HOME HOT YOGA
  • JOIN TODAY
  • MEMBERS AREA
  • About
    • Bikram Yoga
    • Pregnancy Yoga
    • Private Lessons
  • D.I.Y. HOT ROOM
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • SHOP

VIDEO: Dr. Mike Evans on Low Back Pain

3/14/2019

0 Comments

 
As Dr. Evans explains in this video, at the root of chronic back pain is often more than a physical issue:
It is my least favorite and most favorite thing to hear: 

My back hurts, should I stop doing yoga?

Short answer? Nope. 

But why is that my least favorite question? I have been there, and I feel for you. I know back pain can be debilitating, life-altering, make you feel hopeless, make everything suck. I want you to feel better, and I want it to happen fast.

I also know the internet (and potentially your doctor's office) is riddled with myths and misunderstandings about the causes of back pain and what the most effective treatments really are. I have heard of medical pros recommending extended bedrest (which has actually been found to make back pain worse) or to avoid backbending (which in many cases is the exact kind of movement needed to balance the great amount of forward bending we do in our culture.) 


Here's why it's my favorite question, though: because I have been there, and I have also experienced the tremendous power of - myself - to heal my own body.

You thought I was going to say 'the power of Bikram Yoga,' didn't you?
​And in a way, I did. 

Bikram Yoga is an incredible tool designed to diminish pain and disease in the human body. ​

A tool is what it is.
It won't work without you.

Your outlook, beliefs, attitudes and behavior are actually 
as or more reliable predictors of your pain than any physical issue!

If you believe your pain will last forever, if you let fear keep you from moving your body, if you think you are too fat, too thin, too busy, too old, too poor, too sick to deserve to feel better?

You won't 
do the things (like coming to class) that will help you feel better. And you won't feel better. Which will reinforce your negative outlook and pretty much keep everything sucking until something has to give...

Luckily, Bikram Yoga will help you improve the health of your outlook as well as your physical health!

Because watching yourself not give up on yourself for 90 minutes at a time? That's bound to generate some positivity. 

Access to a supportive community/ social connections have also been found to correlate with reduced risk of chronic pain.
 
0 Comments

VIDEO: How to get your hands-palms together

3/6/2019

1 Comment

 
Have you been trying to get your "palms together like glue" but it just ain't happening? 

Lots of people try to bring their arms back too far in Bikram yoga's "arms over the head" position. If this is you, you'll have trouble getting your palms together. Because of anatomy, everyone has a certain point where, when the shoulders are pushed back too far, the arms will not be able to fully extend at the elbow. Pushing or forcing the arms too far back and then trying to straighten them puts a lot of strain on the shoulders.

Bikram yoga is hard enough! Take it easy on your shoulders, please.

If your shoulders are feeling strained when you stretch your arms up in this position, try bringing the arms slightly forward, then bringing the elbows toward each other to straighten out the arms. This will help you keep your palms together, which will help you stretch your shoulders, create length in your spine and...

Feel better during and after your class.

Check out these related posts on how to work smarter, not necessarily harder in yoga:
  • Are you overusing your shoulder?
  • How to take a break in Bikram yoga
  • Are you making yourself hotter?
1 Comment

VIDEO: Are you overusing your shoulders in class?

3/5/2019

0 Comments

 
This is an issue I help a lot of students with, often because they have told me their shoulder(s) hurt. As Emmy Cleaves says, pain is a gift. That shoulder, bless it, is trying to tell you something! It's the first thing I look for when the student takes my class: are you overusing your poor shoulder? 

Bikram yoga is so, so great for healing shoulder injuries because we don't do any weight-bearing on the arms. If your shoulder was bugging you when you started but you are not experiencing improvement after a few weeks in the hot room, it could be because you are overusing the shoulder in class and thereby preventing it from healing. Once you learn how not to overdo it and start practicing that way, any chronic pain or stiffness in the shoulder should improve relatively quickly.

Bikram yoga is hard enough.

Work smarter, not necessarily harder, in class and you will notice the difference in how you feel after. 

So how do you work smarter, in this case?

Whenever you are not going to bring your palms together for the pose, there is no need to bring your palms together in the set-up of the pose. This means Eagle pose, Standing Separate Leg Stretching, and Triangle pose.

​Simply bring your arms over your head sideways with shoulders fairly relaxed, the way you would do if a cop (hopefully this never happens to you, but it's just the best example I can think of!) told you to put your hands in the air. You wouldn't stop to think about stretching or looking pretty, would you? Just bring your arms over your head.

Check out the video above for a demonstration, and check out these related posts for more tips on how to stop overdoing it in yoga:
  • How to get your palms together like glue
  • How to take a break in Bikram yoga
  • Are you making yourself hotter?

0 Comments

VIDEO: 6 muscles you are not using & how to find them

3/1/2019

1 Comment

 
 I've shown this hack to a buncha people with a variety of issues: hypermobile joints, "knock knees," lower back pain, swayback, trouble balancing, knee pain and more. It has helped them. Try it in your next class and let us know what it does for you.

By the way, we had so much fun making this video. Yoga should be fun.

What will make your yoga practice even more fun is if you do it without pain or strain and your injuries heal faster because you are using correct musculature to support your body. Bonus if you feel strong and stable while standing on your own feet!

Want to deepen your understanding and get more goody out of your Bikram yoga practice? Check out these posts below for more videos from Kay, or search the archives for "tips!"
  • What is "normal breathing?"
  • What does it mean to lock the knee?
1 Comment

    Author

    HHY Founder, Yoga Business Coach, yoga-doer and life-lover, Kay Afif!

    Picture

    Archives

    March 2024
    July 2023
    March 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    September 2022
    June 2022
    September 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    Categories

    All
    Abdominals
    Addiction
    ADHD
    Aging Greatly
    Anatomy
    Anti-racism
    Anxiety
    Ardha Matsyendrasana
    Arthritis
    Athletes
    Awkward Pose
    Backbending
    Back Pain
    Balance
    Balancing Poses
    Beginners
    Benefits
    Bhujangasana
    Bikram
    Bikram Yoga
    Birth
    Black Lives Matter
    Blood Pressure
    Blowing In Firm Pose
    Body Image
    Bow Pose
    Breathing
    Bursitis
    Business
    Camel Pose
    Cardiovascular
    Cause
    Chair Yoga
    Challenge
    Chilblains
    Children
    Chronic Back Pain
    Circulation
    Cleaning
    Clothing
    Cobra Pose
    Community
    Concentration
    Coordination
    Covid 19
    Covid-19
    Dandayamana Dhanurasana
    Dandayamana Janushirasana
    Deep 6 Rotators
    Degenerative Disc Disease
    Depression
    Determination
    Diabetes
    Digestion
    Doing Less
    Eagle Pose
    Early Morning Class
    Early Morning Yoga
    Ehlers Danlos
    Elbows
    Electrolytes
    Emotional Benefit
    Equipment
    Faith
    Fibromyalgia
    Fixed Firm Pose
    Flexibility
    Floor Series
    Focus
    Forward Fold
    Front Side Compression
    Frozen Shoulder
    Full Locust
    Garudasana
    Goals
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Guest Post
    Habits
    Half Moon Pose
    Half Spine Twist
    Half Tortoise
    Hamstrings
    Hands To Feet Pose
    Hatha Yoga
    Headache
    Head To Knee Pose
    Healing
    Healing Injury
    Health
    Heart
    Heart Rate
    Heat
    Herniated Disc
    Hhy To Go
    Hips
    Hives
    Home Hot Yoga Studio
    Home Practice
    How Yoga Works
    Humidity
    Hydration
    Hyperextension
    Hypermobility
    Immune System
    Inflammation
    Inspiration
    Interlocked Finger Grip
    IT Band
    Joint Pain
    Joints
    Kaizen
    Kapalbhati
    Karma Yogi
    Knee Pain
    Knees
    Lateral Flexion
    Lock The Knee
    Locust Pose
    Logistics
    Longevity
    Mask
    Meditation
    Membership
    Mental Health
    Mexico
    Mindset
    Mistakes
    Moderation
    Motivation
    Nervous System
    Normal Breathing
    Nutrition
    Online
    Osteoarthritis
    Overuse
    Pain Relief
    Parenting
    Patience
    Photos
    Poetry
    Posture
    Posture Of The Month
    Practice
    Pranayama
    Pregnancy
    Products
    Quit Smoking
    Rabbit Pose
    Racial Equity
    Rajashree's Pregnancy Yoga
    Raja Yoga
    Recipes
    Recovery
    Relationships
    Relaxation
    Research
    Respiratory System
    Retreat
    Routine
    Running
    Safety
    Schedule
    Sciatica
    Science
    Scoliosis
    Self Care
    Self Discipline
    Self-discipline
    Self Realization
    Situp
    Sit Up
    Skin Health
    Sleep
    Social Justice
    Speaking Up
    Spinal Stenosis
    Spine
    Spine Twisting
    Spondylolisthesis
    Spondylosis
    Stamina
    Standing Bow Pulling Pose
    Standing Head To Knee
    Standing Separate Leg Head To Knee
    Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose
    Stiffness
    Strength
    Stress Relief
    Stretching
    Student Of The Month
    Students
    Studio News
    Summer
    Surgery
    Sustainability
    Sweat
    Swelling
    Teacher Feacher
    Technique
    Teri Almquist
    Testimonials
    Tips
    Tourniquet Effect
    Transformation
    Tree Pose
    Triangle Pose
    Trikonasana
    Twisting
    Utkatasana
    Video
    Videos
    Visualization
    Weight Loss
    Wrists
    Yoga
    Yoga Story Of The Month
    Zoom

    RSS Feed

Log in for online yoga
We are an independently woman and veteran owned business. 100% of your investment stays with our company. No franchise fees or royalties are paid to any person or entity.
Picture
Terms / Privacy
  • JOIN TODAY
  • MEMBERS AREA
  • About
    • Bikram Yoga
    • Pregnancy Yoga
    • Private Lessons
  • D.I.Y. HOT ROOM
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • SHOP