What is Bikram Yoga?
Bikram Yoga is a series of 26
hatha yoga postures (asanas) done in a
specific order over 90 minutes in a room heated to
just above body temperature. The series was brought
to the US over 30 years ago by Bikram Choudhury, and
is now taught globally by hundreds of certified instructors.
This full body workout positively affects every muscle,
every joint, every organ in your body.
For 90 minutes you are giving your mind and body the best
therapy possible!
What are the benefits?
People find a variety of benefits from Bikram yoga including
weight loss, injury healing, immune system improvement,
increased flexibility, and stress reduction. Athletes see
improvement in performance, but yoga is one of the few
forms of exercise that you can do at any age, shape or
level of fitness.
Many of the most valued benefits are beyond the body -
such as helping with concentration and relieving depression
or anxiety. Your practice will truly benefit you, inside
and and out, top to bottom. And although it is a serious
workout - it really is fun!
Bikram yoga, done faithfully (minimum 3x week), can increase
your wellness in the following areas:
- increased flexibility
- increased energy & strength
- improved muscle tone
- relieve back pain
- increased cell renewal
- clean pores
- accelerated injury recovery
- regulate appetite
- healthy weight loss
- increased blood circulation
- relieve arthritis
- increased lung capacity
- flush lymphatic system
- detox liver and kidneys
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- improved thyroid function
- aid digestion
- improved joint mobility
- overall sense of well being
- ability to relax and sleep more soundly
- improve discipline
- greater level of patience
- disperse negativity
- encourages spiritual evolution
- improved mental clarity
- revitalize nerves
- balance hormones
- make new friends
- a body that defies your age
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Poses
The unique sequence of 26 hatha yoga postures that are
performed twice in each class. The Bikram series includes
the most medicinal hatha yoga postures to help reshape
and heal your body.
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Pose number 1: Standing Deep
Breathing
Sanskrit Name: Pranayama
Benefits:good for mental relaxation, helps high blood, relieves irritability,
helps disturbed sleep, good for detoxification, exercises nervous, respiratory
and circulatory systems. |
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Pose number 2: Half Moon
Pose
Sanskrit Name: Arda-Chandrasana with Pada Hastasana
Benefits: works whole skeletal and circulatory systems, opens shoulder joints,
good for frozen shoulders, relieves lower back pain, good for abdominal obesity,
relieves bronchial distress, good for sciatic deformities, improves cell division,
stimulates pituitary gland, exercises colon, pancreas, kidneys, muscular-skeletal,
respiratory and glandular systems. |
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Pose number 3: Awkward Pose
Sanskrit Name: Utkatasana
Benefits: improves overall body strength, opens pelvis, relieves menstrual cramping,
shapes lower muscles, uses all major muscle groups, cuts fat pocket under butt,
aligns skeletal system, good for digestion, good for joint pain, good for immune
disorders, good for arthritis of knees, improves flexibility in toes and ankles,
relieves sciatica, exercises liver, intestines and pancreas. |
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Pose number 4: Eagle Pose
Sanskrit Name: Garurasana
Benefits: more joint work (bigger joints), stretches central nervous system,
creates pressure on lymphatic glands, strengthens lower extremities, helps joint
mobility at hip girdle and 12 other major joints of body, improves balance, good
for varicose veins. |
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Pose number 5: Standing Head
To Knee
Sanskrit Name: Dandayamana-Janushirasana
Benefits: good for mental strength, improves concentration, realizes oneness
of mind and body, uses all major muscle groups and internal organs (primary-digestive,
secondary digestive), improves circulation and flexibility, good for diabetes,
improves pancreatic functions, strengthens back muscles. |
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Pose number 6: Standing Bow
Pulling Pose
Sanskrit Name: Dandayamana-Dhanurasana
Benefits: great cardiovascular challenge, increases circulation to heart and
lungs, opens diaphragm, good for frozen shoulders, improves elasticity of spine
(by compression), creates marriage between strength and balance, activates digestive
system, helps cure infertility, eliminates abdominal fat, helps prostrate problems. |
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Pose number 7: Balancing Stick
Sanskrit Name: Tuladandasana
Benefits: cardiovascular, increases blood flow to all over body and arteries
of heart, clears blocked arteries, prevents future cardiac problems, total spine
stretch, relieves stress from spine, great for emotional problems, good for varicose
veins, builds strength in lower extremities, exercises pancreas, liver, spleen,
nervous and circulatory systems. |
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Pose number 8: Standing Separate
Leg Stretching
Sanskrit Name:
Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada Paschimotthanasana
Benefits: increases circulation to brain, good for pychotic depressions, centering
and stretching of spine where nervous system is housed, good to relieve constipation,
good for abdominal obesity, good for diabetes and hyperacidity, increases circulation
to adrenal glands, releases lower back, exercises muscular, adrenal and reproductive
systems. |
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Pose number 9: Triangle Pose
Sanskrit Name: Trikanasana
Benefits: cardiovascular, major side stretching, opens hips, centres the self,
good for kidneys, thyroid and adrenal glands, good for frozen shoulders, rids
saddlebags, build muscle, nerves and tissue strength, helps balance chemical
imbalances, helps anorexia, constipation, colitis, low blood pressure, appendicitis,
spondylitis and PMS, works all muscular systems at same time. |
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Pose number 10: Standing Separate
Leg/Head To Knee
Sanskrit Name: Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada Janushirasana
Benefits: helps depression and loss of memory, helps abdominal obesity, helps
diabetes, balances blood sugar, compresses pancreas and kidneys, exercises endocrine,
digestive and reproductive systems. |
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Pose number 11: Tree Pose
Sanskrit Name: Tadasana
Benefits: corrects bad posture, creates hip and knee mobility, creates total
body traction, balances coccyx, tightens gluteus maximus, releases abdominal
tension, releases inflammation of lower back, good for circulatory disorders,
arthritis and rheumatism. |
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Pose number 12: Toe Stand
Sanskrit Name: Padangustasana
Benefits: creates balance in body and mind, strengthens stomach muscles, strengthens
weak joints, good for arthritis in knees and legs. |
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Pose number 13: Corpse Pose
Sanskrit Name: Savasana
Benefits: returns cardiovascular circulation to normal, slows heart rate, reduces
blood pressure,
teaches complete relaxation, stills and focuses the mind. |
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Pose number 14: Wind Removing
Pose
Sanskrit Name: Pavanamuktasana
Benefits: good for constipation, flatulence and hyperacidity, relieves low back
pain, good for abdominal muscles - helps tone abdominal wall, massages ascending,
descending and transverse colon, prevents hard stool from parastaltic stomach
activity, normalises HCL acid. |
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Pose number 15: Sit-Up with
Double Exhale
Sanskrit Name: NA
Benefits: Tones Abdominal Muscles and re-energises the system. |
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Pose number 16: Cobra Pose
Sanskrit Name: Bhujangasana
Benefits: compresses and opens spine, strengthens lower, mid and upper spine,
creates more elasticity in entire spine, increases tone of muscle fibers, accelerates
circulation of synovial fluid, holds vertebrae in position, relieves cervical
spondylosis. |
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Pose number 17: Locust Pose
Sanskrit Name: Salabhasana
Benefits: compresses and opens spine, strengthens lower, mid and upper spine,
creates more elasticity in whole spine, increases tone of muscle fibres, accelerates
circulation of synovial fluid, holds vertebrae in position, relieves cervical
spondylosis. |
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Pose number 18: Full Locust
Sanskrit Name: Poona Salabhasana
Benefits: compresses and opens spine, strengthens lower, mid and upper spine,
creates more elasticity in whole spine, increases tone of muscle fibres, accelerates
circulation of synovial fluid, holds vertebrae in position, relieves cervical
spondylosis. |
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Pose number 19: Bow Pose
Sanskrit Name: Dhanurasana
Benefits: compresses and opens spine, strengthens lower, mid and upper spine,
creates more elasticity in whole spine, increases tone of muscle fibres, accelerates
circulation of synovial fluid, holds vertebrae in position, relieves cervical
spondylosis. |
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Pose number 20: Fixed Firm Pose
Sanskrit Name: Supta Vajrasana
Benefits: greases joints (by putting pressure on joints against gravity), forms
abdominal muscles, more stretching in hip joints and diaphragm, relieves lower
back pain, good for knees, slims thighs helps sciatica, rheumatism, gout, diabetes
and varicose veins. |
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Pose number 21: Half Tortoise
Pose
Sanskrit Name: Ardha Kurmasana
Benefits: relieves stress, migraines, stomach discomfort, digestion problems
and constipation, improves shoulder girdle, sends blood from knees to toes and
to the brain, stretches spine, increases circulation to heart, cures insomnia,
stretches lower lungs - good for asthma, increases flexibility in hips, brain
gets oxygen. |
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Pose number 22: Camel Pose
Sanskrit Name: Ustrasana
Benefits: compresses spine, helps cure back problems, opens rib cage, heart,
lungs and digestive system, stimulates nervous system, great for lungs and any
problem in bronchial plexus, strengthens back and shoulder muscles, improves
flexibility of neck, stretches throat, sends fresh blood to kidneys, eliminates
toxins. |
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Pose number 23: Rabbit Pose
Sanskrit Name: Sasangasana
Benefits: helps to cure insomnia, depression, colds, sinus, tonsillitis, laryngitis,
allergies and glandular defects, compresses thyroid, balances hormones, improves
flexibility of scapula, stimulates nerves behind eyes. |
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Pose number 24: Separate Leg
Stretching Head To Knee
Sanskrit Name: Janushirasana Paschimotthasana
Benefits: stimulates thymus, digestion and immune system. |
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Pose number 25: Spine Twisting
Sanskrit Name: Ardha Matsyendrasana
Benefits: compresses and stretches spine, improves elasticity and flexibility,
detoxifying, opens bronchial muscles and rib cage, good for abs, prevents slipped
discs, increases circulation to spinal nerves, veins and tissues, relieves back
pain and deformity in lumbar region of spine, helps arthritis of knee and sciatica,
massages kidneys, liver, gall bladder, spleen and pancreas. |
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Pose number 26: Blowing in Firm
(Breath of Fire)
Sanskrit Name: Kapalabhati-Vajrasana
Benefits: detoxifying - cleansing life force, brings mental clarity, forms abs,
normalises bowels energises body, improves oxygenation to body, increases circulation,
good for heart, high blood pressure and respiration. |
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