Tip of the Week: Practicing While Pregnant

As soon as you know you are pregnant please seek the advice of your doctor and follow advice accordingly.

For a first time pregnancy, it's better to avoid any new form of exercise.  If you are a regular Bikram Yoga practitioner for more than a year, you can continue your practice following Rajashree's Pregnancy Yoga. The series was made into a DVD video specifically for pregnancy by Rajashree (Bikram’s wife) which is available for purchase in our retail section. You can practice Rajashree’s Pregnancy Yoga after the 1st Trimester.  Rajashree's Pregnancy Yoga can be practiced in Bikram Yoga Class with moderate heat at own discretion. If you are a student (including teacher) and are at a High Risk, follow your doctor's advice.

No postures should be done which cause compression on the diaphragm and heart. In backbends, don't push hips forward of knees. In backbends, stretch upward and back with the upper spine; when coming up bend the knees to relieve back pressure. Moderate heat is okay from the beginning. Separate feet slightly in standing poses.

In forward bends keep knees open. No head to knee pose, separate leg forehead to knee, or rabbit. Also no cobra, locust, full locust, bow. Rest on your side in between postures rather than on your back. Long, deep, slow breathing in easy sitting position is relaxing for mom and baby.

 
Practice at about 50% of your capacity and never to exhaustion.
• Be sure to stay well-hydrated.
• Practice in a cooler area of the room or by the door. Feel free to leave class anytime to cool down.
• From the second trimester on, practice standing postures with your feet six inches apart for stability.
• No forward compressions or belly-down postures after the first trimester. Ask your teacher for modifications.

Tip of the Week: Boost Your Libido!

By P.J. Stuart from Bikram Yoga AZ

 

Yoga...Nature's Viagra!

Va-va voom! Nothing fuels your body quite like Bikram Yoga does. Know what I mean? It’s no urban legend or old wives’ tale.  If you’ve been practicing for a while – you already know it, first hand.  Your whole system is working better. You love it … and so does your mate. Yeah … I see that smile.

“Whatever are you talking about, PJ?” you ask, innocently.  (Mm-hmm).
 

I’m talking about all that nitric oxide coursing through your veins, of course.

Ahem.  When this powerful gas molecule is released into your bloodstream, it relaxes the blood vessels, expands the capillaries and increases circulation. (See where I’m going?  Gentlemen, start your engines.)

Fortunately, for those of us who practice Bikram Yoga, there is ample opportunity to produce nitric oxide during class.  Going through the 26 postures of the Bikram series, we activate muscles in every part of the body. As with any type of exercise, those muscles demand oxygen, supplied by the blood.  In order to send blood to those areas more easily, when the need arises, nitric oxide is then released from the lining of the arteries.  Presto.

Some scientists call nitric oxide “the hero of human biology.” By dilating the artery walls, it enables blood to travel faster through the body.  One popular metaphor physicians may use is that of a fire hose.  As water rushes through it to put out a fire – the hose needs to expand enough to handle the pressure, still keeping enough force to put out the fire.

Thank you, nitric oxide, for treating our circulatory system the same way!

You can imagine – during a 90-minute Bikram class, as we send blood to all areas of the body, we produce a lot of nitric oxide.  This is what makes Savasana so delicious and restorative.  And in the bedroom, it’s what …  Well, you know the rest.  I won’t use adjectives there, but they’re good ones too.

I don’t want to get in any trouble with the pharmaceutical geniuses who decided to put the power of nitric oxide into a pill … but … wouldn’t you rather get your dose of Viagra the natural way?  Avoid the need for it all together?

That’s right … see you in class!

Tip of the Week: Be on Time to Class

 

Do your best to arrive to class with enough time to check in, change, lay down your mat and towel, and maybe even rest in savasana before the class begins. It's a much nicer way to begin your practice with a calm, clear mind than with a rushed and frazzled one.

If you do need to come a little late and enter the room in the middle of the first breathing exercise, just throw your mat and down without rolling and straightening them out so you can get right into the exercise. It's so important to at least get a few deep breaths in before you start the postures. 

If you come really late and the class has already completed the Standing Deep Breathing, most teachers will not allow you into the class. If you are allowed to enter, be sure to do a few deep breathing exercises on your own first even if the class has moved on to the first posture.

The golden rule of being on time is most important for newbies. Try to get there at least 30 minutes early to give yourself plenty of time to sign up, get dressed, settle down on your mat, and acclimate to the heat. Take a minute to introduce yourself to the teacher and let her or him know if you have any injuries that you're working through, so that she or he can guide you through the postures without exacerbating any issues.