By PATTY KIM

pkim@tampatrib.com

(813) 259-8402

Studio 1 at Yogani Studios in south Tampa is the hottest place to be on any given day. No, really.

As the thermostat climbs past 100 degrees, students pack into the room ready to promote the perspiration that pours with one of the most popular forms of yoga today.

Welcome to Bikram.

Bikram, or hot yoga, is a series of 26 asanas (poses) designed to scientifically warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons in the proper order. Each pose is performed twice. The class lasts 90 minutes. Sound easy?

As the heat envelops your body, focus is essential to complete the sequence in order. Bikram opens with pranayama, or deep breathing through the nose. A series of standing and floor poses follows, ending with kapalbhati, a powerful cleansing process for the lungs. Inhaling is passive as you pump your lower abs to expel short bursts of air.

Sample these moves:

Step into a deep side lunge, the foot of your bent leg pointed to the side. With arms outstretched, pivot at the waist with one arm reaching toward the sky, the other to the ground. Raise your gaze to the hand above your head.

Another pose has you kneel on your sweat-drenched mat, bringing your hands to rest at the back of your waist with fingers pointing up, thumbs touching. Slowly roll your head back while keeping your core firm, sending your delirious gaze down the wall behind you.

Now try it without breaking a sweat – although that’s really not such a bad thing.

“The heat protects your muscles and keeps them supple so you can go deeper quicker,” says Annie Okerlin, 35, owner of Yogani Studios. “And anytime you sweat, you cleanse your system.”

Something For Everyone

Okerlin has taught yoga for seven years in Tampa. She graduated from Bikram’s Yoga College of India in 1999.

Bikram Choudhury founded the college in Los Angeles in 1974. At age 11, he was the youngest contestant to win the National India Yoga Competition.

After being injured in a weightlifting accident, Choudhury developed his 26-posture series, which mended his knee and launched his “McBikram” empire, a yoga franchise with hundreds of studios around the world.

At Yogani Studios, Bikram is recommended for all levels, beginners included. What’s important is to pace yourself.

Classes are offered at 9 a.m., lunchtime, evenings and weekends. The hot lunch is an abbreviated hourlong session for those on the go.

Randy Chanashing attended a recent evening class at 5:45. His trim physique eclipses his 39 years. He’s lean and muscular, the epitome of fit. He says he never thought yoga would be for him.

But a year and a half ago, it all changed over a woman.

She was taking Bikram, and he wanted to be where she was. So he took the plunge.

The next thing he knew, he was taking Bikram daily, sometimes two or three times a day. He – and his now girlfriend – can’t seem to get enough.

“It changed my life because it taught me how to live in the present moment,” Chanashing says. “This is what I love to do most. It keeps me grounded, and you can’t help but keep focused.”

Chanashing says Bikram is more than just the physical challenge of a full-body workout. It’s also about the mental and spiritual.

Could It Be A Cure?

Not many can deny the health benefits of yoga, either.

Yoga, which has been practiced for thousands of years, heightens the awareness of your body’s posture and alignment. It increases flexibility while keeping stress levels in check.

According to the ABC-of-Yoga Web site, the practice increases cardiovascular efficiency, improves excretory and gastrointestinal functions, betters hand-eye coordination, normalizes weight, helps sleep, and boosts endurance and energy.

For 42-year-old Rob Sternberger, Bikram put an end to chronic back pain that started nearly two years ago. Sternberger, who has been running since he was 12, injured his back as the 2005 Gasparilla Distance Classic approached. A friend recommended Bikram, and he gave it a shot.

The pain and stiffness disappeared, and Sternberger is back to pounding the pavement. He usually cycles to Bikram class, which he takes twice a week.

“I come back to this because of the heat involved,” he says. “To me, that’s the main reason for taking it. The heat is good for loosening up the spine.”

Chronic migraines led Michael Courey, 58, to try Bikram about 4 1/2 years ago. He still has headaches now and then, but the new grandfather says his overall health is better now that he takes Bikram classes two to three times a week.

“I have a bad back, but this enables flexibility and helps me get out of bed in the morning,” Courey says. “It’s changed my physiology. I’ve never been overweight, but I had 16 to 22 percent body fat. I’ve only lost 10 pounds since doing Bikram, but my body fat is down to 3 to 5 percent.”

And despite no change in diet, Courey says his cholesterol levels went from poor to normal.

For students such as Courey, who have no interest in joining a gym, Bikram offers a haven for health in the perfect setting.

“You don’t have to look cute, you don’t have to be pretty, and you don’t have to compete here,” Courey says of the Bikram class at Yogani Studios. “In there, I’m the absolute perfect yogi even though I don’t do any of the poses right.

“And it’s not really a team sport, but you notice the unity in there. It’s instrumental.”

It’s that same energy that Okerlin says translates to people of all ages and abilities. That includes everyone from new moms to the disabled. Her craft leads her to work with amputees at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington every six weeks.

The bottom line: Everyone can benefit from yoga.

“It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve done,” she says. “The human spirit is incredible.”

(CHART) SWEAT HERE

If you’re warming up to the thought of Bikram yoga, try one of these studios:

–Bikram Yoga Sarasota

1501 Second St., Sarasota

(941) 330-2632

www.bikramyogasarasota.com

–Generations Yoga & Fitness

10472 Roosevelt Blvd., St. Petersburg

(727) 576-9642

www.generationsyoga.com

–Yoga Planet

11059 Countryway Blvd., Tampa

(813) 477-1674

yogaplanettampa.com/home

–Yogani Studios

1112 W. Platt St., Tampa

(813) 251-9668

www.yogani.com

(CHART) BIKRAM BASICS

Bikram Choudhury’s 26-asana series directs oxygenated blood throughout the entire body. Each pose is performed twice in a room typically heated to 105 degrees. Choudhury claims that performing the series as directed will cure you of chronic symptoms such as those of arthritis.

If you’re ready to give it a try, don’t forget to drink plenty of water before, during and after class. Wear comfortable clothing, and prepare to sweat. Bring a mat and some towels – it’s best to have your own. Don’t eat within two hours of class.