By Anya Rath | Published 22 hours ago

Get ready to stretch and sweat. East Lansings first Bikram Yoga studio officially opened its doors on Sunday in Brookfield Plaza.

Bikram Yoga Capital Area, 1355 E. Grand River Ave., is Michigans seventh Bikram Yoga studio, and follows the teachings of Bikram Choudhury, a yoga guru who developed the sequence known as Bikram Yoga and has published several books about the benefits of yoga.

Ann Chrapkiewicz, director and an instructor of Bikram Yoga Capital Area, or BYCA, has been instructing Bikram Yoga since 2004. Bikram Yoga studios can only be owned by instructors who have been trained by Choudhury.

Chrapkiewicz, an MSU alumna, began the planning for BYCA last August. She said the studio only offers a beginners level class, but added she still finds the class challenging despite the fact she has been practicing Bikram Yoga for about 10 years.

The Bikram Yoga sequence consists of 26 postures and two breathing exercises, Chrapkiewicz said. The yoga is always done in 90-minute sessions in a room heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with 40 percent humidity. The first 45 minutes are standing warm-ups and the remainder of the class is dedicated to the postures.

The postures are done in a very particular order and the order, for safety reasons, isnt ever changed, Chrapkiewicz said. Each posture prepares you for the next (one).

Chrapkiewicz said Bikram Yoga tends to defy what students would expect from a yoga class. She added the room is very well-lit, quiet and there is much instructor-to-student interaction.

Bikram Yoga is about constant correction by the instructor so that students are in the right posture and are safe at all times.

People perceive it as being very intense, Chrapkiewicz said. But its truly designed for all levels and if people just come do what they can and try it the right way, theyll get all the benefits they can.

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Bikram Yoga studio opens on Grand River Avenue