Bikram Yoga exercises for beginners: a large table of asanas for home workouts

The creator of the practice devoted yoga his whole life. He was engaged in it from the age of four and by the age of 13 he had won the title of absolute champion of India in this direction. For three consecutive years, no one could defeat Bikram and move him on a pedestal. This could go on forever if the young yogi did not get a serious injury. Bikram spent several years on restoration. He failed to achieve the desired shape. However, endless training led the Indian to a terrific discovery. He found that the effectiveness of asanas in the hot climate of India is much higher than at "room temperature" in America and Europe.

The effectiveness of Bikram Yoga for weight loss is based on classes in a room heated to 40 ° C. The duration of one lesson is 80 minutes. And each of the 26 asanas and breathing exercises must be performed in dynamics. These features of Bikram Yoga lead to the fact that within ten minutes from the start of the session, the clothes on the student become thoroughly wet. So much so that the shirt and leggings can be wrung out.

What is Bikram Yoga

One of the first questions that home-scholars of this method raises is: “What is the difference between Bikram Yoga and Hatha Yoga?” First of all, the fact that the second practice became the basis for creating the first. Bikram Chowdhury expanded and supplemented the hatha complex with breathing exercises, and later with several author's asanas. He also ordered to heat the room before classes to 37-41 ° C. The sequence of asanas never changes. Thus, the famous yogi makes the bodies of his students “remember” the load and work out each muscle over and over again.

Heated air is not a meaningless invention, but a really significant discovery. Classes in this mode have at least three advantages.

1. Stretching. Hot streams warm up practitioners quickly and efficiently, make their muscles more flexible, and stretching - better.
2. Atraumatic. Thanks to good muscle warming, the risk of injury is minimized.
3. Cleansing. Hot moist air stimulates sweat, cleansing the student's body of toxins and other harmful excesses.

7 pluses

Despite the fact that hundreds of research works of scientists and practitioners are devoted to this issue, the advantages of bikram hot yoga can be generalized and fit into seven points.

1. Calories "on the fire." The first and foremost benefit of hot yoga is that training quickly burns calories. The hot room enhances this effect, due to which it turns out to be prolonged: the lesson ended a couple of hours ago, and the excess in the body continues to be burned with the same intensity.Therefore, hot yoga is chosen by those who want to quickly get rid of extra pounds.
2. Down with cellulite. To the question whether Bikram Yoga helps with cellulite, one can confidently answer: "Yes." Hot air opens the pores and penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin. The fatty layers heat up from exercise and heat. The metabolic processes in them are accelerated, and the relief surface of the hips and buttocks begins to smooth out intensively.
3. Toxin Strike. Excessive sweating, triggered by heat, promotes the active removal of toxins from the body.
4. Faster, more flexible, stronger. Warming up the muscles leads to increased flexibility, and, consequently, the quality of the stretch.
5. Heart affairs. Hot yoga practice is compared to cardio workouts. The heat in the room strengthens the heart and the entire cardiovascular system.
6. Hot resuscitation. Bikram Yoga is often recommended for people who have received serious injuries as a result of sports training or traffic accidents. The recovery period in this case is shortened, and the rehabilitation itself becomes not only pleasant, but also more effective.
7. Expelling stress. This practice is often called western. And all because it is designed for people with a Western mentality - Americans and Europeans who spend a lot of time in offices, are prone to depression and are unstable to stress. Bikram Yoga is the answer to seven troubles: overwork, stress, depression, lack of exercise, poor posture, overeating and total fatigue.

Few cons

The main disadvantage of hot workouts is that only healthy people can practice them. Contraindications of Bikram Yoga is a long list of painful conditions in which many will find firsthand the points they know.

• When VSD. Bikram yoga is forbidden in case of vegetovascular dystonia - even despite the fact that this ailment does not belong to the category of serious ones.
• Varicose veins. Refuse hot yoga will have to those who are personally familiar with varicose veins.
• Problematic vessels. Lesson will bring harm to people with weak vessels: training in hot conditions can cause serious dizziness, and in some even fainting.
• Neoplasms. Absolute contraindications are tumors of any nature - including benign ones. Uterine fibroids, rosacea, rheumatoid arthritis, hernia - all these conditions are incompatible with Bikram Chowdhury’s author's technique.
• Pregnancy. A contraindication to training is pregnancy, at any time. But during lactation, you can do it, but only after the permission of the obstetrician-gynecologist.
• Critical days. Do not attend classes during menstruation. High temperatures and intense physical activity provoke increased blood flow and can cause profuse discharge and dizziness.

Basic rules

The basic rules of “hot” workouts are intuitive and easy to remember. Take advantage of the following six when you are going to class for the first time. And soon they will become a habit with you.

1. Minimum clothing. There should not be much clothing, because you will sweat profusely due to the heat. Ideal lycra leggings and a sports T-shirt that fit the body. It is better to refuse shorts and short pants: a soaked body glides extremely unpleasantly on the slab (the so-called sports mat).
2. Back view. If this is your first time in attendance, do not stand in the front row. Take a comfortable spot somewhere behind to have a wide view and to see the teacher and other, more experienced students well.
3. Maximum concentration. Crossing the threshold of the gym, throw all thoughts aside. Do not forget that yoga - regardless of type - is, first of all, meditation. Let nothing stop you from concentrating on your own feelings.
4. Silence. This is another prerequisite for Bikram Yoga. Try to refrain from sighing, panting and grunting. Disconnect your vocal cords. This will allow you to hear more clearly what your body is saying.
5. Nasal breathing. Mouth breathing is strictly prohibited. And for good reason. Mouth nature is intended for food, not for breathing. Only through nasal breathing does oxygen penetrate into the lower parts of the lungs, thereby filling the body with oxygen more fully and better.
6. Five minutes, be a "corpse." On the 13th asana called Shavasana, professionals advise devoting at least five minutes. This is the minimum amount of time that a person needs to completely relax in a corpse pose. The middle asana will help to even out breathing, release thoughts, and soothe toned muscles.

Additional terms

Reviews of Bikram Yoga indicate that this sport is completely unsuitable for morning workouts. The fact is that a “hot” session requires maximum return from the body. And the sensations after are similar to the well-being of the squeezed lemon. Half an hour or an hour for the body to recover will not be enough. Therefore, it is better to postpone classes to post-work hours. Below are three more tips to help you improve your yoga practice.

1. Much water. A bottle of clean drinking water is your main companion after a trainer. It is necessary to drink not only before the start of the lesson, but also during and after it. Moreover, at the end of the workout, the drinking regimen should be especially active. Your primary task is to stabilize the body's water balance after profuse sweating.
2. Full stomach. Full, not full. Heaviness in the stomach is not the best feeling during a grueling workout. But rumbling of an empty stomach is a hundred times worse. Your body will need a lot of strength to do everything that the trainer shows. Therefore, take care of replenishing energy in advance. Feed your body three to four hours before going to the gym.
3. Gradual improvement. Beginners need to remember that not everything is not always given the first time. The body must get used to the load. Especially when it is so complicated. Therefore, novice yogis and yogis are recommended to perform postures without straining. If something doesn’t work out, postpone it next time. Gradually, you will achieve perfection. And your patience and work will surely grind everything. Do not doubt.

A complex of postures and breathing exercises

Once again about the basic rules of Bikram Yoga: a minimum of thoughts, a maximum of concentration on sensations and a clear sequence of exercises. You can master most asanas yourself - using text and video tips. The table alternately describes all 26 poses for “hot” workouts at home.

Table - Sequence of Asanas and Bikram Yoga Respiratory Practices

The creator of Bikram Yoga received a serious knee injury at the age of 17. Doctors assured that the guy could no longer walk fully. But Chowdhury refused to believe pessimistic forecasts and, thanks to “hot” training, after several years he completely recovered and cured his leg.

Bikram Yoga exercises for beginners are absolutely identical to the complex for professionals. You may feel sick at first. Dizziness and a feeling of weakness are possible. If you are tired, sit down. This is absolutely normal. It’s definitely not worth it to bother with such training. Bikram Yoga is available to everyone. This should be remembered when coming to class for the first time and observing with envy those who perfectly perform asanas.One day, you will become one of them - those whom beginners look at mesmerizedly. Regular training is the only key to success.

Reviews: “This is your ticket to the world of healthy and beautiful people”

We went with a young man to a test lesson. He is an athlete, I have a year of hatha yoga. They hoped that it would be easy for us, but we were prepared. It was not there) The temperature in the hall is 40 * C, the humidity is 40%. Being there is already hard. I immediately take off my shirt, fortunately, underneath is a sports bra. Roll up leggings. MCH takes off his T-shirt, there are all the men in the same shorts. A lot of people who sweat and you breathe them afterwards - this is not very pleasant to realize. But, perhaps, when there are few people, it is more pleasant and easier to do. All newcomers were asked to line up in the back row so that experienced yogis would be in front. But there were so many newcomers, they crowded and we stayed in the front row.

The lesson lasts 1.5 hours and half of the lesson is active, dynamic exercises, “for warming up”. It’s already hot and hard for you to breathe, let's also jump. During the lesson, leaving the room is prohibited, but you can just sit down, lie down and lie down until the end of the lesson. You need to take a minimum of a liter of water with you to restore the water-salt balance. The towels we laid on the rugs were soaking wet with sweat. Some newcomers are already sitting and complaining of nausea. A sweet girl instructor, who cheerfully explains what to do throughout the lesson, comments on it this way: “You feel dizzy, feel sick, and all this is completely free!” The second half of the lesson is more enjoyable - classical asanas from hatha yoga. I really wanted to endure this half, so I stayed as I could. But after several asanas my voices were whirling openly and it was difficult to maintain balance, I sat down several times to drink water. The young man steadfastly carried out everything, but I just watched the puddle squish under his feet. A good half of newcomers have long been. The instructor helps the others to properly build asanas. I do not sit long, but I'm not a wimp, I get involved in work. Until the end of the session, 20 minutes and the people who are lying begin to move. Somehow we live to the end. The best part is shavasana, the corpse pose. She was very well given to all of us, even Stanislavsky would say: “I believe!” We lie on our wet, hot towels with our eyes closed, and the girl lays cool wet towels on our faces and leaves, leaving us to recover. I think that muscles really stretch very well in such an environment. A kind of yoga in the bath. After class we are waiting for herbal tea in tiny cups and fruits. I wanted to run away from class, but overall we liked it. I recommend at least attending a free trial lesson. And take the money with you, you’ll suddenly like it;)

zenskaya, http://otzovik.com/review_4552597.html

My dad 140 kg started doing this yoga, because after trying everything, I realized that nothing more gentle and at the same time effective for him did not come up with. And after a year of classes, he underwent a full medical examination. All indicators have improved: blood sugar has decreased, blood pressure is also closer to normal, and most importantly, the cardiogram is good! The heart muscle also needs a load. In Bikram Yoga, you regulate the intensity yourself; it’s hard to rest. Yes, at least lie the whole class, if it’s not going today.

YANA, https://www.kleo.ru/items/zdorovie/hot_yoga.shtml

We lived with the USA, a girlfriend who was obsessed with losing weight dragged me with her to yoga, they say it helps a lot for tone and weight loss + she’s bored alone. When she said that the uniform was a topic or just a sports bra and super-short shorts, I said - only through my corpse, I won’t go out to people like that. Arriving in the hall, it turned out that all half-naked except me. The temperature in the hall is + 40C, the first exercise is breathing, after it sweat flows in streams through the body, after the second it flows like a river, etc. In the middle of class I almost fainted, but then as if 2, 3 breathing opens. After class, the feeling is like after sex. I must say that I always went in for sports, and that year I was in uniform, running, swimming, dancing in the hall and in clubs. but 1 hour of yoga was given to me with unimaginable difficulty.I cleaned the body of toxins, lost weight, pulled myself up, and pulled in those muscles that I had never shaken, simply because I did not know that they were))) I was always flexible, and with the help of yoga I also became strong. But did not renew the subscription, there were a lot of reasons not to go there anymore. and now I’d be happy to run, but there aren’t any good Bikram Yoga specialists in Russia. If you hear, be sure to try, you have to go through it, how to jump from a parachute, maybe this is your ticket to the world of beautiful, healthy, strong people in body and spirit.

Anna Dim, http://irecommend.ru/content/bikram-ioga-eto-put-v-rai-cherez-adovo-peklo

I talked with a yoga instructor about Bikram Yoga. It’s a good thing, really effective - and it stretches out better, and you lose weight instantly. but there are 2 big BUTs: 1. A lot of contraindications for health. Because only 100% healthy people can do this, and so you can lose your life. 2. In Russia, we have very few literate instructors who understand the intricacies of conducting bikram yoga classes ... In general, I also wanted to go, but I didn’t dare))

Friday, http://www.woman.ru/health/health-fitness/thread/4083731/