HELL-BENT, the book about Bikram yoga

[Jbigler]

#2566

Hi everyone —

Recently, I read the book “HELL-BENT, Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga.” The book impressed me, and I was quite surprised that my search of this wonderful website failed to locate any references to this book.

The author, Benjamin Lorr, tells of his own passion for hot yoga that became an obsession as he trained with Bikram’s top teachers to compete in the Bikram championships… and he tells of his questioning and occasional disillusionment. In my opinion, he has done an amazing job of self-examination, sensitive observation of others, and thorough research, revealing much about Bikram and his organization, from an insider’s perspective.

The book is fun to read and beautifully written… even suspenseful!

I found Benjamin Lorr’s book by chance, when I was doing an online search for another book on the Amazon website, and, when I read the first few pages of the book online, I realized that I was actually present as a student in the Esak-led class at my local Charleston, South Carolina yoga studio that Benjamin Lorr was attending and was writing about in part of the first few pages!

I’m very anxious to learn your opinion of the book, Gabrielle. And I’d very much like to hear from others. Especially, I’m interested in your thoughts about Bikram’s protege Tony Sanchez, and others, who are moving toward a greater number and variety of postures and relying less on heat during class.

Please let me hear from you —
John

[scottlamps]

#10689

My wife and I are going to study with Tony Sanchez soon. Right now we practice mainly Bikram’s beginning series and we have been learning more asanas from Tony’s online teaching. The added postures have significantly deepened my practice. They are opening and strengthening my body and mind. It is becoming harder for me to imagine Bikram’s beginning class (the 26 postures) as a complete exercise. It is certainly an excellent sequence, but there is a lot more out there. I will post again with our experiences of Tony and his training.

[Jbigler]

#10692

Thanks, Scott, for your reply —

I was surprised that no one else has commented on the book. It’s easy to get from Amazon, not expensive, fun to read, and seems to be the kind of thought-provoking read that would appeal to this group. I plan to re-read the book soon, focusing on particular sections of the book, e.g., the parts about Tony Sanchez.

I hadn’t considered trying to study with Tony — I assumed that it was very difficult to study with him and that I didn’t have sufficient training/skill and that he was teaching only other teachers. It’s great that you and your wife have been able to set up something — I’d like to hear the particulars.

Thanks to your prompting, I found Tony’s website — I’m embarrassed that I didn’t look for it before. I’m anxious to see what asanas Tony teaches online. In addition to the Bikram series, I practice Jivamukti, Baptiste, Shivananda, Ashtanga, Kundalini, and other forms of yoga — I wonder what asanas Tony has chosen.

How soon will you study with Tony Sanchez, and how long will your training last?

John

[Jbigler]

#11167

Hi Scott —

It’s been a long time since you’ve posted anything, so I’m wondering if this note will reach you. I’ve been hoping to hear a report on your session with Tony Sanchez.

I’d nearly forgotten, but just recently someone told me that they were going to a workshop or retreat with Esak Garcia, and that reminded me that you were planning to study with Tony Sanchez.

Please let us know what you learned from your session with Tony and other details of your progression through hot yoga. Is Tony still teaching?

Namaste —
John

[scottlamps]

#11169

Hi John–

Where to begin… We went to Mexico last December for two weeks to study with Tony. It was his Master’s Core System training (also called the Core 40), a series of 40 postures in the Ghosh lineage, an intermediate series to build on Bikram’s beginning class. The series includes all of Bikram’s 26 plus some more warm ups, some arm balances and a lot more restorative postures and stretching postures. It is a little more advanced than the Bikram 26 and a little more complete for the body. I’d be happy to write what the postures are, but it would be a long and possibly boring post.

The most eye-opening part of Tony’s teaching was not the asanas he teaches but his approach to the practice. He encourages individuality, modification, self-reliance, calmness and stillness. A bit of a departure from Bikram’s style. Tony’s calm, controlled demeanor and encouragement have had a profound impact on our practices, making us more stable and healing a small handful of injuries that my wife and I had. Not that Tony is a saint or that his yoga is perfect or anything, but he encouraged us to trust our own bodies and not just the dogma of a tradition. That has been transformative.

If you want to get a taste for what Tony is doing, you can get his practice videos on Amazon. He has four of them at different levels. They are good examples of his asana and guidance. Also, it is not difficult to study with him if you want, just that you have to go to Mexico.

This spring my wife and I went to a posture clinic workshop with Esak. It was at a Bikram studio and he pretty much toed the Bikram company line, telling us that everything we needed to know was in the Bikram dialogue. He is an inspiring guy, but I didn’t find his teaching to be particularly enlightening. I am still curious what he offers at his own trainings when he can teach with his own words and intentions.

Regarding the heat: practicing without the heat was strange at first, but just because I hadn’t really done it before. I didn’t know what my body felt like at room temperature. But it was never difficult. I could do everything just as deeply as with the heat, just with a lot more sensitivity in the body and mind. Now I find the heat to be a hindrance. It short circuits my body’s sensation and feedback (he talks about this in Hell Bent, I think), so it becomes difficult to feel my muscles with any detail. This “numbness” is what was originally attractive about practicing in the heat, but now it is an obstacle. So I practice at room temperature.

[Breathe in Deeply]

#11236

Hi all,

Great to read your responses on the Benjamin Lorr’s book. I really enjoyed reading it too, finished it in two days. I thought it was honestly written and that it strikes a nice balance between taking a critical distance from the cult around Bikram as well as empathising with what the attraction to (hot) yoga practice is all about.

here’s an Interview with Benjamin Lorr that I enjoyed reading.

By the way, I just started writing about my own experiences with hot yoga on this new blog:
Breathe in Deeply – What I talk about when I talk about Bikram Yoga

Feel welcome to stop by anytime!

[Author]

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