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VIDEO: Why Judy and Alex practice yoga all summer

6/18/2022

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When the temp starts rising in the Pacific Northwest, Judy and Alex hit the deck for hot yoga at (their) home.

​Check out their story to find out how yoga helps this power couple feel young, sit up straight and "have zen... sometimes!"
Want to feel as good as Judy and Alex? Join our Yoga On Demand Plan today and practice from anywhere your heart desires.
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VIDEO: Beginners tutorial for Bikram yoga practice at (your) home

4/10/2020

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No level of experience, strength or flexibility are required to safely attempt a Bikram yoga class! However, online classes are a bit of a tricky way to start, especially if you are a visual learner, mostly because it's difficult to see the other students.

Our friends at Wellness Hot Yoga made this video to help new yogis
have a better understanding of the postures, so you can feel better during and after your class! Thanks, WHY!!
We hope this tutorial was helpful for you.

​For more tutorials about specific poses, search the blog post archives for the name of the pose and click! Here are a few we especially recommend for beginners:
  • What is normal breathing?
  • What does it mean to lock the knee?
  • How to do a situp
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VIDEO: How to do a Bikram Yoga Sit Up

1/23/2020

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The sit-up. It's not officially a yoga pose, but more of a transition move to get you from savasana to your next posture. 

Official yoga pose or not, correct sit-up technique can make a big difference, especially if you have back pain (or if you want to have amazingly strong abs!)

From savasana:
  1. Bring your toes and heels together
  2. Flex your feet and keep your heels on the floor
  3. Bring your arms over your head and only cross your thumbs (keep your arms and head together)
  4. Inhale, and quickly sit up
  5. Exhale breathing, grab your big toes and "double jerk," bringing your forehead to your knees and elbows to the floor

Try it in class today.

Book your next class!

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Marcela practices Bikram yoga for a peaceful pregnancy

5/6/2019

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I started practicing at BYSJ in fall of 2016 because I felt like my body and I were at odds. I needed a practice that allowed me to reconnect with myself. Since December 2015, I've been pregnant 4 times. The first three pregnancies have all ended with miscarriages. I was grieving the loss of those babies in unhealthy ways and I sought out yoga as a way to find my way back to peace. ​

Since practicing, I appreciate my body in a different way. 

Like I mentioned, when I began practicing I felt at odds with myself. I was really self conscious and critical of my physical appearance, being overly critical of every lump and bump.

There's something a bit magical that happens when you stare at yourself for 90 minutes. Over the course of practicing I began to marvel at all the ways my body could move and how it carried me through the poses. ​

Even when it was hard, I learned that I could do hard things. This belief has carried over into my life.

I am proud of my consistency in practice. The yoga is hard, but I continue to come back because of the benefits. The best thing I receive from my practice is peace. My husband, Filip, has noticed a big change in my temperament. I used to have big, dramatic reactions to small things. I was filled with anger and would lose my temper quickly. I've always had a difficult time managing anger. Since practicing Bikram's I am much calmer, my reactions are less immediate and intense, and I am overall happier/ more optimistic.  

My mantra in the room is just breathe. It's the only thing I tell myself I have to do. When it feels challenging to get to a class I just say, "show up and breathe." It makes it feel so manageable. 

The effects of the yoga practice:

Physically, my posture has improved dramatically. I used to have a bit of a hunch, which I don't have anymore.

I have always suffered from pain in my right shoulder. This practice has really opened/loosened those muscles that were always so tight. Eagle pose works wonders.
​

But really, I practice for the mental benefits. It's the most important thing I do that keeps my mind peaceful; reduces my anxiety. I used to have crazy anxiety, I would need medication at times to manage it. ​

Since practicing Bikram's I haven't needed any anxiety medicine.

I practiced through my miscarriages. I would set up my mat in the back of the room and cry through most of the class. I was able to grieve my losses and let go of the pain through the yoga. It helped me get to a place where I could accept that perhaps motherhood was not going to be a part of my journey. Like I said, I could do hard things. 

When I found out I was pregnant for the fourth time, I didn't want to live in the fear. I also didn't want to live in the hope. I just wanted to live in every moment. Fear represented the past. Hope represented the future. I really didn't want to place any of my energy in either of those places. I thought a lot about the impermanence of a situation. The only experience I wanted was the one I was currently in.

When I practice the yoga, the only thing I can think about is the current moment. Breathing through the pose, living through the pose. That's what I wanted for this pregnancy. 

I am very forgiving with myself when I practice the prenatal series. I really listen to my own cues about how much I can do and what I need in the moment to take care of myself and baby.

Moving forward, postpartum, I want to continue to treat myself this way. 
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VIDEO: 6 muscles you are not using & how to find them

3/1/2019

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 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?
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POTM: Standing Separate Leg Stretching

10/30/2018

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Dandayamana bibhaktapada paschimottanasana! This posture is not only the most fun posture to say the name in Sanskrit, but also a phenomenal stretch for your hamstrings, hips and spine.

Because of the upside-down position, this pose provides increased circulation to the brain, nasal cavities and adrenal glands. It decompresses the spine, relieving pressure on the intervertebral discs and the spinal nerves (including the sciatic nerve) as well as having a pretty incredible effect on your cardiovascular system (see below...) 

Check out our video about how adjusting the size of your step can help you get the most out of this one:
Have you heard of a baroreflex? "Baro" comes from the Greek baros, meaning pressure or weight. So the baroreflex is one of your body's mechanisms which helps maintain blood pressure at nearly constant levels. When you hang upside down in Standing Separate Leg Stretching, baroreceptors in your arteries sense that blood pressure to the head is elevated, and this starts a rapid feedback loop which causes the heart rate to lower and blood pressure to decrease to a more normal level.

Lower heart rate and lower blood pressure is associated with a calming sensation in the body, amirite? Which, if you think about it, means the placement of this pose in our series is simply genius! I mean, you just completed Balancing Stick pose, which got your heart beating out of your chest. And you're just about to do Triangle pose... But first, you get to do Standing Separate Leg Stretching, to bring your blood pressure and heart rate down, so by the time you hit Triangle you're operating on a much more even keel. Wow!

What if you have sciatica?
​

In this pose, a special consideration for those with active sciatica is that the feet should not be "slightly pigeon-toed." They should be parallel to one another, or even a little turned out. This takes pressure off the sciatic nerve during the pose.
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Dan relieves fibromyalgia pain through his daily Bikram yoga practice.

8/11/2018

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Last December, I bumped into Natalie (who I later found out is a longtime Karma Yogi at BYSJ) at a Garcia Birthday Band show. She stuck a buddy pass in my hand and told me I should go to yoga. It was a wild night and Natalie seemed like a cool lady, so I decided to check it out. I had no idea what I was getting into! At 65 I had never been to a yoga class. Now I do Bikram yoga every day...

In 7 months of daily practice, here is what Bikram yoga has done for me:
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  • My fibromyalgia symptoms of pain and fatigue have been significantly reduced. I used to be in pain just walking up the stairs for class. I didn't even realize I was in so much pain until I realized the stairs weren't hurting anymore. My knees are well on their way to pain-free. This absence of pain where I've become so used to it feels like euphoria to me.
  • My mood is improved.
  • Carpel tunnel syndrome is gone.
  • The shoulder I fractured and dislocated in 2017 has regained almost full range of motion. I had tried physical therapy for this injury and it was just too painful. The heat and the stretching really did it!
  • My balance and posture have vastly improved.
  • I've lost body fat and gained muscle tone.
  • I enjoy deeper, more refreshing sleep. I'm able to fall asleep faster and when I sleep have vivid dreams.
  • For the first time in my life, I feel able to breathe myself into a state of relaxation.
  • Food tastes better. Water even tastes better. All my senses are heightened, in a good way. I have a feeling of general well-being all the time.
  • My empathy and compassion for others is stronger, too.
  • I've made many interesting, warm and loving yoga friends in the BYSJ community. This place is so much my home away from home that I commute over 1 hour from across town every day to come to class.
  • I've learned an incredibly valuable lesson about moderation. I'm the kind of person where I throw myself "full throttle" into everything I do. So when I started I was coming to yoga twice a day. I would push myself so hard in class that I was repeatedly getting severe muscle cramps that would knock me to the floor. I was drinking gallons of water before, during and after class. I would have to sit in my car for a long time after a session, waiting to feel normal enough to drive. It took one especially bad day and a lot of guidance from my yoga teachers, but I now practice in a more sustainable way. I come to class once a day and I'm much more moderate with my water intake during class. I rest when I need to and I also try to do the postures with less strain. These days I can stand up after my final savasana, shower and drive off right away feeling fine. I am now applying the same moderation and respect for my body in my daily activities outside of yoga. This is huge!

I wanted to share my story especially for other people with fibromyalgia who think there is no answer besides expensive medications with tons of terrible side effects.
For me, Bikram yoga gives me relief of my symptoms without all of that other stuff, and it makes my life better in so many other ways too. You've got to give it a try!
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    Author

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

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