The heat has many benefits …

The heat means we can get into postures more deeply and effectively – plus the benefits of the postures come quickly. Like thousands before you, you will find that practising yoga in the warm room creates a satisfying and almost addictive feeling of achievement.

The benefits are many:

• Your body burns fat more effectively, fat may be redistributed and burned as energy during the class. It is common to lose centimetres of shape in a very short time
• The heat produces a fluid-like stretch allowing for greater range of movement in joints, muscles, ligaments and other supporting structures of the body
• Capillaries dilate in the heat; more effectively oxygenating the tissues, muscles, glands and organs and helping in the removal of waste products
• Your peripheral circulation improves due to enhanced perfusion of your extremities
• Your metabolism speeds up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids
• You benefit from a strengthening of willpower, self control, concentration and determination in this challenging environment
• Your cardiovascular system gets a thorough workout
• Your muscles and connective tissue become more elastic and allow for greater flexibility with less chance of injury and improved resolution of injury
• Sweating promotes detoxification and elimination through the skin – which is the body’s largest eliminating organ
• Just as when your body raises its temperature to fight infection, the raised temperature in the room will assist in improving T-cell function and the proper functioning of your immune system
• Your nervous system function is greatly improved and messages are carried more efficiently to and from your brain
• Metabolism improves in your digestive system and in the body’s cells (that is food in the gut and nutrients in the cells)

What is Hot Yoga?

Hot Yoga is one of the fastest growing styles of yoga in the world. A common misconception is that hot yoga is Bikram Yoga – a series of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises performed twice in a room heated to 105°F. While Bikram yoga is one style of hot yoga,  not all hot yoga is Bikram yoga. Styles of hot yoga include Baptiste Power, Yoga Tropics Flow,( READ MORE …) Hot Vinyasa, and of course Bikram Yoga

Here are some of the differences:

Bikram… Baptiste Power…

For example, Bikram Yoga is the same 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises for 90 minutes with no variations.  The advantage of Bikram yoga is that it is easy to measure results.

Baptiste Power encourages authenticity, with less emphasis on the heat, at around 85°F the class flows through each pose in a vinyasa style focusing on breathe and movement. There are also several studios teaching various styles of hatha yoga in rooms heated at different levels.

Enjoy Your Hot Yoga!

So as the hot yoga scene continues to evolve I invite you to explore to your hearts content. Enjoy the journey!

Om Shanti.

Different schools of yoga have slightly different views about what trikonasana is and how it should be performed.  There is a 10-page article on trikonasana in Yoga Journal with instructions given by teachers from 5  hatha yoga traditions (Iyengar Yoga,  Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga,  Kripalu Yoga, Sivananda Yoga and Bikram Yoga) showed differing opinions with respect to the body positioning in this pose.

Trikonasana is usually performed in two parts, facing left, and then facing right. The practitioner begins standing with the feet one leg-length apart, knees unbent, turns the right foot completely to the outside and the left foot less than 45 degrees to the inside, keeping the heels in line with the hips. The arms are spread out to the sides, parallel to the ground, palms facing down; the trunk is extended as far as is comfortable to the right, while the arms remain parallel to the floor. Once the trunk is fully extended to the right, the right arm is dropped so that the right hand reaches the shin (or a block or on the floor) to the front (left side) of the right foot, with the palm down if flexed. The left arm is extended vertically, and the spine and trunk are gently twisted counterclockwise (i.e., upwards to the left, since they’re roughly parallel to the floor), using the extended arms as a lever, while the spine remains parallel to the ground. The arms are stretched away from one another, and the head is often turned to gaze at the left thumb, slightly intensifying the spinal twist. Returning to standing, the bend is then repeated to the left. (excerpted from wikipedia)