Standing in pools of sweat, in a 105 degree room, in complete silence is the reality of your Bikram yoga experience. Bikram Choudhury developed this hot yoga sequence made up of 26 different postures that focus on detoxifying your body. The poses are designed to improve your balance, strength and flexibility, as well as provide optimum functioning for your internal organs, veins, ligaments and the muscles of your body. You can use these poses to improve your overall state of health.
Step 1
Detoxify your body. You can use these poses and the heat to sweat and detoxify your body, according to the "Yoga Journal," which claims that hot yoga holistically eliminates toxins from your body, improves circulation and enhances the functioning of your immune system. Practice Bikram yoga three times a week.
Step 2
Strengthen your abdominals. Use Bikram postures to improve the strength of your abs. The 12 standing poses like toe stand, balancing stick and standing bow all work with balance to engage your core and build abdominal strength. Draw your navel in during these poses to maximize core strength.
Step 3
Open your spine and neck. Use the 14 floor series poses like camel, rabbit, half tortoise and the cobra series to help open and stretch your neck and spine. These poses are designed to lengthen the spine which can relieve lower back pain, help with scoliosis and the prevention of other back problems.
Step 4
Lengthen your hamstrings. Use poses like standing head to knee, standing separate leg head to knee and triangle pose to stretch the back of your thighs. Use these poses to gain more length in your hamstrings which can prevent injuries and even allow you to perform better with other physical activities.
Step 5
Connect to your breath with blowing in wind pose. Use this pose, the final pose of the Bikram series, to gain control of your breath. This pose focuses on exhaling rather than inhaling which allows you to strengthen your abdominals. Learning to connect to your breath helps guide you through your entire practice.
Things You'll Need
- Yoga mat
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