Bikram Yoga San Jose

Everyone on Bikram Yoga's team of instructors has a conversion story. Some, such as Andi Martin, figured out how to rein in rampant chronic pain practicing the 26 asanas, while others weaned themselves off medication they had been taking for years. This enthusiasm infuses the expansive yoga studio with a peaceful energy that has drawn a community of 20,000 members.

During 90-minute sessions, up to 90 students flow through 26 postures taught by Bikram Choudhury–certified instructors, stretching muscles in the heated room. Fresh air circulates within the 2,500-square-foot studio as students practice deep breathing and tone cores while sweating out the toxins responsible for making them feel sluggish or swear at the mailman. Rented mats and towels unfurl along the length of the odorless, moisture-resistant Flotex flooring, and out in the lobby guests relax in various bamboo-bedecked nooks that encourage socialization. Parents can drop off children at the kid-watching room before cartwheeling into a class or taking in a relaxing massage.