Tip of the Week: Bikram is Fountain of Youth for Those Over 50

Bikram Yoga is fantastic for people of ANY age, but the following is a wonderful article by Arlene Nisson Lassin of The Huffington Post called "The Fountain of Youth for Those Post 50 -- But it Doesn't Come Easy".

Before we begin, I know there are lots of tonics, miracle vitamins, hormone therapy, cleanses and diets that have claimed to be the Fountain of Youth for those of us past age 50. So before you suspend belief or stop reading, check out this recent photo of me. The purpose of displaying this photo is to show how youthful I look and feel as my proof because I did NOT look this glowingly youthful a while back. (No, I am not about to share the before photos!) I'm in my late fifties by the way.

I haven't glowed like this since my pregnancies 26-plus years ago, and people mention it to me all the time that I look vibrant and healthy these days. It's not my eating habits as I have only recently begun to eat more healthfully, and have been known previously to eat Cheetos for dinner. (Now I am snacking on things like dry roasted seaweed -- thanks a lot Dr. Oz!)

I have to give credit for my fountain of youth to my exercise regimen: Bikram Yoga. 

Here is my own brutally honest experience with this, but first read this quote: "Bikarm Yoga acts as an anti-aging and preventative medicine keeping the body young and healthy. Yoga maintains youth long. It keeps the body full of vitality, immune to diseases, even at old, old age. The Yogi never becomes old." (Bishnu Ghosh) 

It occurred to me that I was crazy for even trying an exercise class that required me to exercise for 90 minutes in a 105 degree room with 40 percent humidity. It's like working out inside a very hot sauna. After my first class, exhausted, spent, and reduced to an absolute puddle of sweat, I was convinced I was insane. I looked around at some of the young "yoga" bodies who bounced up energetically after class, while I crawled on the floor while gathering my mat and towel, and then limped toward the exit. 

I walked out that first time telling the instructor that I didn't know if I could do it again. The instructor looked at me and said, "You must come back tomorrow, and you will start seeing benefits."

I chuckled and shook my head. No way was that happening. Except that after I showered and survived the ordeal, I felt energized and great for hours later. That drove me to try it again the next day, and then the next day, and then a few days later. I made a routine of it, going several times a week because I felt so great afterwards.

For those who abhor Yoga in its many forms, I am one of you. I am a type A personality, and a bit hyper, and way too driven to have patience to sit there crossed-legged, pinching my fingers together and saying "Ohm." I am not the meditation type, or deep breathing type either, trust me. I have tried other forms of yoga and did not like them one bit -- not the poses, not the routine, not the breathing or meditating. 

Somehow the Bikram Yoga poses were more tolerable to me.
It was a long time until I pushed past the pain and discomfort in Bikram Yoga. Many people would give up way before I did -- and I have seen them drop like flies out of the studio I frequent. 

I started out with a very inflexible old body, and couldn't even consider twisting my body into some of the poses required. The calm, all-knowing instructors encouraged me and told me to give it time. There are still times when I feel like my flexibility is akin to a whale trying to bend backwards at the middle.

A part of my personality is stubbornness, and that serves me well in cases like this. So I stuck to it as I saw how it basically detoxed me from stress and life on the run each time I went. I felt a kind of relaxation and energy afterward that is hard to describe. I am convinced that puddle of sweat I leave behind holds all the toxins I would have kept in my body. It is not comfortable leaving as wet as if I just came out of a pool, but I think of what I have released.

Slowly, I became stronger. In fact, Bikram professes to thwart osteoporosis by helping with bone density, and helps with balance, thereby preventing falls in the senior years. Another bonus was the calories I was burning during class let me eat at my normal appetite level and not gain weight. 

Each Bikram Yoga pose has a specific purpose, and they are all health related. There are poses for the thyroid, for the colon and digestion, and on and on, and I felt the wonderful effects. After six months, I feel my digestion and metabolism have improved, and I have tons more energy. My immune system seems to have a boost. I feel a bit slimmer, although I am still not rid of my spare tire around the middle. Supposedly it can even lower cholesterol, and help with diabetes too. My varicose veins that started appearing have virtually disappeared.

About the heat: I am not going to lie. There are some days with my exertion level and the heat where I feel like I am broiling in a rotisserie. There is a good reason for the heat though. Benjamin Lorr said in his book, Hell-Bent, "increased room temperature correlates with improved physical performance of the body. Specifically, blood vessels dilate and tissue expands improving blood flow and distribution of oxygen throughout the body. This creates an overall sense of well-being."

I still look ridiculous doing some of the impossible poses, but I see all body types, all ages, and it occurs to me that except for the most advanced practitioners, we are all in the same boat, struggling to get through the session. 

Now mind you, it is not an easy task to get into a routine of doing this. It's kind of like running the marathon and hitting that famous wall. If you can get past that torturous beginning, and take it at your own pace, you probably will succeed as I did. 

We all need a little help to revitalize ourselves and fight off disease as we age. If you stick with this it becomes tolerable. This hard work and hours of commitment is my gift to myself; my own fountain of youth.

Tip of the Week: Breathe Deeply

Ever wonder why your instructor tells you to breathe in deeply through your nose during class when really you just want to pant heavily through your mouth? The following article from Harvard Health Publications sheds some light on the importance of proper breathing.

Take a Deep Breath

Proper breathing goes by many names. You may have heard it called diaphragmatic breathing, abdominal breathing, or belly breathing. When you breathe deeply, the air coming in through your nose fully fills your lungs, and you will notice that your lower belly rises. The ability to breathe so deeply and powerfully is not limited to a select few. This skill is inborn but often lies dormant. Reawakening it allows you to tap one of your body’s strongest self-healing mechanisms.

Why does breathing deeply seem unnatural to many of us? One reason may be that our culture often rewards us for stifling strong emotions. Girls and women are expected to rein in anger. Boys and men are exhorted not to cry. What happens when you hold back tears, stifle anger during a charged confrontation, tiptoe through a fearful situation, or try to keep pain at bay? Unconsciously, you hold your breath or breathe irregularly.

Body image affects breathing, too. A “washboard” stomach considered so attractive in our culture encourages men and women to constrict their stomach muscles. This adds to tension and anxiety, and gradually makes shallow “chest breathing” feel normal.

The act of breathing engages the diaphragm, a strong sheet of muscle that divides the chest from the abdomen. As you breathe in, the diaphragm drops downward, pulling your lungs with it and pressing against abdominal organs to make room for your lungs to expand as they fill with air. As you breathe out, the diaphragm presses back upward against your lungs, helping to expel carbon dioxide (see figure).

Shallow breathing hobbles the diaphragm’s range of motion. The lowest portion of the lungs — which is where many small blood vessels instrumental in carrying oxygen to cells reside — never gets a full share of oxygenated air. That can make you feel short of breath and anxious.

Deep abdominal breathing encourages full oxygen exchange — that is, the beneficial trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. Not surprisingly, this type of breathing slows the heartbeat and can lower or stabilize blood pressure.

Here’s how to take a deep, healing, diaphragmatic breath:
First steps. Find a comfortable, quiet place to sit or lie down. Start by observing your breath. First take a normal breath. Now try taking a slow, deep breath. The air coming in through your nose should move downward into your lower belly. Let your abdomen expand fully. Now breathe out through your mouth (or your nose, if that feels more natural). Alternate normal and deep breaths several times. Pay attention to how you feel when you inhale and exhale normally and when you breathe deeply. Shallow breathing often feels tense and constricted, while deep breathing produces relaxation.

Tip of the Week: Roll Your Feet on a Tennis Ball for Tight Hamstrings

 I found this fun little tip for tight hamstrings on myfiveminuteyoga.com.

Is there such a thing as yoga magic?
If you struggle with tight hamstrings, this Five-Minute Yoga Challenge might lead you to say yes.
The effects can be startling the first time you try it.
Continue to roll your feet daily for a week and some of that “shock of the new” will drop away.
You’ll be left with livelier and more relaxed feet, and a new benchmark in hamstring flexibility – still enough of a change to call magic, considering that it’s achieved with a tennis ball and five minutes a day.
Why does it work?
When you massage the soles of your feet, you loosen the starting point of a network of connective tissue that runs all the way up your back body to the crown of your head. So it stands to reason that massaging your feet can loosen your hamstrings.
Having a hard time imagining what that network of connective tissue would look like?
Tom Myers, author of Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists has posted a fascinating video from a human dissection showing the entire Superficial Back Line of fascia, connecting from the feet to just above the eyebrows. You will never feel the same about the distance between your feet and your head again.
Before you try this for the first time, measure your hamstring flexibility:
Come into a standing forward bend with your feet hip distance apart. Press down into your feet, lift your front thighs and straighten your legs. Roll your front upper thighs in, and widen across your hamstrings.
Unless you can easily bring your palms to the floor with your legs straight, use yoga bricks (or books or a handy stair), to support your upper body.
Make a note of how much height you need to place your palms flat, then roll up from your forward bend.
Now, stand close to a wall on a yoga mat or carpet, with one hand on the wall for balance. Place a tennis ball under one foot and start to roll the sole of your foot over the tennis ball.
Experiment with the amount of weight you can put into the ball and still have an intense, yet pleasant sensation.
Drape your toes over the tennis ball and massage the backs of your toes. Then work your way down the sole of your foot, all the way back to your heel. Roll along the inner and outer arches.
Keep rolling for at least two minutes – it helps to set a timer or watch a clock – and then move to your other foot.
Once you’ve worked both feet, revisit your forward bend. You may be surprised to find that – abracadabra! – your hamstrings have lengthened by as much as an inch or two.
Benefits: Our feet become cramped and tense from wearing restrictive shoes and walking on hard surfaces. Regular ball rolling releases tension in the muscles and fascia. Since the fascial body is a web of connective tissue, a release in one part can trigger release in the entire web.
Sequence: Especially welcome after a long walk, this exercise can be done any time, and almost anywhere. If you are free to take your shoes off when you sit to work, you can even keep a tennis ball under your desk and do impromptu rolling sessions while sitting down. Do it at the beginning of a longer practice to bring extra awareness to all of your poses.
Ouch: If your feet are particularly sensitive, a tennis ball may initially feel too harsh. Find a softer, more forgiving ball, and work with it until your feet adapt. Then move on to a tennis ball.
Beware of excess enthusiasm. Stick with a moderate pressure and a modest amount of time – two to four minutes per foot if you’re standing, 10 if you’re sitting down. It’s possible to hurt the muscles in your feet by rolling too much and too fiercely.

Tip of the Week: Balancing Stick

 first posted 8/28/12

This posture is one of the most exhilarating, yet challenging postures in the Bikram Series. Just like Standing Head-to-Knee Pose and Standing Bow Pulling Pose, bringing the chest parallel to the floor helps to stimulate and bring strength to the heart, which is exactly why it is also known as “heart attack on a stick posture”! 

Tips to help improve your Balancing Stick

 

Your set up will determine how well you will perform your posture.  

 

Lean back slightly in the set up to stretch up toward the ceiling. 

 

Lift your chest and as you step into the posture LOCK your knees and elbows and CONTRACT every muscle, even before you start. This will improve stability in the posture.

 

Point your toes from beginning. After you step forward and before you bring your body down, lift your back leg one inch off the floor, and point your toes.

 

As you bring your body down, keep your back leg and arms in one solid straight line. If your arms come down before your leg comes up, or your leg comes up before your arms go down you are NOT in a straight line. You are a "broken umbrella".

 

With your arms glued to your ears, keep them and your back leg completely parallel to the floor.

Breathe slow and even! Because this posture is only 10 seconds long, people often try to hold their breath here.

 

Stomach, stomach, stomach! Stabilizing your core is key in this posture and will help you balance. Remember dead weight is heavy weight, so keep everything contracted and you’ll feel light as a feather.

Imagine like your body is being used in a game of tug-of-war. Your arms and legs should be stretching each other apart in opposite directions!

Benefits of the Balancing Stick Bikram Pose:

This particular Bikram yoga pose improves balance, increases endurance, increases lung capacity, stimulates the heart and arteries (strengthens the heart), helps to clear blockages from arteries helping to prevent future cardiac issues, helps varicose veins, burns fat, relieves tension spine, improves concentration. Physiologically, this posture stimulates the pancreas, liver, spleen, kidneys, and nervous system.

Rajashree Choudhury says that 300 calories are burned in this 10 second posture. That’s how much internal work your body is doing!

Tip of the Week: Love Your Body!

This week's tip is something so simple, and yet for a lot of us is the biggest struggle with our practice. And that is to appreciate and love our bodies. Love every small accomplishment we make, and love wherever we are right here and now.  It's so easy to find faults and have goals to work on, but what's more important is to realize the small changes our bodies and minds make each time we practice. Whatever shape you're in, however flexible you are...love your body and where you are in your practice. Your body and practice might not be exactly where you want it to be "yet", but appreciate all that you have and can do "now". 

The following story is beyond inspirational and admirable of a woman who has been practicing Bikram for the last 9 months. Her blog "Confessions of a Hawaiian Princess: One Woman's Journey to Greater Health" can be found by clicking (here).


This Wednesday will mark the nine month anniversary of the day I started Bikram. Nine months usually signifies the birth of a some thing. In my case, in this case it’s the realization that I’m capable of making the choice, of taking action to create change and work toward the body I want to have.
I sat down last night to write in my journal thoughts I have about my body in this moment, in this now. I’m tired of feeling my stomach resting on my thighs when I sit down. Mind you it used to be worse when I was heavier, but still…..it’s a feeling I don’t like. I’ve written a bit lately on my facebook page about taking action to change that, but I woke up this morning with the idea that I’d detail my efforts.
By actively and consciously thinking about the movements and efforts I’m undergoing to activate my core and shrink my abdomen, I can track my progress, and that’s one of the best ways of feeling better about myself—seeing ALL KINDS of progress.

I’m focusing here on some of the poses of the standing series in the Bikram sequence. Some day when time allows I’ll do an entry on all the poses. I’ve included pics, but please bear in mind that I’ve used my camera with a 10 second timer so the poses aren’t my full expression. I have attempted in each pic to be consciously activating my core.
Everything comes from the breath.

Pose 1: Standing Deep Breathing
Here I’m making an effort to keep my core activated when I inhale AND exhale. This is something I’ve had to work toward. I didn’t always have the abdominal strength to keep my core activated while exhaling. I know when I first tried it I would hold my breath when I exhaled. Now I BREATHE while keeping my core tightened!

Pose 2: Half-Moon
It’s one thing to bend sideward. It’s another to activate my core and bend from there. When I first started doing the yoga I’m not sure I fully grasped how to move from my core, but, as hard as it is, I feel stronger for moving from my core.

Pose 3: Awkward
Oy. It’s my nemesis, this one, BUT when I pull in my core while I squat I can FEEL my abdomen lift off my thighs and that’s a pretty cool feeling!

Pose 4: Eagle
When I pull in my core here I can bend my standing leg deeper, and I FEEL a greater sense of balance. The more balance I feel on the mat, the more I feel it OFF the mat!

Pose 5: Standing Forehead to Knee
Another nemesis! Here I’ve discovered a trick: when I activate my core AND lift my abdomen with my hands I can lift my leg higher, which strengthens my leg and trains my abdomen that it’s NOT the boss of THIS BODY!!!

Pose 6: Standing Bow Pulling Pose
No pic here! And this one I’m having lots of trouble with. I don’t feel like I’m coming from my core. I feel like I’m just doing all I can to stay upright.

Pose 7: Standing Separate Leg Stretch
When I don’t go down with my core here, I’ve noticed I feel it in my lower back and NOT in a good way! I’m finding I do feel like my torso is longer when I go down in this one.  It’s not about how far I go—it’s about moving my body in a healthy manner so it can reach further than where it’s been.

Pose 8: Triangle
Here’s the thing with triangle. Here’s the thing with my real desire to focus on my core, my alignment. I don’t want to waddle! It’s true! When I was not in shape, when I was not active I WADDLED.  I didn’t like it. It’s one of the main reasons I LOVE yoga so much. The deeper my practice goes, the less I waddle, the more my body is in alignment. When I take pictures these days, for the most part my feet are aligned, instead of torqued!  When I hike, my feet point straight ahead. So when I do triangle, I look to feel that I have engaged my core and that my back is in alignment. I can go deeper into triangle when I’m not in alignment but that defeats the purpose.

Pose 9: Standing Separate Leg Head-to-knee pose
Same as above basically. It’s easy to bend over. It’s work to move with the breath, but I’m worth IT!!!

Pose 10: Toe-Stand
I can now work on an adapted version of this pose! This helps me see my progress!  And that’s pretty cool!

 

I want a better life. I don’t mean for that to sound sad. It’s not. I feel so so very grateful for all the wonderful people, places, things that are in my life. I’m very lucky in that regard, and I know it. Working out is hard work. Yoga is hard work. I can sit here and whine and bemoan that I don’t like parts of my body, including my abdomen, or I can celebrate where I am and all the hard work I did to get here, because if I can get here, imagine where I’ll be in a few months!

It’s not that I spend every moment of every class consciously thinking about activating my core or thinking that I wish my abdomen was smaller. I don’t. But I do concentrate on getting into a pose to maximize the benefits and once I’m in the pose I allow my self, my body to be, to explore the depths it’s reaching.

But it’s not just my body, it’s my mind. My ability to express my self here is a direct reflection of my mental growth, a direct reflection that I feel less shame about my body than I used to. I accept my self, this body more. And when I look in the mirror, in class or out of class I have different level of appreciation. I’m not saying my thoughts are always positive, but I’m in such a better place than I was last week, last month, last year.

I may not know where I’m going these days, but I know when I get there I’ll stand tall, with my feet, my back, and my heart in alignment with the universe! 

As I inserted these pics into this post, I could feel my body go into shock. I can’t explain it. It’s one thing to do yoga. It’s one thing to take pics, but to look at the pics is something else. It’s very difficult for me to be this vulnerable. It cuts to my core (no pun intended), but honesty is and has been a corner stone of this journey I’m on. 

There’s nothing wrong with this body. But I can work on making it better in body, mind and soul. That’s what I want. That’s what I deserve. That’s what I’m working toward. 
(And when time allows I’m going to take much better pics–with a smile and a tiara!)

Tip of the Week: Balancing Your Electrolytes

Electrolytes (we talk about them a lot as Bikram Yogis!) are equally as important as staying hydrated with water. It is important to know that when we sweat you lose electrolytes and losing these minerals can greatly effect how you feel in the hot room and outside the hot room. If you are low on electrolytes before class you can become slightly deficient during or after class. Below is a list of important electrolytes to pay attention to:

• Calcium – aids muscle contraction

• Magnesium – aids healthy cell function

• Potassium – helps regulate pH balance

• Phosphate – helps regulate pH balance

• Sodium – regulates amount of water in the body

Electrolytes help regulate the fluid balance in your body and, when present in proper amounts, ensure that your muscle fibers contract efficiently and powerfully during exercise. They also help regulate your blood pressure, blood pH and nerve function. If your electrolytes are out of balance, you may experience symptoms such as muscle cramps, twitching, heart palpitations and weakness. Sodium and potassium are the electrolytes most subject to imbalance as a result of sweating during intense exercise.

The following information on electrolytes is from Bikram Yoga Albuquerque. Their website can be found by clicking (here).

 

Electrolytes

Most people think of a sweaty athlete drinking a colored sports drink when they hear the word electrolyte. On the contrary, there are many ways to get fresh natural electrolyte replenishment from foods such as oranges, coconuts and honey, plus, save a few dollars by preparing your own sports drink that your body will embrace.

Water

Water is the main ingredient as it will act as the primary carrier of the electrolytes. It must be as clean as possible to work optimally. If you do not have the luxury of a home bottled water dispenser, simply boil water in a tea kettle. Incidentally, distilled water--the captured vapor from boiling water--is the best. It is very close to pure water, having almost all trace elements such as minerals, pollutants and other contaminants, removed. If you want distilled water, it's best to purchase it because collecting the vapor is difficult to do at home. Sometimes you can ask your bottled water carrier if they offer distilled water instead of spring. Tap water should be your last resort.

Salt

Electrolytes are basically salts. Salts keep your body's electrically conductive to maintain cell voltage for receiving or passing along information. Regular table salt works fine as long as it contains sodium chloride, which almost all salts are made of. Some also have potassium iodide, which is also excellent for your cocktail. If you can locate fine grain salt, it dissolves much faster. Using a mortar and pestle on regular salt work just as well.

Citrus

Oranges, grapefruits, tangerine, lemons and limes--try to always have these on hand as they are the best ingredients for electrolyte replenishment. Oranges are a particularly good choice. This is why you may have seen many athletes gorging themselves on juicy slices. Citrus fruits are great, even alone, for electrolytes. However, adding some other ingredients can enhance the effect. 

Containers and Recipes

When you make your electrolyte drink, make sure that you're using a container that you like to travel with. If you like your container it will increase the chances that you will indulge in your drink concoction more often.

The Lip Twister - tart and sweet

• 1/4 cup of lemon juice

• 1/4 cup of lime juice

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1 whole squeezed orange (or one frozen can of orange juice)

• 1 liter of water

Easy Sweet - not too sugary

• 2 cups of coconut milk

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1 teaspoon of Stevia (natural sweetener) or honey

• 1 liter of water

Mix It Up - use a blender

• 2 bananas

• 3 cups of coconut milk or 2 cups of strawberries

• 1 cup of water and ice

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• Juice of 1/2 of a lemon

Fast and Dirty #1 - bare bones approach

• 2 lemon halves squeezed into a glass

• 2 orange halves added

• Squirt of honey

• Four shakes of salt

• Fill the glass with water and gulp down

Fast and Dirty #2

• 1 bottle or can of V8 vegetable juice (any flavor)

• 1 cup of water

• 1 cup of orange juice

Foods

In addition to making your own electrolyte drink there are many foods that will help with replenishment as well. These include: avocados, broccoli, yogurt, tofu and apricots.

Tip of the Week: How to Have a Successful 30 Day Challenge

Are you ready to start your New Years Resolutions? Ready to transform your life and your body? Make a commitment to make yourself the healthiest you can be. Take the 30-day challenge for a new body and a new positive attitude. Find unhealthy habits and attitudes replaced with new healthy ones. We will support you every step of the way through this exciting life changing process. This is one of the most rewarding fulfilling gifts you will ever give yourself—and the lives of those that are touched by you! 

What is the 30 Day Challenge? 

Challenge yourself with our ongoing “30 Day Bikram Challenge” by completing 30 classes in 30 days. Experience for yourself the amazing physical, mental and physiological benefits of a daily practice! 

Challenge Rules 

Participate in a yoga class at least six (preferably seven) days each week for 30 days. (If you need a day off each week, make up with a double class the following day.)

If you practice at another studio, please bring proof of your practicing there. 

Have Fun! 

Remember, when you sign up to do the challenge, you are making a commitment to yourself. Keep the commitment and see the difference it will make in your life! You may even want to keep a daily journal during the challenge, noting you observations. 

Not sure you can do it? Enroll your family, friends, and other yoga students to support you in your challenge. 

To Sign up for the Challenge: 

Talk with an instructor.

Pay the $20.00 registration fee. (In addition to class fees.)

Record your name and date on the challenge card.

Track your progress by using the stickers on the card. (Please remember to sign in)

At the end of your successful challenge, you will receive a special challenge t-shirt. Your name will also be placed on the website and published in the newsletter. 

Some Tips for Completing the Challenge:

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate. We can’t say this enough! Make sure you drink plenty of water during the day, before and after your class. If you are drinking enough water out of class, you may not even need any during your Bikram yoga class. This sounds extreme in 105ºF heat, but the best Bikram yogis drink very little during class – this makes for a more focused practice and better access to your abdominal muscles because you don’t have all that water sloshing around hindering your movement.

Start Healthy. Make sure you are in reasonably healthy condition before you undertake a 30-day challenge. If you have any serious health concerns please see your doctor. However, you can also give the challenge a go and see how you feel – you may be stronger than you think, and might just surprise yourself!

Pace Yourself. Probably the most important piece of advice. Take each day as it comes without any expectations. Some days you will fly through a class, other days it will feel like you’re pushing a boulder up hill – this is all part of the process.

Vary your position in the room. We all get attached to our own favourite spot in the room. If you love the front row, challenge yourself but putting yourself at the back. And if you’ve never been in the front row, give it a try and see how it feels.

Know your Body. If you are feeling exhausted from a day at work, don’t push yourself too hard. Have a ‘relaxation’ yoga class where you position yourself in the back row – it’s okay to take it easy every now and then, and like Bikram Choudhury says, “Don’t try hard, try easy.”

Eat Healthy, Eat Strong. As you progress into your challenge you will gain greater mind/body awareness to the point where you’ll become extremely aware of what foods will help you get through the 30 days. Foods that won’t help you are of course the ‘bad’ foods such as white sugars, excessive wheat-based foods and too much dairy. Foods that will help you are: fresh vegetables and fruit, complex carbohydrates like whole grains, and because you are building new muscle tone, you may find that you need extra amounts of protein in particular. If you are vegetarian or vegan  make sure you eat more beans, tofu and nuts to compensate. You may even want to add in a Vitamin B12 supplement.

Tip of the Week: Rabbit Pose

It's been a while since we've discussed Rabbit pose, so today we are going to revisit this stimulating and spine opening pose. You can read our last discussion about Rabbit pose by clicking (here). 

Bikram Yoga SLC instructor Naomi Franchetti at the 2011 National Championships.

Rabbit pose is one of the most challenging postures to master in the Bikram Yoga series. This is a posture where it is especially important to pay attention to the dialogue.

Always start with the right grip in the pose. The thumbs should be included with the rest of the fingers, thumbs on the outside, fingers on the inside.

As you exhale, lower your chin to your chest, round your shoulders away from your ears, and tighten your abs. Imagine rounding your spine as much as Naomi is in the above photo.

Curl forward until your forehead touches your knees and the top of your head touches the floor. Very little weight or pressure should be on the head. Only about 15% of the body weight should be in the head. The rest of the weight is in your arms pulling on your heels.


The dialogue will always encourage to lift the hips up, which is important to the pose. But it is important to never sacrifice the grip to get the hips higher. Remember,it is the grip and pull that create the force to stretch the spine.

The harder you pull on the feet the better of a compression you will create benefiting the organs.

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.

Tip of the Week: Avoid Your Cell Phone After Class

It's so tempting to grab your cell phone right after class. But you’ve just spent 90 minutes cleansing your body and mind, enjoy it. All day we’re attached to our electronics, computers, phones, Twitter, texts and email. Enjoy the peace of mind you’ve cultivated. Think of all the gifts you have in life, and all that you are thankful for. Let this be your goal for next class, and try not to look at your phone until you're back home.

Tip of the Week for Tight Hamstrings

It doesn’t add up at first, but focusing on executing really good sit ups can really increase your hamstring flexibility. In postures like Standing Head to Knee and Standing Bow you might struggle with getting past your tight legs. By focusing on the pull and stretch at the end of each sit up, you will gradually open up your hamstrings and the standing postures will become easier. Take an extra moment to get a really good stretch at the end of each sit up. Bonus tip: work really hard in Pada Hasthasana (or Hands to Feet Pose, the first stretching pose in half-moon.)  

Tip of the Week: Relax Your Mouth

It's common for many of us when first starting our practice to clench our mouths and tighten our faces as we try to learn the postures. Aggressive or competitive personalities especially tend to have this habit. We can also carry a lot of tension in our jaw muscles from anxiety, stress, and anger which can result in neck and shoulder pain, headaches, tooth pain, damaged tooth enamel, and TMJ syndrome.

Relaxation is hard work, but developing a keen awareness is the first step to overcoming the harmful habit of unconscious clenching of the jaw. Unless you are chewing food, your teeth should never be touching. Try to be aware of this especially during your practice. Keep your lower jaw relaxed as if it was hanging in a sling. Relax your tongue and remove it from the roof of your mouth. Keeping your lips closed, relax your lip muscles and stop making those funny strained faces in the mirror.

You might be surprised that as you focus on relaxing your mouth and jaw, the rest of your body and mind will follow.