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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:
How to book/ cancel using the Mindbody app:If you can't make it to a class you have booked/ waitlisted?
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!!
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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: 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:
Try it in class today. Book your next class!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! 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. Which means: at BYSJ. we are basically your 1-stop shop for back (and all kindsa) pain relief: emotional, mental, physical, social, spiritual. See you in class soon. :) 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!"
For tips (and videos!) on other beloved Bikram yoga postures, check out the following posts! Or simply search the archives for "Posture of the Month."
You may have noticed that the more often you practice, the quicker you notice improvement. Do you know what's actually going on in your body when we refer to "muscle memory?" Like pretty much everything the human body does- it's fascinating. This video is relevant to your yoga postures for sure- but anything else you do with your body, too!
In Bikram yoga, to "lock the knee" means 3 things: Straight leg (full extension of the knee joint) + thigh muscles (including quads) contracted + body weight even on the foot. This position provides a solid support for the knee joint, giving it lateral stability as well as allowing the hamstring on the back of the leg to be long and stretchable. Since your quadriceps were not "designed" to hold a contraction for a long period of time, during the posture, it's important to train them by sending the message over and over to them to contract, thereby improving their strength and stamina. All this leg work is a big part of what gets your heart rate up in this pose! Check out this video for more about locking the knee: 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!"
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AuthorStudio leader, yoga-doer and life-lover, Kay D. 
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