April News…Bikram Hot Yoga Vancouver

Welcome to Bikram Hot Yoga Vancouver East to West Newsletter!  Find information on postures, SALES, class schedule updates plus much much more! Our staff and teachers are dedicated to providing you with an exceptional Hot Yogaexperience. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback you may have!   We hope you enjoy our April Newsletter! Posture of the Month Hands to Feet Pose ~ Padhasastasana Hands to Feet Pose, coupled with Half Moon Pose covered in last month’s newsletter, is the first of the 26 posture BikramYoga series.  Hands to Feet Pose increases the flexibility of the spine as well as the glutes, hamstrings, calves. It also greatly improves blood circulation in the legs and to the brain, and strengthens the rectus abdominis, gluteus maximus, oblique, deltoid and trapezius muscles. Hands to Feet Pose, along with Half Moon Pose, firms and trims the waistline, hips, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs. To begin, having just come out of the Half Moon back bend, feet together, arms overhead, ten finger interlocked grip, suck your stomach in and bend forward from your lower spine toward the floor, bending the knees as needed to bring your hands to the floor in front of you. After a quick warm-up of moving your knees and hips back and forth to make sure everything is ‘nice, loose, comfortable, relaxed, flexible and easy’, grab your heels from behind, underneath the heels, stepping on all five fingers of each hand, thumbs with the index fingers and little baby fingers touching side-by-side. Bring your elbows behind the legs on the calf muscles and get a nice tight grip bending the knees as much as needed to bring your stomach on to touch the thighs, chest on the knees and face on the legs below the knees. Please do not lose this grip. With the body in this position, tight and compact, pull on your heels as much as possible, lift your hips up and stretch your body down from the lower spine towards the floor keeping the stomach on the thighs, chest on the legs and face on the legs below the knees so from the side you should look like a ‘Japanese Ham Sandwich’. Continuously keep pulling and slowly push your knees back as hard as possible to try and lock the knees. Be sure to keep your elbows bent and behind the calf muscles throughout the posture all the while you continuously keep pulling and try to lock the knees. Benefits: Opens the back of the spinal column providing access to spaces between the vertebral discs that are otherwise closed off from poor postural habits. Forward-bending with proper alignment can help to strengthen the vertebral column, stimulate the central nervous system, and nourish the soft cushions between the vertebrae that act as shock absorbers for our system. Additionally, there’s the added compression to the vital organs against the thighs, when we are folded to maximum shape. Meet your fellow Yogis! Your yoga community is filled with talented, friendly, inspiring and amazing people (including yourself 🙂 ).  Maybe you have had the opportunity to meet some of them.  If not each month we will be introducing you to a couple of them.  We encourage you to get to know your fellow yogis!  Get to know the people you sweat with!  We all have at least one thing in common, we love this yoga! MEET DEISY! Hi! My name is Deisy. Hot yoga has inspired me to live a happier and healthier life, and to love myself. I have been practicing Bikram yoga for about 9 months now. I was instantly hooked after my first class and I have been focused and dedicated to my practice ever since. One of the biggest benefits I have enjoyed is the meditation and release of stress I get from every class. Bikram Yoga has really transformed my life for the better and I have worked hard and sacrificed to make my practice an important part of my life. I still remember how much of a challenge just staying in the room was when I went to my first class, And I remember thinking “I will never be able to do that”. What I did not understand is that yoga is a life time practice and like all the teachers here at Bikram say, “Every day you bring in a different body”. Little by little, I have noticed the difference in my body. Although I have a long ways to go. I am determined to get there. Ida Ripley Seminars and Classes We have a very special weekend coming up! Please plan on joining us for ALL 3 Clinics or Pick 1 or 2 that fit your schedule! Friday, April 15th 6:30pm SYNERGY Class Synergy Partner Yoga incorporates yoga, partner stretching, creative movement, flying and Thai massage!  No experience necessary. $29/person $49/couple Buy Now Saturday, April 16th 12:00pm Posture Clinic and Class Posture clinic covering all Bikram’s Beginner’s series postures followed by a 90 minute Bikram Class. $99 Buy Now Sunday, April 17th 12:00pm Intermediate Workshop Intermediate level introduction to the advanced class.  Learn techniques for moving into further expressions of the postures. $39 Buy Now Where: Bikram Yoga Vancouver, WA – Eastside Studio               1801 SE 164th Ave Ste 109, Vancouver WA SPECIAL-REGISTER FOR ALL 3 FOR ONLY $149! Buy Now

We look forward to seeing you in the HOT room!  Remember half the battle, sometimes more, is making it to the studio.  Your body will know what to do from there! See you tomorrow! Bikram Hot Yoga Vancouver www.VancouverBikramYoga.com Eastside Location (Same Complex as Big Al’s) 1801 SE 164th Ave Ste 109 Vancouver, WA 98683 360-254-9642 info@vancouverbikramyoga.com Westside Location (J & M Plaza, same as ROSS and Safeway) 616 NE 81st Street Vancouver, WA 98665 360-254-9642 info@vancouverbikramyoga.com