News

What is Standing Heading to Knee ?

  The Standing Head to Knee Pose is a balancing and strengthening posture in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series called in Sanskrit Dandayamana Janushirsasana. The breakdown of the name Dandayamana Janushirsasasana in Sankrit is Dandayamana which means standing. If you want to break down Dandayamana a little further in Sanskrit, the meaning of Danda is "Stick," and Yamana has the definition of "Restraint."

  Janushirsasasana is broken into three parts in Sanskrit: Janu means knee, Shira stands for head, and Asana means posture. The easiest way to understand this posture for beginners is to break it down into three separate parts. We are going to try and explain this pose for beginners to easily understand.

Kapalabhati Breathing. What is it. Why we do it. How we do it.

   Kapalabbhati Breathing or Breath of Fire is a form of breathing exercise used in all forms of yoga.  Kapalabhati Breathing in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series is what we will focus on in this article. The term Kapalabhati translates from Sanskrit to English as follows: Kapala has the meaning of "skull," and Bhati has the definition of "shining," "light," or "illuminating." This explains why this form of breathe work is also described as Skull Shining. The term Kapalabhati Breathing is also referred to as The Breathe Of Fire in the Bikram Series.

Head to Knee with Stretching Pose: An overview.

  The Head to Knee with Stretching Pose in the Bikram How Yoga Series comes between Rabbit Pose and Spine Twist. It is called Janushirsasana Paschimotthanasana  in Sanskrit and breaks down as follows: Janu stands for "knee", the word Shirsha means "head" and Asana has the definition of "posture" or "seat". The name Paschima means "west" or "back of the body", Uttana is defined as "straight", "extended" or "intense stretch" and as before Asana means "posture" or "seat".

Overview of the Rabbit Pose in Bikram Yoga

The Rabbit Pose  in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series or called Sasangasana in Sanskrit follows the deep backward bend of the Camel Pose with a deep forward bend which helps improve moment in the spine. The meaning of Sasangasana translating from Sanskrit to English breaks down as follows:  Sasaka which has the meaning of "rabbit" and Asana has the meaning of "pose".

An interesting fact about Rabbit Pose in the Bikram Series is that it is the only pose that the dialogue calls for the allowance of using a prop. This is when they suggest that if you are struggling establish a grip you are able to use a towel. The Rabbit Pose helps you round and lengthen the back of the body and compress and compact the front of the body. Lets get right into it and discuss how to do the Rabbit Pose in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series properly.

Half Tortoise Half Tortoise Pose  in Bikram Yoga. What is it?

   The Half Tortoise Pose in Bikram Hot Yoga Series or Ardha Kurmasana in Sanskrit is a spine lengthening and stretching pose that works the whole back. Ardha Kurmasana, translated from Sanskrit to English, breaks down as follows: Ardha means half, kurma means tortoise or turtle, and asana as always means pose. The Half Tortoise Pose is an excellent posture to do outside of the Hot Room and can be profoundly calming and relaxing to do. It is used to assist with sleep disorders and insomnia, so if you have trouble sleeping, you can do a set of Half Tortoise Pose before you go to bed. Half Tortoise also helps open up the rib cage so it can help you breathe more deeply and fully. Let us explore in more detail how to do the Half Tortoise Pose in the following paragraphs.

 The  Bikram Spine Twist. An overview. 

    The Spine Twisting Pose in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series is the final posture you do before doing the Kapalabhati Breathing Exercise. The name of the Bikram Spine Twist Pose in Sanskrit is Ardha Matsyendrasana and has the following transition into English: Ardha has the meaning of "half:, Matsya translates to English as "fish" or "lord," Indra means "king" in English, and as always Asana means "pose" or "seat."

   The posture is generally referred to as Half Lord Of The Fishes Pose in the Bikram Series. It is the only posture in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series that you do one set of and the reason for this is that you do not need to do any more than one set of Spine Twisting. You are just trying to create a balance between the left and right sides of the body in Spine Twist. It looks and sounds simple to do, but it is easy to get mixed up in this pose for both new students and new teachers, so let us do a review of the final pose in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series before your final breathing and Savasana.

What is Camel Pose in Bikram Yoga ?

  The Camel Pose in Bikram Hot Yoga Series or Ustrasana is a deep back bending pose that compresses and strengthens the spine. It also opens and stretches the front of the body. Camel Pose is called Ustrasana in Sanskrit and it comes from the words Ustra with the definition of "camel" and Asana meaning "seat" or "posture". It is the deepest back bend in the Bikram Hot Yoga Series that has tremendous health benefits that we will go over in a little bit.

What is Fixed Firm in the Bikram Series ?

  The Fixed Firm in the Bikram Series  is also called Reclining Diamond or Thunderbolt and called Supta Vajrasana in Sanskrit. Even though the most common name in the Bikram Series is Fixed Firm, the Sanskrit term Supta Vajrasana translates into English: Supta has the definition of "reclining," vajra has the meaning of "thunderbolt." Asana has the description of "pose." The Fixed Firm is the ultimate posture where you need to not force your way in and just listen to your body and notice your breath as you go into the pose, and the moment you see pain or discomfort, you need to take a step back. Let the pose up to you up and do not try and force your way into it. Doing one percent of the posture correctly will give you all the pose benefits, so take it easy on yourself. 

 What is the Spine Strengthening Series in Bikram Yoga ?

  The Spine Strengthening Series in Bikram Yoga Series  does just as its name suggests and helps strengthen the spine. It is a group of four postures at two sets, each between Wind Removing Pose and Fixed Firm. These are the only set of postures done while laying on your stomach and can be pretty demanding if you are not breathing in it.

The Spine Strengthening comprises four poses that are in order as follows: Cobra, Locust, Full Locust, and Floor Bow. Each of these postures works on different spine sections and has immense healing and strengthening properties. Between postures, you take turns looking to the side of the room with the ear on the towel with the palms facing the ceiling. After the first set, look to the right and after the second set, look to the left. I will go through each posture in the Spine Strengthening Series in-depth in this post, so let's get started.

 A better understanding of Savasana in the Bikram Series

    Savasana in the Bikram Series is a restful and meditative posture used in many different forms of yoga, including the Bikram Hot Yoga Series, which we will be going over in this article. The word Savasana translates from Sanskrit to English as follows: Shava has the meaning of "corpse," and Asana has the definition of "seat" or "posture." Even though Savasana looks like you are just laying on your back, it is so much more and is considered a posture in the Bikram Series.

Your first Savasana comes after you have finished the Toe Stand and you finished the Standing Series. When you do the floor series poses, you do a Savasana between each posture and one last long Savasana when you are done the series. Savasana allows you to receive all the Bikram Hot Yoga Series benefits, so we need to ensure we are doing it correctly. This is not just lying on your back, so let's describe the proper form you need to use to get all of its benefits