A yoga sequence for everyone
The Bikram Yoga sequence of 26 postures is for beginners to advanced practitioners. You start at your current level of abilities. There is no need to prep yourself beforehand, except to take care in being hydrated on arrival and that you haven't consumed a large meal too close to class start time. You will practice alongside more experienced and advanced students in class. It is intentional, offering you examples, support and motivation to keep going.
Having a resilient, healthy body and mind are determined by the choices you make today. A smart move is choosing an exercise routine that is sustainable and effective for you that offers long-term results.
It is challenging to start and maintain a new exercise regime, but everyone starts on a level playing field as a beginner. A beginner is someone who, for the past 6 months, haven’t exercised 3 times a week at a moderate to high intensity. The recommended time for intense exercise per week is 2,5 to 5 hours. That is 2 to 3 Bikram Yoga sessions a week.
Having a toolkit of helpful tips sets you up for success right from the start to build a healthy habit of regular exercise.
Helpful notes for beginners
Maintain a smooth workout volume - not lumpy.
Fully commit to your weekly plan for the first 3 months.
Minimal local fatigue - avoid introducing unproductive pain and discomfort. Attempt all postures with equal purpose, without going too hard, risking strain that may require extended recovery time.
Adopt the timing and rhythm of the sequence, with long and gradual warm up sections built into the Bikram sequence.
Relentless progress. Your progress will be in leaps and bounds. The nervous system quickly adapts and begins to refine the force control elements of each posture. Focus on quality execution. The first 6 to 10 weeks are mostly force-control progress.
Longer, slower development is better. The plateau in development represents all the easy wins made from the nervous system getting smarter at the exercise.
The sequence is a fixed unchanging set of postures for a full body workout allowing you to master intricate techniques in a safe and familiar way.
Intensity is more important than duration. Intent, alignment and breath surpasses length and depth of a posture.
Communication is vital. Everyone gets stuck now and again. Your teacher can assist to move forward as soon as possible to keep the momentum going.
Stick to your plan and focus on the overall goal.
It is good to also record your experiences in a journal.
Anywhere over 57? You cannot go wrong here. Stiff and aching joints, back pain, neck pain and other ailments are common symptoms that many mature age adults face on a daily basis. Practicing Bikram yoga shows marked improvements in overall health and wellbeing. You are never too old or too sick to start something new.
This yoga style is practiced in a hot and humid room under the skillful guidance of our certified and experienced instructors. Try the practice consistently for four months to see your life change entirely! And there's no need to stop once you start experiencing the tremendous benefits this yoga offers, including:
Gradual healing - activating body systems, contracting and holding muscles and then releasing sends fresh blood flow throughout the body. The chemical constitution of blood improves as all systems are engaged and at work during the session. Strengthening major muscle groups, support structures - tendons and ligaments, massaging internal organs, and easing stiff joints.
Re-building core and muscle strength - major muscle groups deteriorates with reduced use, especially if you are compensating for aches and pains. Without the strong support of major muscle groups, weaker supporting muscles, tendons and ligaments need to take over to carry the load. They were not equipped to handle the strain and fail. Yoga targets specific areas to re-build a firm support structure.
Improve flexibility and balance - Protect yourself from dangerous falls by maintaining flexibility and balance. As you gain strength in your limbs and muscles, your body adjusts and becomes more resilient to knocks and shocks.
Body cleansing and flushing - Our body systems are extremely complex. It's hard at work to process raw (or processed) materials, and use it to build, replace and restore every cell in the body. Sweating is a key function of the body that flushes used and unwanted products from the system. Theses products contain elements that build toxicity in the body unless it is removed.