This Bikram yoga posture is exactly half way through the class; every posture up to this point has been preparation to do the Triangle Pose. It’s the only posture in the world which uses 100% of your body: every muscle, joint, organ, and major gland! It's a marriage between your heart and lungs. I like to refer to it as the peak of the mountain!

Health Benefits

• It improves every single bone, muscle, joint, tendon and internal organ, and it revitalizes nerves, veins and tissues.

• Flexing and strengthening the last five vertebrae in this posture can alleviate crooked spines, as well as rheumatism and lower back pain.

• Triangle Pose also benefits the heart and lungs by forcing them to work together.

Alexis' Tips for Rocking this Bikram pose:

• Make sure you take a very big step; you should be clearing your towel and mat.

• Your heels are in exactly the same line, so take advantage of those blue lines!!

• Arms are far back; OPEN YOUR CHEST like a flower petal is blooming.

• The lower you sit, the better. When you move both arms at exactly the same time, the elbow should be EXACTLY in front of the knee. That way you don’t have to move your upper body so much to get your fingertips in between the big toe and second toe. This creates a triangle in between your chest and right thigh.

• It's very important to engage your thigh opposite to the side you’re doing the posture on. Contract your inner thigh muscle and keep your toes on the ground, gripping the carpet, preventing slipping.

For Hot Yoga Beginners and Tight Hippers:

• Don’t worry, you’ll get there : ). This yoga pose takes tremendous patience and never ending determination.  If you imagine it, you’ll do it!

• If you can’t sit so low that your femur bone is not parallel to the floor, that’s ok! Just sit as low as you can go and still move your both arms at the same time. Don’t expect your elbow to be in front of the knee; it will get there eventually in the future when your hips open up! But try not to compensate by moving your body down lower. Keep a triangle, between your chest and the right thigh.

Bikram Yoga Pose: Standing Separate Leg Stretching (Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimotthanasana)

Our teacher Jodi rockin' this Bikram pose!Who has trouble with this pose? Just about everybody. So first, know the benefits so you can be excited about doing it!

•    Prevents sciatica by stretching and strengthening the sciatic nerves and leg tendons
•    Improves abdominal organ function, especially in the small and large intestine
•    Improves muscle tone
•    Improves flexibility in thighs, calves, pelvis, ankles, hips, and last five vertebrae of the spine

I don’t think there is another posture in the whole Bikram series that is so totally dependent on relaxation as the separate leg stretching pose. First you are going to feel your legs stretching, then your hips, then your spine.

Beginners Start Here:

When you are new, and stiff, simply hanging upside down, letting your spine lengthen is excellent.
If you have trouble grabbing your feet, try grabbing the backs of your calves or your ankles, trying to pull your forehead closer to the floor. You can also try moving your feet in or out, more or less, and then trying to grab your feet, even if it is just the tip of your finger under your foot. You can always at first open your legs more and more, get your hands on the floor in front of you to get your legs stretching.

You’ve got your heels and you want more?

If you can step on all five fingers under your heels, you really must pull to help bring your spine straight down towards the floor.  As you exhale, make sure your knees are locked throughout the posture and roll forward like a wheel, body weight on the toes and try to touch your forehead to the floor between your feet.

Enjoy where you are at with every Bikram pose as the struggles you are experiencing are making you stronger, smarter, and healthier in the process. Enjoy the journey, see you on the mat!

xo Amanda

Balancing Stick Bikram Pose or Tuladandasana

This is a post by one of our fab Bikram teachers Vicky...

Photo by Cory AronecThis posture is one of the most exhilarating, yet challenging postures in the Bikram Series. Just like Standing Head-to-Knee Pose and Standing Bow Pulling Pose, bringing the chest parallel to the floor helps to stimulate and bring strength to the heart, which is exactly why it is also known as “heart attack on a stick posture”! Stimulating and increasing blood flow through the arteries, strengthening the heart and preventing any future cardiac problems. Just like Bikram says, “It’s a heart attack in the hot room, so you never, ever have one outside on the street!”

Bikram’s Tip:

“Come down absolutely straight, and use your strength immediately”.

Craig’s Tip:

“Use your eyes to continue the stretch of the spine, the spine stays straight but the eyes look forward”.

Craig Villani says that your set up will determine how well you will perform your posture. Lean back slightly in the set up to stretch up toward the ceiling. Lifting your chest and as you step into the posture lock and contract everything even before you start, this will improve stability in the posture.

~Stretch your arms forward, lifting your shoulders up above your ears.

~Lock your elbows, lock your knees

~Bring your chest down, chin forward, pumping fresh nutrient rich blood all throughout the body.

Tuladandasana stretches the spine, relieving stress from the total spine, top to bottom. It also builds strength in the upper thighs, glutes, shoulders, abdomen, deltoids and ankles, and at the same time stretches the hip joints and the shoulders.

Rajashree Choudhury says that 300 calories are burned in this 10 second posture. That’s how much internal work your body is doing!

Tips to help improve your Balancing Stick

Breathe slow and even! Because this posture is only 10 seconds long, people often try to hold their breath here.

Stomach, stomach, stomach! Stabilizing your core is key in this posture and will help you balance. Remember dead weight is heavy weight, so keep everything contracted and you’ll feel light as a feather.

Imagine like your body is being used in a game of tug-of-war. Your arms and legs should be stretching each other apart in opposite directions!

Benefits of the Balancing Stick Bikram Pose:

This particular Bikram yoga pose improves balance, increases endurance, increases lung capacity, stimulates the heart and arteries (strengthens the heart), helps to clear blockages from arteries helping to prevent future cardiac issues, helps varicose veins, burns fat, relieves tension spine, improves concentration. Physiologically, this posture stimulates the pancreas, liver, spleen, kidneys, and nervous system.

Xo Vicky

Standing Bow Pulling Pose - Dandayamana-Dhanurasana

Standing Bow Pulling pose is the sixth posture in the Bikram Yoga series. It is directly after Standing Head to Knee Pose, so before you set up, breathe deeply to recover and prepare for the demands of this posture.

The set up is vital in all the Bikram postures but in Bow the set up is often the most challenging aspect. Many students have difficulty reaching their foot and bringing the knees together to start. This is most often due to tight hip flexors and/or quadriceps. These muscles are commonly tight on athletes and non-athletes alike; so don’t be discouraged if you have difficulty. Remember that you should “never build a house on a weak foundation”. Be patient and set the posture up properly.

The most common error I see in Bow is students allowing their ego to get the best of them. Leave your ego at the door and do the posture with your best form and alignment; depth will come with time.  Bikram says, “Take the time to get yourself firmly grounded and set on your standing leg before you bring your body forward and down. When you begin to move, take your time and stay in control. The most important advice I can give you here is don’t be in a hurry to dive into this position.”

When you enter the posture, stretch forward and kick back equally and simultaneously 50/50. “In one solid piece from the hips to the fingertips, roll forward like a wheel until your abdomen is parallel to the floor.”  Lock your standing knee and “let the power of the kick do the work”. Watch for your bent knee in the mirror. If you see it peek out to the side of your body, bring it back into alignment, straight back and up. Do not let your knee “wing” out to the side. If you can see your knee it should be above your head in the mirror. Most humans will be happy to see their foot above their head but make sure it is in the centre of your head when you see it. Stretch your fingers forward toward the mirror and try to “touch your eyebrow, not your chin, not your nose”. Encouraging words from Craig Villani.

If you fall out of Bow (and sometimes you will), try to get back into the posture, but be sure to set it up again from the beginning. Don’t rush! Personally, I use the first set for endurance, adjustments and alignment, so I don’t try for my “edge” in the first set. In the second set, I push myself to that “edge” and work on greater depth.

Benefits of the Bikram Standing Bow Pose:

•    Standing Bow moves the blood from one side of the body to the other, then back again.
•    It develops balance, increases the size and elasticity of the rib cage and firms the abdominal wall and upper thighs.
•    It improves the flexibility and strength of the lower spine.
•    Standing Bow builds patience, determination and concentration.

Enjoy Bow Pulling Pose! ~Todd

How easy it is. Develop your abdominal muscles in Bikram Yoga!

Happy Holidays fellow yogis and yoginis!  Along with the holidays comes delicious over indulgence…sweets, goodies and libations abound!  So, let us take notes on how we can all continue to feel good through the holidays!

It’s often our bellies that take a hit, so I will share with you some Bikram yoga tips!

Starting with Pranayama breathing exercise- You must work extra hard and when inhaling, SUCK your stomach IN.  You try your best to see your rib cage in the mirror.  For those who have extra inches, even if you cannot see your ribs, the more you try to do it, you will start to feel it, then eventually, it WILL happen!

Try being aware of this all of the 20 breaths, and your abdominals should be sore the next day.

In Awkward Pose- Very important to use your abs.  In all 3 parts, keep your stomach sucked in, and do your best to breathe slow and normal as possible.  Again, try to see your rib cage in the mirror.  This use of the stomach muscles will also prevent and help heal your back pain.

In Eagle Pose- same thing, keep that belly sucked in.  Rib cage visible, upper body arched like backward bending.

There are many other Bikram poses where you can use your abdominals more.  Standing forehead to knee requires the use of these muscles to help you touch your forehead to knee. Try this awareness from now on in your Bikram practice, and look forward to amazing results! 

To keep inches off and stay trim through the eating of 3 xmas dinners:

...CHEW your food...

This is the most profound way to improve digestion, to keep from over eating, and to improve your bodies’ ability of actually absorbing nutrients.  You want to try and chew your food minimum 30x per bite.  No joke, you will lose weight if you do this.  And it’s absolutely free!  Just think of it - by chewing you will also enjoy more flavours, more satisfaction, more joy! 

Happy eating!              

xox Amanda