About Bikram Yoga

Standing Deep Breathing

Pranayama Series

Starts the class by bringing awareness and focus to the breath.

BENEFITS:

• Quiets mind and centres you in your practice.
• Vibration through lungs and throat brings toxins up and out of lungs.
• Helps relieve blood pressure.
• Relieves irritability.
• Exercises nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems.

Half Moon Pose With Hands To Feet Pose

Ardha Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasana

Half moon pose with hands to feet pose|opening front, back, sides to prepare for class.

 BENEFITS:

• Great for respiratory problems (asthma, bronchial infection).
• Opens shoulder joints.
• Reduces pain in the lower back / Helps with sciatica problems.
• Good for abdominal obesity.
• Tones the spinal nerves and abdominal organs (colan, pancreas, kidneys).
• Improves the working of the bowels.
• Alleviates anxiety and stress.
• Stimulates pituitary gland.
• Firms and trims waistline, hips, abdomen, buttocks and thighs  .

Awkward Pose

Utkatasana

We just stretched, now we strengthen.

BENEFITS:

• Improves overall body strength.
• Opens pelvis.
• Strengthens and tones left muscles.
• Relieves menstrual cramping.
• Tones buttocks.
• Aligns skeletal system.
• Good for arthritic knees.
• Good for digestion.
• Relieves joint pain in hips and knees.
• Relieves sciatica.
• Improves flexibility in toes and ankles.
• Exercises liver, intestines and pancreas.

Eagle Pose

Garurasana

Opens the joints in preparation for the rest of the class.

BENEFITS:

• Opens twelve major joints of the body.
• Good for central nervous system.
• Facilitates lymphatic function, improving immune system.
• Improves mobility of hip joint.
• Improves balance.
• Strengthens legs.
• Good for varicose veins.
• Strengthens the reproductive organs.
• Helps with genital problems.

Standing Head to Knee Pose

Dandayamana - JanuShirasana

BENEFITS:

• Builds mental strength through focusing on endurance.
• Improves concentration.
• Uses all major muscle groups.
• Exercises digestive and reproductive organs.
• Good for diabetes (balance blood sugar).
• Strengthens back muscles and abdominals.

Standing Bow Pulling Pose

Dandayamana - Dhanurasana

BENEFITS:

• Stimulates cardiovascular system.
• Increases circulation to the heart and lungs.
• Opens diaphragm.
• Helps open the shoulders joints.
• Improves elasticity in the spine.
• Improves strength and balance.
• Reduces abdominal fat build up.
• Helps regulate ovaries and prostate gland.
• Builds focus.

Balancing Stick Pose

Tuladandasana

BENEFITS:

• Increase cardiovascular circulation, especially the heart blood vessels.
• May help clear blocked arteries.
• May help prevent future cardiac problems.
• Brings traction to the spine.
• Good for varicose veins.
• Builds strength in legs.
• Exercises pancreas, spleen, liver, nervous and circulatory system.

Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose

Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Paschimottanasana

BENEFITS:

• Increases circulation to the brain, adrenal glands, liver and spleen.
• central nervous system.
• Good for depression and insomnia prevention or treatment, helps by stimulating a healthy pineal gland.
• Help with diabetes.
• Releases lower back.

Triangle Pose

Trikanasana

BENEFITS:

• An excellent cardiovascular workout.
• Slims waistline.
• Opens and increases flexibility of hip joints and opens shoulder joints.
• Helps kidneys, thyroid and adrenal glands.
• Strengthens and tones legs and buttocks.
• Helps regulate hormone levels.
• Helps conditions of constipation, colitis, low blood pressure, appendicitis and menstrual disorders.
• Also helps rheumatism of the lower spine.

Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose

Dandayamana - Bibhaktapada - Janushirasana

BENEFITS:

• Stimulates the thyroid gland to improve metabolism.
• Good for depression.
• Brings blood through the brain – good for memory loss.
• Good for diabetic conditions.
• Assists in regulating pancreas and kidneys.
• Creates extension of the joints and spine.
• Strengthens legs.

Tree Pose

Tadasana

BENEFITS:

• Calms the nervous system in preparation for the floor Savasana.
• Assists in correcting bad posture.
• Increases hip and knee mobility.
• Stretches the spine.
• Releases abdominal tension.
• Relieves lower back pain.
• Strengthens oblique muscles to prevent hernia.
• Good for circulatory problems, arthritis and rheumatism.

Toe Stand Pose

Padangustasana

BENEFITS:

• Creates balance and focus in body and mind.
• Strengthens stomach muscles.
• Strengthens hip joints (hips, knees, ankles and toes).
• Helps relieve arthritis in all leg joints including hips.
• Clams nervous system by building focus.

Dead Body Pose

Savasana

BENEFITS:

• Returns cardiovascular circulation to normal.
• Slows heart rate, reduces blood pressure.
• Teaches complete relaxation.
• Stills and calms the mind.
• Allows the body to absorb the benefits of the standing series.
• Build the ability to access relaxation when necessary – in stressful situations, before bed, etc.

Wind Removing Pose

Pavanamuktasana

BENEFITS:

• Remove wind, hopefully after class.
• Massages ascending, descending and transverse colon to improve elimination.
• Regulates and normalizes hydrochloric acid levels in stomach.
• Improves and may cure conditions of constipation, flatulence and hyperacidity.
• Relieves lower back pain.
• Improves flexibility of the hip joints.
• Firms and tones muscles of the abdominal wall, thighs and hips.

Sit Up

There is a sit up between every floor posture.

BENEFITS:

• Strengthens and tones the abdomen.
• Open mouth exhalation stimulates diaphragm and eliminates toxins from the lungs.
• Re-aligns spine in preparation for a new posture.
• Increases strength of lower spine.
• Strong exhale also increases energy levels.

Cobra Pose

Bhujangasana

BENEFITS:

• The arching of the spine increases flexibility and strength.
• Improves concentration.
• Rejuvenates spinal nerves.
• Improves flexibility and tone of spinal muscles. Massages, works and tones back muscles.
• Helps relieve and prevent lower backache.
• Helps cure or relieve lumbago, rheumatism, arthritis and menstrual problems.
• Helps cure loss of appetite.
• Stretches the thoracic region and expands the rob cage, bringing relief from asthma.
• Gentle pressure on the abdomen massages all organs and improves their function.
• Strengthens deltoids, trapezoids and triceps.
• Compresses and opens spine.
• Relieves cervical spondylosis.
• Helps to relieve many utero-ovarine and menstrual problems.

Locust Pose

Salabhasana

BENEFITS:

• Same benefits as cobra and even more effective in helping conditions of slipped disk and sciatica.
• Improves sluggish digestion.
• Encourages concentration and perseverance.
• Firms buttocks and hips.
• Increases spinal strength, flexibility and circulation.
• Helps relieve and prevent backache.
• Helps cure or relieve lumbago, rheumatism, arthritis and menstrual problems.
• Helps cure loss of appetite.
• Increases abdominal pressure and regulates intestinal function.
• Strengthens the abdominal wall.
• Helps correct bad posture.
• Improves function of liver and spleen.
• Strengthens shoulder, arm and back muscles.
• Relieves cervical spinylosis and back pain.

Full Locust Pose

Poorna - Salabhasana

BENEFITS:

• Firms the muscles of the abdomen, upper arms, hips and thighs.
• Increases spinal strength and flexibility.
• Improves flexibility and tone of nerves exiting the spinal cord.
• Helps relieve and prevent lower backache.
• Helps cure or relieve lumbago, rheumatism, arthritis and menstrual problems.
• Helps cure loss of appetite.
• Helps correct bad posture.
• Improves functions of liver and spleen.
• Strengthens deltoids, trapezius and triceps.
• Compresses and opens spine upon release.
• Relieves cervical spondylosis.

Bow Pose

Dhanurasana

BENEFITS:

• Increases circulation to the heart and lungs, improves oxygen intake.
• Opens diaphragm and expands the chest region – improves respiratory conditions.
• Opens shoulder joint.
• Increases spinal strength and flexibility and tone of spinal muscles.
• Revitalizes spinal nerves by increasing circulation to the spine.
• Strengthens, compresses and opens lower, mid and upper spine.
• Improves strength and balance.
• Helps regulate ovaries and prostrate gland.
• Helps cure or relieve lumbago, rheumatism, arthritis and menstrual problems.
• Helps correct poor posture.
• Strengthens concentration and mental determination.
• Improves function of kidneys, liver and spleen.
• Strengthens deltoids, trapezuis, rhomboids, latissimus dorsi and triceps.
• Relieves cervical spondulosis.

Fixed Firm Pose

Supta - Vajrasana

BENEFITS:

• Helps conditions of sciatica, gout, varicose veins and rheumatism in the legs.
• Slims and tones thighs, firms calf muscles and strengthens the abdomen.
• Strengthens and improves flexibility of lower spine, knees and ankle joints.
• Lubricates and increases circulation to joints.
• Strengthens and lengthens abdominal muscles.
• Creates a great stretch into hip joints and diaphragm.
• Relieves lower back pain.

Half Tortoise Pose

Ardha - Kurmasana

BENEFITS:

• A rejuvenation pose.
• Provides deep relaxation.
• Relieves stress.
• Aids migraine prevention or treatment.
• Helps with insomnia.
• Assists in relieving digestion difficulties and constipation.
• Stretches lower parts of lungs, increases lung capacity.
• Excellent for respiratory conditions.
• Increases circulation to the brain.
• Firms abdomen and thighs.
• Increases flexibility of hip joints.
• Improves mobility of shoulder girdle and associated muscle (deltoids, triceps, latissimus dorsi).
• Increases flexibility in hips.

Camel Pose

Ustrasana

BENEFITS:

• Compresses spine, relieving back problems.
• Opens rib cage, lungs and many bronchial problems.
• Strengthens back and shoulder muscles.
• Improves flexion of neck.
• Stretches throat.
• Flushes fresh blood through kidneys.
• Helps eliminate toxins.

Rabbit Pose

Sasangasana

BENEFITS:

• Provide maximum extension of the spine.
• Stretches the spine to increase proper nutrition to the nervous system (increases blood flow).
• Improves the mobility and elasticity of the spine and back muscles.
• Stimulates thyroid and parathyroid glands through compression, helps balance and regulate metabolism and the distribution of calcium.
• Balances hormones.
• Improves flexibility of the trapezius.
• Improves digestion, glandular problems and helps improve conditions of the sinus, common cold and chronic tonsillitis (strengthens kidneys – purification system in the body).
• Helps insomnia and depression.

Head to Knee Pose with Stretching Pose

Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana

BENEFITS:

• Circulation of blood to legs and brain.
• Increased flexibility of the spine and ham strings.
• Increases flexibility of the shoulder muscles, hip joint and last five vertebrae of the spine.
• Stretches sciatic nerve.
• Increases circulation to the liver, spleen, and pancreas.

Spine Twisting Pose

Ardha - Matsyendrasana

We work in the series to increase the full mobility of the spine. We stretch forward, backwards and to the side. We end with the twist.

BENEFITS:

• Compresses and stretches the spine.
• Increases hop and back flexibility.
• Improves digestion.
• Firms the buttocks, thighs and abdomen.
• Improves elasticity, flexibility, circulation and nutrition through spinal nerves and tissues.
• Encourages the free movement of synovial (joint) fluid through the spine.
• Decreases immobility caused be rheumatism.
• Tones the roots of the spinal nerves, thus aiding the sympathetic nervous system.
• Opens bronchial muscles and rib cage.
• Helps prevent slipped disc.
• Relieves lower back pain.
• Helps sciatica and arthritis of the knee.
• Massages kidneys, liver, gall bladder, spleen and bowels.

Blowing In Firm

Khapalbhati

We begin with breathing and end with breathing to once again bring the focus back to the breath. The previous posture brings toxins to the surface. One way we relieve the body of these toxins is through sweating. The other main way is through strong exhales.

BENEFITS:

• Detoxifies and cleanses the body by removing stale air and toxing from the lungs.
• Brings mental clarity.
• Strengthens abdominal organs.
• Normalizes bowels.
• Energizes the body.
• Improves oxygenation to the body.
• Improves cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
• Good for high blood pressure.