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.

Hi everyone! Today we are going to talk about liquid intake. This is an important factor for hydrating oneself appropriately for practicing Bikram (hot!) yoga. It is also a very important factor in the Macrobiotic approach to healing and maintaining healthy kidneys. It would be so easy if both camps were telling us the same thing but this is not always the case, here is why and what to do about it:

When most of us begin to practice Bikram, or any yoga practiced in a heated room, the mind reacts very strongly. The only distraction we are allowed is to drink water. And drink we do. Guzzling here and there as the mind demands, we stop focusing on our selves and our practice. To bring the Mind under conscious control is the goal of yoga. Supple, limber bodies are a sweet bonus.

Some yoga teachers say drink “plenty” of water thirty minutes before class. And drink much more after. In fear of dehydrating or becoming too hot, we guzzle. However, guzzling and drinking too much water or any liquid all at once taxes the kidneys greatly and leads to problems down the line.

Here is the Macrobiotic perspective quoted directly from George Oshawa (the great Japanese teacher who brought Macrobiotics to the West after WW2):

“The drink-as-much-as-you-can system is a simpleminded invention because the originator of such a theory completely ignored the marvelous mechanism of kidney metabolism. He erred in conceiving the kidney to be similar in structure and function to a mechanical sewage system. Large quantities of liquid will flush out and clear a clay or cast iron pipe. The kidney, however, is not a cast iron pipe. It contains tissue that must be flexible and porous so that the process of filtration, diffusion and reabsorption can take place. If liquid is taken in large quantities, the minute openings in the semi-permeable kidney tissue decrease in size (these openings are surrounded by tissue that is sponge-like, that soaks up the liquid and swells) and little or no liquid can pass through! For all practical purposes, the kidneys are blocked. The net result is a complete reversal of what the drink-as-much-as-you-can system intended. Help your tired, overworked kidneys: DRINK LESS.”

The hot room is not the real cause for us wanting to take in so much water. The real problem lies in our diet and our absent thought on the matter. The modern theory which prescribes the drinking of much liquid was born out of necessity. It is important indeed for the meat eater to drink great quantities of liquid in order to wash down that which can pollute the system. If you eat processed food, meat and flour products, you will need to drink the water that would otherwise come in natural form. For example, cooked rice is 60% water. Fruits and vegetables are mostly water. Soups, and other whole grains boiled or pressure cooked are mostly water. The greatest cause for overheating and exaggerated thirst in the hot room is eating meat, drinking coffee and alcohol (all heating in the body) and not eating enough water-rich foods. Small amounts of liquid should be sufficient for those who do not make meat their main food and coffee their main drink. Don’t take my word for it, EXPERIMENT on yourself and discover the Truth for yourself!

Learning to drink less is much more difficult than learning to eat wisely and simply. And in the hot conditions of Bikram yoga it is a subtle, yet profound practice of choosing when and how much to drink. Observe yourself – your mind - honestly. Most of the time, a sip will do, if any water is required at all. The stronger your practice, the less and less water you will need. And if you think George is harsh, I will end with a quote from another great Macrobiotic author, Naboru Muramoto, who says, “The theory of flushing out the body with water is very widely observed, but it leaves man everything but free. His pathological desires run his life and he is forced to submit to their consequences. To summarize, drinking should not be a perfunctory action involving no decision of mind or body. Excess drinking harms the digestive process, prevents one from chewing properly and dulls the thinking. It is advisable to sip liquids rather than gulp them down. That improvement alone will prevent much trouble.”

Blessings on your path,

Tannis 

Stafford Street Hot Yoga is hosting Open Houses once a month!

Kalee, Tannis and Amanda will be here to share information on the special healing arts of Ayurveda, Macrobiotics, and of course Bikram Yoga!

If you missed our first one, the next one is Sunday, March 25th  from 11am-3pm.

Why come to one?
Free workshops! Complimentary tea & snacks! Meet new people! What more could you want?!

Workshop Schedule:
11-11:30am – Ayurveda  (Kalee)
12:45-1:15pm – Macrobiotics  (Tannis)
2-2:30pm – Intro to Bikram Yoga  (Amanda)

If you know anyone who is afraid of or interested in Bikram Yoga, but hasn’t made it through the doors yet, this is the day to bring them!

They can ask questions, take a tour and meet our lovely staff. Or if you have any questions/concerns and are looking for more information, come on down!

We are thrilled to be once again hosting 5 time Western Canadian Hatha Yoga Champion, Ida Ripley. She will be joining us in April, the week before the Bishnu Gosh Hatha Yoga Championship.

Ida, who also placed 2nd in the International Championships in 2009, had a wonderful time her last visit at SSHY, really appreciating the yoga community we have built here in Winnipeg.

During her week stay, she will be teaching master classes, offering information and tips to the competitors and running a workshop dedicated to your most burning FAQ's about your own Bikram postures/asanas that all yogis, both competitors and non-competitors are welcome to attend!

Stay tuned to the News/Blog section of our website for more details!

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