Bikram Yoga Blog

Supta-Vajrasana

When most people first attempt the fixed firm posture, they are unable to sit on their heels. It can take weeks or longer just to get the hips on the floor, and it might feel like you just conquerred Mount Everest when you do. Sound familiar?

If you want to improve this pose faster, Bikram recommends practicing it at home. You can sit Japanese style while watching TV. This will help you to stretch the muscles and tendons in your knees and feet. Please keep your feet straight and your toes pointed straight back. The tops of your feet should be on the floor. Your feet should be opened only wide enough so that your hips can touch the floor.

Once you are able to start going back, you can open your knees as much as you need to. Go back very slowly in the beginning to avoid pulling anything. This is a backbending posture, so it can be quite intimidating to drop your head back to the floor for the first time. If you have fear in the posture, the solution is to relax and breathe slowly. Go in to the posture slowly and come out of the posture slowly. It’s not about speed or what the posture looks like, it’s about healing the body. Remember the childhood fable; the tortoise wins the race.

Our Water!


At BYR, hydration and the quality of the water that our students are consuming, are extremely important to us. This is why we offer FREE alkaline, antioxidant Kangen water to all of our students. We are now THRILLED to announce that we have converted ALL of our showers at both locations to the Anespa Spa Shower System.

The ANESPA removes chlorine from your shower water. Its dual cartridge system contains therapeutic ingredients that have a relaxing hot spring effect. The water is broken down into smaller clusters which makes it easier for your body to absorb the healthy and clean ANESPA water. It’s like having a mineral bath experience every time you shower. When you shower, there is no need to adjust anything, just turn the shower on, and enjoy!

You will feel and see the difference in your body’s health when you use our Enagic products, including the Kangen water and Anespa showers, at the studios.

Dhanurasana


Every posture in the Bikram series is in preparation for this posture, Bow Pose. It’s a 365 degree angle backward bend, against gravity. It’s weightlifting using free weights; your body is the weight.

If you were to hold this posture in good form for an extended period of time, your body would start to talk to you and let you know which body parts need to open. Every human body is different. Some people might feel it in the knees, others the hips. Some might feel it in the back or shoulders. Your body is telling you a story about yourself every time you take class, so listen carefully!

To do a good bow, focus on your form. The teacher will tell you to keep a 6 inch gap between your knees and feet. Do your best to maintain this. When your knees go wide, then you start to avoid tight parts in the spine.

If you’re not grabbing both feet yet, no need to worry. All of the postures in the series are preparing you to be able to do this posture soon enough. Keep coming to class and trying your best. Watch as those old injuries and tight spots start to disappear, and are replaced with strong, flexible, and healthy tissues.

Happy Backbending!

Poorna-Salabhasana

This posture is a breath of fresh air, literally. For twenty seconds, you get to open your lungs and breathe like you never have before. This is backbending and weightlifting for your spine, and full locust does what no machine can do. Here are some tips for getting the most from your posture.
Think of length and not height. How much can you stretch your arms out, and your legs back, and your chest forward. Once your body creates space, then your muscles can contract more easily to get you higher.
Keep your feet together and your legs straight. If the legs are bending or separating, then the spine is not. You want to be bending the spine!
Identify what you are looking at, then look back further! Focus one point as high as you can, then keep looking back more. You seasoned Yogis have heard it before, “where the eyes go, the body will follow.”
Breathe…because it feels good, and because you can!
Smile…because you’re doing yoga and LIFE IS GOOD!

Salabhasana

Do you ever consider skipping this posture because it’s hard? You shouldn’t! The Locust Pose has the same benefits as the Cobra, but is even more potent in the cure of many back or spinal problem, such as gout, slipped disc, and sciatica. It cures tennis elbow and is also excellent for firming the buttocks and hips.

In the beginning you might experience pain in your elbows. This is normal and will go away over time.

This is a three part posture. First lift your right leg, then your left leg, then both legs. It is important to go as high as you can in all three parts, while maintaining locked knees, and proper alignment. To get higher, think of contracting your muscles, while at the same time stretching your leg or legs
away from you. The stretching of the legs will give you more space to contract your muscles. Just when you think you can’t go any higher, squeeze your glute muscles (your buttocks), and come up one more inch.

Remember, everyone is struggling in the pose; don’t give up!

Bhujangasana

Bikram says that Cobra Pose is the most difficult posture for teachers to teach, and the most challenging posture for students to learn. If you find yourself confused in the posture, listen very carefully to the dialogue and try and execute each instruction to the best of your ability: five fingers together, legs together, palms flat, elbows 90 degree angle from the side, shoulders down, chest up, back should hurt.

This is one of the best postures you can do for back pain. When you do the posture the right way, you will find the sweet spot where your back “hurts.” Your back doesn’t hurt because it’s bad for you, but the pain is from the muscles surrounding your spine contracting so much. You want to achieve that contraction, and hold it as long as you can. Then, when you return to Savasana, the circulation rushes back into your spine like the opening Hoover Dam. This process, the tourniquet effect, will work miracles on back pain and is preventative medicine for your spine.

A healthy spine is a happy life!