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Welcome to Bikram Yoga
Welcome to
Bikram’s Hatha Yoga class, a demanding 26 pose (Asana) series. Every pose is meant to be performed in the given order, to the best of one’s ability.
You
will learn how the poses enhance the mind and how they relax, strengthen,
reshape and heal the body.
You
are never too sick, too old, too weak, too fat, too anything to benefit
from this yoga class. Bikram Choudhury scientifically designed this 90 minute
program to deliver total health through the balancing and strengthening
of every system in the body in order to prevent illness, injury and the
limiting effects of aging.
This series of
postures begins by waking up the body and expanding the lungs through
deep breath work that pumps fresh oxygen into the circulatory system. The next few poses work every muscle, ligament and joint in
the fingers, arms, shoulders, neck and upper spine. Moving down the body, the sides and the entire spine are
stretched, realigning hunched shoulders, tight chests and backs. This is followed by balancing postures that combine skills of
concentration, patience, determination and self-control. This series continues to work systematically through the body,
leaving not one organ, bone, joint, muscle, ligament, tendon, blood
vessel, nerve or gland unattended. When your honest, hard work is finished, 100% of the body is
optimally functioning. This
is called ENERGY!
To truly
understand the magic of Bikram Yoga, you must experience the
life-enhancing benefits for yourself.
Benefits of Bikram Yoga
Note: There are many more benefits to Bikram Yoga that go beyond this
list.This is simply an attempt to summarize a few specific, often asked about areas.
Pranayama
Breathing
- Mental relaxation
- Detoxification
- Works the nervous,
respiratory and circulatory systems.
Half Moon Pose
- Helps
lower back pain, constipation, obesity of stomach, bronchi distress,
scoliotic deformities, frozen shoulders.
- Works deltoid,
trapezius,
pectoralis major and hamstrings.
- Exercises the colon,
pancreas and kidney.
Awkward Pose
- Helps to open pelvic area,
alleves joint pain and arthritis of the knees, strengthens lower
limbs, relieves sciatica, improves flexibility in toes and ankles.
- Works quadriceps and
deltoids.
Eagle Pose
- Strengthens lower
extremities, joint mobility for hip girdle and all 12 major joints.By creating pressure in the joints and releasing allows fresh
blood supply to flow in.
- Control of sexual energies,
improves function of central nervous system.
Standing Head to Knee Pose
- Improves concentration,
avoids sciatica by improving circulation and flexibility, reduces
diabetes, strengthens back muscles and nerves.
- Works the muscular,
skeletal, reproductive and digestive systems.
Standing Bow Pose
- Increases circulation to
the heart and lungs.
- Improves elasticity of the
spine by compressing the spine.
- Helps with lower back pain.
- Opens diaphragm and
lungs.
Balancing
Stick Pose
- Increases
blood flow all over the body at the same time.
- Clears
blockage in arteries
- Builds
strength in lower extremities
- Works the
pancreas, kidneys and spleen
- Works
muscular, reproductive, nervous and circulatory systems.
Separate Leg
Stretching
- Helps for
constipation, abdominal obesity and hyperacidity.
- Increases
circulation to the brain and adrenal glands.
- Good for
small and large intestines.
Triangle Pose
- Good for
kidneys
- Helps
chemical imbalances in the system.
- Helps
colitis, constipation, hip and back pain, spondilitis, general
mobility and menstrual disorders.
- Cardiovascular
benefits
- Circulatory,
digestive, immune, reproductive and muscular systems all worked.
Standing
Separate Leg Head to Knee
- Helps
abdominal obesity, diabetes, thyroid, blood sugar balance, pancreas
and kidneys.
- Works
endocrine, reproductive and digestive system.
- Works
obiliques, iliopsoas, quads, deltoids, trapezius, biceps and triceps.
Tree Pose
- Creates
hip and knee mobility
- Releases
abdominal tension
- Helps
inflammation of the lower back
Toe Stand
- Creates
balance in body and mind<
- Strengthens
stomach muscles.
- Helps
with arthritis, knee problems or gout pain.
- Strengthens
weak joints.
Wind Removing
Pose
- Helps constipation, flatulence and hyper acidity.
- Massages ascending colon, descending colon and transverse colon.
The Cobra
Series of Postures (Cobra, Locust, Full-Locust and Bow)
- Works to compress and open up the spine.
- Each posture works a specific section of the spine.
- Creates spinal changes, helps low back pain, scoliosis and cervical spondylosis.
Fixed Firm
- Strengthens and improves flexibility of lower spine, knees and ankle joints.
- Helps to cure sciatica, gout and rheumatism in the legs.
- Helps varicose veins.
- Helps to cure and prevent
hernia.
Half Tortoise
- Provides maximum
relaxation.
- Cures indigestion,
constipation and flatulence.
- Stretches lower part of the
lungs – good for emphysema and asthma.
- Helps diabetes.
- Increases blood flow to the
brain, bringing mental clarity.
Camel
- Strengthens muscles in the
back and shoulders.
- Produces maximum compression of the spine, stimulating the nervous system.
- Improves flexibility of neck and spine.
- Relieves backache.
- Helps kypho-scolitic deformities.
Rabbit
- Stretches spine, maximum
extension – opposite of Camel.
- Helps maintain mobility and elasticity of spine and back muscles.
- Nurtures the nervous system, brings blood to the brain, helps cure depression.
- Helps diabetes.
- Helps with colds, sinus problems, chronic tonsillitis, sore throats and strep throat.
- Good for thyroid and parathyroid and larynx.
Head to Knee with Stretching
- Helps balance blood sugar level, especially good for diabetics.
-
- Improves kidney function.
- Increases circulation to the liver and the spleen, pancreas, thyroid, thymus and intestines.
Spine Twisting
- Only posture that twists spine from top to bottom at the same time.
- Improves flexibility of spine and hip joints.
- Helps prevent slipped discs.
- Increases circulation and utrition to spinal nerves, veins and tissues.
- Helps sciatica.
- Improves digestion.
- Helps tennis elbow.
Kapalbhati Breathing
- Helps to rid body of toxins.
- Good for emphysema and other respiratory ailments.
- Strengthens, massages and increases circulation to the abdominal organs and muscles, including
the diaphragm.
- Good against high blood pressure and good for the heart.
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