Boycott Bikram on Earth Day?

I've made tiny efforts over the past 10 or 12 years to become more green. I choose professional and personal products that are Earth-friendly; I support local farmers; I drive fuel efficient vehicles; and recently, I've started purchasing Terra Passes to offset my carbon footprint as I fly. Even the marketing materials for my business are printed on recycled paper with soy ink (http://www.greenerprinter.com/). I do need to stop using so many water bottles, recycle more consistently, and turn the water off while I'm brushing my teeth. I'm working at it, but it's not easy.

Kermit THE Frog singing "It's Not Easy Being Green"

Earth Day History- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Earth Day, celebrated in the US on April 22nd, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teacher in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year. Senator Nelson chose the date as the one that could maximize participation on college campuses for what he conceived as an environmental teach-in. He determined that the week of April 19-25 was the best bet. It did not fall during exams or spring breaks, did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or Passover, and was late enough in spring to have decent weather. More students were likely to be in class, and there would be less competition with other events mid-week, so he chose Wednesday, April 22. Asked whether he had purposely chosen Lenin's 100th birthday, Nelson explained that with only 365 days a year and 3.7 billion people in the world, every day was the birthday of ten million living people. “On any given day, a lot of both good and bad people were born,” he said. “A person many consider the world’s first environmentalist, Saint Francis of Assisi, was born on April 22."

So if I'm so focused on the environment, why would I expend so much energy heating up the Earth with Bikram yoga? To practice properly, I must drive to a studio that is constantly heated- the yoga room being at least 105 degrees all throughout the day- and must be cleaned to decrease mold and mildew. As an individual practitioner, I also need a towel to absorb the dripping sweat, a washing machine and detergent (for clothes and towel), and a shower immediately afterwards + another towel. Is my Bikram practice killing the Earth? This must be the real reason that Bikram is called "Yoga's Bad Boy"

Sean "Puff Daddy" "Puffy" "P. Diddy" Diddy" "No Bitchassness" Combs

Bad Boy Entertainment

The Reality

In General, it’s true that Bikram yoga is practiced in a heated room. But the energy expended to heat the room may be less damaging to the environment than one would think. Bikram yoga studios are thoroughly insulated to keep the heat in the room and the warmth is generated through both heat and humidity. newer studios have sophisticated heating systems that function efficiently to heat the room then shut off. In Atlanta, conditions inside the room are, for most of the year, not dissimilar to conditions outside. Little is required of the internal heating system to help the room become warm and humid. Specifically, at my studio, we are advised not to use plastic water bottles during class. They are not sold at the studio (as I've seen at some studios). We are encouraged to invest in an eco-friendly water bottle instead. If we do happen to use plastic, we are not permitted to dispose of them at the studio. The studio owner makes great strides in encouraging all of us to decrease our carbon footprint as much as possible. He even invests in green soaps, papers (toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels) for our use.

SIGG Water Bottle

Speaking as an occupational therapist, I can say that heat is very therapeutic for people who suffer from problems with joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. There are students who are elderly, who have had joint replacements, who have had serious neck and back injuries, and others who simply benefit from the way the heat allows them to work deep into the body without injury. So, while it’s important to be kind to the environment, there is nothing wasteful about a heated yoga class in which people can restore their health. Obviously, I am not boycotting Bikram today or any other day. Maybe I'll step my green game up by getting a PVC-free mat.

Eco-Mat: PVC Free, Biodegradable, Hypoallergenic, Sold only in pieces of 6 or more

Day 7, Class 9
6:30 with Susan

I am 10% of the way there! I arrived at class, expecting to meet a friend there whom I thought I had convinced to join me. I did not hear from her before (or after) class. I moved on. Today, I wanted my practice to be about grace. I set up my space and then the most graceful student in the class set up next to me. It was wonderful. While I am usually quite focused on my own practice, I did take some peripheral cues from her, just to slow myself down at the end of postures. It worked.

Grace Jones

I am needing to understand why my left-stretching Half-Moon is only about half as deep as my right stretching, when I do not feel those restrictions at other times- either in or out of class. My balancing series is improving slowly. At least I am no longer feeling nauseous when I am in the postures. My ankles continue to be painful and my arches are still easily fatigued, but I am not going to let either of these prevent me from holding a posture that I would be able to otherwise. My ankles will thank me when I increase my running program.

Wilma Rudolph

Tennessee State University Tigerbelle, U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist, Polio Survivor

I planted two great Tree Stands in honor of Earth day and my Toe Stands were pretty good... my Triangles were good too! I am really sitting into my hips and am living to tell about it. On the floor, I decided to really work. I realized that at times, I really just hang out in some of the floor postures. Not today. I really worked! In Locust, Full-Locust, Bow, and even Half-Tortoise. In Camel, I moved my knees a little closer together. I'm not joking about the return of this back bend!

Ardha – Kurmasana or Half-Tortoise

Benefits include:

Provides maximum relaxation
Cures indigestion & stretches lower part of the lungs, increasing blood circulation to the brain
Firms abdomen & thighs
Increases the flexibility of hip joints, scapula, deltoids, triceps & latissimus dorsi muscles

I'm still a little congested, so my breathing was interesting. I'm hoping that my nose-blowing was not too distracting. I'm adding another tic mark to the wall! After class, I was famished. I had a big lunch, too. I don't know why I was so hungry. I stopped at Target to pick up a few items... and even on Earth Day, I left the freakin' reusable bags in the freakin' trunk! I bought two more, as usual. I have to come up with a better plan of action for utilizing my plethora of green bags.