Blog – Home Hot Yoga

VIDEO: Pranayama Breathing + Your Arms & Head

2/10/2021

Possibly the biggest game-changer for your Pranayama Breathing is learning to synchronize the movements of your arms and head!

It ain't easy, but when you figure it out you will build strength and length in your neck, relieve tension in your shoulders, and best of all: feel more relaxed, taller and more powerful within just the first few minutes of your practice!

Check out this video we made you with tips and demonstration - then try it in your next class!

Check out these posts for more on breathing:

Video: St. Johns Boosters Association interviews Kay

11/29/2020

This week I was interviewed!

Liz asked me about the birth story of Home Hot Yoga, why I love St. Johns, what it's like to be a shut-down business during a global pandemic- and how the heck I expect people to do hot yoga in their bathrooms!

Check it out:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by St. Johns Boosters (@stjohnsboosters)

That sale I mentioned?
CLICK HERE to buy!

VIDEO: How to book your class online!

10/6/2020

Booking online is now required for all in-studio classes. Check out these quick tutorials we made on how to do it:

Booking online "101"

How to book from your computer:

Go to the Schedule page
Click SIGN UP or JOIN WAITLIST next to the class you want to book
Enter the email we have on file for you & reset password if needed
Book your class!

How to book/ cancel using the Mindbody app:

If you can't make it to a class you have booked/ waitlisted?

In the Mindbody app, click "Schedule") & click on where it says "booked" or "waitlisted" then click to confirm your cancellation.
From a computer, use this link to visit your personal schedule in your account and cancel there

A 12 hour minimum notice is required for all cancellations!
Because space in class is limited due to government regulations, Late Cancels and No Shows will be charged a $20 fee if we are unable to fill the spot. Check out the details of our policy here.

If you have trouble booking online and this post didn't help you, feel free to reach out at (503)505-9805 or email us and we'll do our best to assist. See you at Home!!

VIDEO: Why Judy & Alex love Bikram Yoga on Zoom.

8/26/2020

Whether you need more "zen" in your life, or just feel kinda lazy... joining a Zoom class can be the motivation you need to keep doing the yoga you need!

Don't take our word for it though, here are HHY yogis Judy and Alex on why they have kept up their Bikram Yoga practice during a pandemic:

Why Judy & Alex do yoga at Home (online!)
"And then I go to yoga, and it feels like magic!"
Posted by Home Hot Yoga on Wednesday, August 12, 2020

How to access Zoom classes on HHY To Go!

8/24/2020

Starting September 1, Zoom classes will only be available with an HHY To Go subscription.

A couple changes start in September:

You'll no longer sign up for Zoom classes using your Mindbody account.
The Zoom schedule will be Saturdays & Sundays at 8am, and Mondays at 5pm.

Check out this video we made on how to access Zoom classes (and a sneak peek at all the goody in case you haven't signed up yet!)

How to access Zoom classes:

If you haven't already signed up for HHY To Go, check out this blog post about all the details and why you should totally go for it! Questions? Read our FAQ about HHYTG here.

VIDEO: Beginners tutorial for Bikram yoga practice at (your) home

4/10/2020

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:

VIDEO: How to do a Bikram Yoga Sit Up

1/23/2020

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:

Bring your toes and heels together
Flex your feet and keep your heels on the floor
Bring your arms over your head and only cross your thumbs (keep your arms and head together)
Inhale, and quickly sit up
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!

VIDEO: Your clothes could be making you suffer.

9/20/2019

What duds you sport in the hot room can really make a difference.

Watch this video to learn the science behind shorty shorts, then read on for 4 tips to consider when choosing what to wear to your next class...

1. Bare skin is part of your body's cooling strategy.

Your body cools itself by way of the evaporation of sweat off your skin's surface. Therefore, the more of your skin exposed to the air, the cooler you will feel, even in a hot environment.

For the same reason you probably wear tank tops and shorts in the summer, clothes that leave (at least) your arms and legs uncovered are the healthiest choice for hot yoga.

2. Loose clothing traps body heat.

Ever tried sleeping in a hammock? You'll get COLD at night because the hammock's fabric sits snug against your skin. There's no space to trap your body heat in there.

Similarly, when you wear tight-fitting clothing in hot yoga, your body heat escapes, which means you will feel cooler.

3. Downsize your yoga clothes to super-size body positivity.

Look, we get it. Your whole life you have been sent the message (from the media, peers who are not your real friends, possibly even your parents) that your body is somehow flawed or not good enough.

Too many of us have accepted that messaging to the point that we try to hide our "imperfect" bodies-- even from ourselves!

You may have discovered by now: there is no hiding under the bright lights of the yoga room. You also may have noticed: you are the only one in class who bats an eye about the size of your thighs or a little hanging skin around your middle from those babies you brought into the world! So, who are you hiding from?

Revealing your body to yourself in the mirror for 90 minutes at a time will cause you to appreciate your body more-- not only for its physical beauty (and yes it has that!) but also for the amazing things it does for you every day as it carries you through your life.

4. Don't miss out on the gift of a teacher.

Your certified Bikram yoga teachers are highly trained and constantly honing our craft with continuing education. Of the gifts your teacher offers you are personalized verbal corrections.

We have had hundreds of hours of education (and thousands of hours of experience) in this yoga system, and you get to borrow our eyes!

However, we can only let you know to make an adjustment in a posture IF we can see your alignment! Baggy clothes get in the way of us helping you use correct technique.

You are the most important person in your life.

In the end, of course, this is all up to you. We understand there may be many reasons for every choice of attire.

Just like when we give instructions in class: our role here is to offer the information we know to be useful for practicing Bikram yoga, and you get to choose what you do with that.

Your Bikram yoga teacher will love you unconditionally, no matter what you wear to class!

How to do Camel Pose, whether you are stiff or bendy.

5/5/2019

Diane Ducharme Gardner recently visited BYSJ and graced us with her wisdom, expertise and insight. Among the top "a ha" moments that students have been sharing they experienced at the workshop is this one: how to get into Camel pose!
How do you know it's right?
It works.
For any body!
Check out the video for the full demonstration of correct technique:

The key you'll want to remember is: when you hear the instructor say "go back halfway and stop in the middle," that does not mean bend back.

It means lean back halfway, using your strong thigh muscles, thereby decreasing the distance between your hand and the heel. If you approach the pose this way, almost anyone can grab the heels!
Once you have the grip on the heels (and don't lose it) you can push everything forward toward the mirror, causing the back muscles to engage and bend your spine evenly, creating 360 degree angle backward bending.

It feels so good when you do it right.

Even better, Camel pose boasts numerous benefits for your life outside of the yoga room, including:

Compresses kidneys and adrenal glands to help reduce excess stress hormones.
Sends fresh blood to the kidneys.
Stretches abdominal organs, stimulating digestive system.
Stretches the throat, thyroid gland and parathyroid gland.
Stimulates the nervous system.
Opens rib cage to allow for maximum expansion of the lungs.
Maximum compression of spine, improving flexibility and circulation.

Depth in any posture is a result of correct technique and time.

So it never matters how much you do, as long as you practice with consistent correct technique.

The beautiful thing about the instructions you hear in class is that they work for any body- stiff, flexible, injured, whatevs. But don't take our word for it. Now that you have seen a stellar example in the video, try following word by word with the correct technique in your next class!

VIDEO: How to get your hands-palms together

3/6/2019

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: