms the muscles for greater flexibility
Helps achieve a deeper stretch
Flushes toxins from the body
Improves efficiency of the immune system
Creates a cardiovascular workout
Burns calories
Builds endurance

Yep, pretty sure I need all of this in my life. On a personal note, I'll be doing about 5 bikram sessions a week for the next four weeks, and I'll continue to work on my goal of climbing, and training for the Spartan. (which means before bikram I'll be at the gym, and when I'm not at bikram, I'll be snowboarding) I've decided that my social life may become a little bare, however the benefits my BODY, MIND, AND SOUL will be gaining far outweigh the late nights out and feeling less than 100%.