When the founders of Bikram Yoga NYC opened the first Bikram studio in the city on Aug. 7, 1999, few New Yorkers had heard of the hot-yoga practice. Eighteen years and four studios later, they know… ...

Bikram insists his form of yoga doesn't just improve the body and invigorate people's sex lives but that it also saves lives. "I can make you live 100 years," he said.

The character of Bikram Choudhury, founder of the yoga practice that bears his name, is dubious, to put it mildly. What does that mean for the thousands who swear by the art, and not the artist?

Hot yoga rooms can vary in humidity and are generally heated to anywhere from 80 -100 degrees. The floor of Bikram yoga studios must be carpeted with mirrors on the front wall and bright lighting.

A third of the 52 participants took 90-minute Bikram yoga classes at 105°F, three times per week for 12 weeks. The Bikram routine consists of 26 poses that are repeated twice, along with some ...

Bikram yoga is done in a hot room - very hot, 105 degrees. There are other types of yoga that are offered in heated rooms, but Bikram yoga encompasses just 26 specific postures.

To investigate, Tracy tried it. More than a decade later, the researcher still practices Bikram yoga sometimes — and not always for science. "It's one of the things I do for exercise, and it ...

Within the Bikram yoga practice, yogis tend to get into the pose, hold, release and then move into the next pose. Rather than flowing from one pose to another which is done while practicing Vinyasa.

Bikram Yoga Dupont. 1635 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-332-8680. www.bikramyogadc.com. The small studio offers a one-week intro special for $20. Single classes cost $15, a 10-class pass $125.

Bikram Choudhury talks with students during a hot yoga class in 2000. Getty Images As far as gurus go, Bikram Choudhury perfectly fits the bill.