yoga studio cape town Sy Pincha

The Bikram Beginners Yoga Sequence.

Bikram Yoga is named after its founder – Bikram Choudhury, who studied Yoga with Bishnu Ghosh, brother of Paramahansa Yogananda. It is a fixed series of 26 postures performed in a heated room with added humidity. Each Yoga Pose is performed twice and held for approximately 1 minute in the first “set” and 30 seconds in the second “set” , this allows you to get into the postures and make any adjustments and then allows the postures to work deeper into the body. The class starts of with a deep breathing exercise. This is followed by a standing sequence, which requires balance, concentration and focus more than flexibilty and is approximately 45 minuress long. The last 45 minutes are spent on the floor either seated or lying down allowing you to work deeper into your body as blanche is taken out of the equation. The sequence is completed with a seated breathing exercise.

Why practice Yoga in a heated room?

• Heat is used in Bikram in order to allow you to go deeper and safer into the postures
• Your body becomes more flexible in the heat and since most poses used in Bikram are physically challenging if you have never done yoga, heat allows you to get into a pose that you never imagined you can do.
• It also reduces the risk of injuries, promotes sweating, and helps you release the toxins in your body.
• The Bikram Yoga Poses not only work on your muscles but also on your internal organs.
• Each pose stretches and strengthens your muscles, joints, and ligaments and, at the same time release the toxins and work on your internal organs like the glands and the nervous system. Some people are often discouraged to practice of Yoga by thinking that they are not flexible enough. Yoga is not about being flexible, but about strengthening your body and your spine in all directions with the goal of creating a union between the body, mind and spirit. All that matters is to try the right way without pushing yourself too far.

Bikram Yoga postures and their benefits

These notes and images are guidelines only – if you have any questions please speak to a teacher in person. We will be adding more postures regularly.

Pranayama – Standing deep breathing
• Good for lungs and respiratory system
• Helps with mental relaxation
• Helps high blood pressure
• Relieves irritability
• Good for detoxification
• Exercises nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems

The first image shows the starting position, most of your weight is in your heels, heels and toes touch, legs are straight & engaged, stand tall, with shoulders relaxed
INHALE 6 seconds: through the nose with the mouth closed as you gently squeeze the back of the throat, the breath is audible, make a snoring noise, lift the elbows up to position in the second image – this should take 6 seconds – hold the breath at the top for a moment.
EXHALE 6 seconds: open the mouth as wide as possible, keep the squeeze at the back of the throat, push the chin back using knuckles, bring the elbows forward and away from chest, squeeze the palm, wrists, forearms elbows until lungs are empty – repeat 10-12 times
Avoid:
The fourth image demonstrates the shoulder lifted to high during the inhale – causing tension in the neck and shoulders. The final image, leaning back during the exhale – the whole body should remain straight and still – only the head, neck, shoulders and arms move.

Ardha Chandrasana with Pada Hastasana - Half moon pose with hands to feet pose
the posture has three parts, a side bend, a back bend and a forward bend.
• Works into the whole skeletal and circulatory systems
• Opens shoulder joints
• Good for frozen shoulder
• Reduces or eliminates pain in the lower back
• Good for abdominal obesity
• Improves and strengthens every muscle in the central part of the body Increase the flexibility of the spine
• Tones the spinal nerves and abdominal organs inproving the working of the bowels
• Increases flexibility and strength of rectus abdominis, gluteus maximus, oblique, deltoid and trapezius muscles
• Helps with sciatic problems
• Alleviates anxiety and reduces mental stress
• Stimulates pituitary gland
• Exercises colon, pancreas, kidneys, muscular, skeletal, respiratory and glandular systems
• Firms and trims waistline, hips, abdomen, buttocks and thighs

While holding the side bend ensure the entire body remains flat – straight legs with thighs engaged, flat spine with tailbone tucked, arms in line with the ears, arms straight and palms pushed together flat. For the back bend ensure the legs remain straight and the weight is all in the heels. Maintain a lift through the entire body towrads, work the arms back in line with the ears to open the chest.

Avoid:
The hips moving forward, the upper body leaning back and the weight coming into the toes. The last image shows typically what happens – looking down, and tucking the chin.

Come out of the back bend gently and keeping the spine flat (bend the knees sufficiently to make this possible) slowly release the upper body down. Shake the body, arms, shoulders and loosen the hamstrings and lower spine by keeping both feet flat on the floor and bending one knee at a time. Grip the heels from behind, slide the palms underneath the heels with the fingers pointing forward. Squeeze the body firmly onto the thighs, maintain this contact the entire time.
Avoid:
Tensing the shoulders, straightening the legs but allowing the body to come away form the thighs as in the last image.

Utkatasana - Awkward pose (in three parts)
• Improves overall body strength
• Opens pelvis
• Strengthens and tones leg muscles
• Relieves menstrual cramping
• Reduces fat pocket under buttocks
• Aligns skeletal system
• Good for arthritis conditions
• Good for digestion
• Relieves joint pain
• Relieves sciatica
• Improves flexibility in toes and ankles
• Exercises liver, intestines, and pancreas

First part – keep the feet flat on the floor and the weight back in the heels. Bring the thigh parallel to the floor and arc the spine into a gentle backbend.
Second part – lift the heels so the souls of the feet are perpendicular to the floor, balancing on the big toe and second toe. Bend the knees until thighs are parallel to floor, spine flat
Third part – squeeze the knees and gently lower yourself until the hips are hovering above the heels. Spine flat, gaze ahead, arms parallel to floor.

Avoid:
Feet turning out, leaning forward/back, knees turning in, gazing down

still under construction…..