Is Bikram yoga okay for the injured?

I would recommend seeing a yoga therapist or a highly qualified teacher who is familiar with working with injury or is familiar with alignment. In my opinion, as a yoga teacher myself, I would say Bikram is probably not what you need to address your injuries right now. Even a gentle class would be better, particularly because you're dealing with repetitive strain already, it doesn't make sense to dive into a heavy-duty repetitive practice like what Bikram offers. You need to stretch, yes. But mindfully. "Pain" comes with practice initially, especially if the body is tight or injured. But what kind of pain? Intense and sharp pains are signs of something not right in the practice. And I personally would never recommend a teacher who says it's "supposed to hurt."

Thanks so much for your input, Candace and Gordon. To answer your question, Gordon, I am an administrator at a university, so I spend a good amount of time at a desk in front of a computer. I should explain what I meant when I said "it really hurts". Some poses really hurt my wrists and forearms while I'm in the pose, but after yoga class (hours later) my arms aren't hurting (any more than usual). The other thing is that I have scoliosis, which adds a complication. Some of the poses hurt my neck and lower back and I assume it's because of the curvature in my spine. I guess what I'm wondering is, if it hurts during practice, but later the pain fades or goes away completely, should I keep it up for a while and see what happens? Is there anyone with RSI out there who's done this? Thanks!

Tracey, it sounds like you need to identify your pain during practice as healthy discomfort, the body stretching and opening, or pain. The first will be normal to a body that is used to sitting in chairs as opposed to sitting in chair-pose. The latter will tell you that something is not right, either in the pose, or in your body, or in the instruction. It's difficult to "diagnose" this online, due to the variables of your body, your practice and your teacher. Where are you studying right now, with whom, and what is their background? Look for a teacher who can help you diagnose your practice. Some of what you're describing could be doing the poses incorrectly, or inadvisedly for your body, or they could be due to improper instruction. If in doubt, try out some other teachers. Whereabouts do you live? I'm sure I could look up someone for you in your area, and I'm pretty sure Gordon would be willing to do the same. In the meantime, be gentle with yourself. Healing doesn't always mean intense yoga. The most beneficial year of yoga I EVER practiced was when I was studying yoga for seniors!

Thanks so much, Candice. I live in San Francisco and I've been going to Funky Door Yoga. I could only give you the first names of the teachers, as I don't know any of their last names. I will say, however, that most of them seem quite arrogant, harsh and pushy. I wonder if this is what Bikram teaches and what most Bikram yoga instructors are like??? In some sense it helps me push myself to the limit, which I kind of like except when it comes to a pose that hurts my arms.

San Francisco! You have so many great options out there! I can't really say what Bikram teaches, but I've heard your complaints from many students. Yoga teachers are there to push you. But there are many ways of doing that. Ultimately, a good teacher should empower you to be more conscious of your body and it's needs. As for teachers and places I would recommend...Janet MacLeod and Judith Hansen Lasater teach in SF. Ramanand Patel, although I'm not sure if he's still teaching beginning classes. Leslie Howard, one of my former teachers is at the Y and a few other places. Also you may check out the Iyengar Institute. They have some $5 classes. Bija yoga and Yoga Garden offer Iyengar instruction. Iyengar yoga is heavily interested in therapeutics and alignment. The classes are not heated and there isn't likely to be much "flow" . The poses are held longer. It's important if you do decide to go, that you tell the teacher about any injuries before class, so that they can better help you in the practice. Iyengar teachers will expect for you to work hard. But not because someone is yelling at you necessarily, or because it's 200 degrees in the room or because you're jumping from pose to pose. Iyengar teachers, the certified ones, undergo an intense 2 to 3 year training that is similar to going to university. This is much much more than the minimum requirements to become a yoga teacher, which is only 200 hours and can be done in a weekend! Also remember you may decide that you don't like a particular teacher, so try out a few different ones before you decide if the method is to your liking. Good luck!

Thanks for the great advice, Candice! I'll check out Iyengar and the instructors/places you mention. All the best to you.