Recipe of the week - Kale chips

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 - 1/2 Cup of sesame seeds

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Take one bunch of kale, leaves ripped up chip size, in a bowl. Mix in olive oil, seasoned salt, lemon juice and sesame seeds. Mix it all up; spread onto baking sheet; bake in oven for about 30 min. at 220F. Makes a nice healthy snack. Good calcium-filled snack!

(Photo from Canadian Living)

Recipe from Corinne! :)

Blowing in Fixed Firm Pose (Kapalbhati in Vajrasana)

This last breathing exercise strengthens all the abdominal organs and increases the circulation. It makes the abdominal wall strong and trims the waistline. It also allows the body to release toxins through the respiratory system.

A little tip: Only stomach muscles are supposed to move - no shoulders, arms, or lower back jumping in sympathy with the abdomen. Pretend you are blowing off a candle over and over again!

Strengthens

• Abdomen

Stimulates

• Digestive System
• Respiratory System

Benefits

• Detoxifies and cleanses body by removing stale air and toxins from lungs
• Brings mental clarity
• Normalizes digestion and bowel movements
• Energizes body
• Calms the nervous system
• Improves oxygenation to the body
• Improves cardiovascular and respiratory systems
• Good for high blood pressure

( info from Bikam Yoga Book)

It is Challenge time!

We are very excited about June! Why? Because it is time for our next Bikram Yoga Challenge.

      30 DAY OR 4 FOR 4

   TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

For the month of June you can participate in our 30 Day or 4 For 4 Challenge. Take this opportunity to see how your mind and body can transform when practicing daily. For this amazing experience you do 30 classes in 30 days or 4 classes per week for 4 weeks. It is your choice - your level of commitment. For the 30 day challenge it may not always be possible to practice each day so you are able to come twice a day to make up for the classes you miss.

$99

Special 1 Month Rate

Offer period is June 1^st to June 30^th
(if you are on a unlimited membership no extra purchase is needed)

Spine-Twisting Pose (Ardha-Matsyendrasana)

The only exercise that twists the spine from top to bottom at the same time. As a result, it increases circulation and nutrition to spinal nerves, veins, and tissues. It also improves spinal elasticity and flexibility. It helps cure lumbago, rheumatism of the spine, improves digestion, removes flatulence from the intestines and firms the abdomen, thighs, and buttocks.

First, make sure the heel of the foot is touching the knee, not higher up on the thigh. Second, when you bring your arm over and across, place the hand so it, the knee and the heel are all touching at the same spot. Third, point the toes of the leg bent on the floor, heel touching the outside of the hip.

Strengthens

• Buttocks
• Thighs
• Abdomen

Stretches

• Joints and vertebra of the spine
• Spinal nerves
• Hips

Stimulates

• Digestive System
• Kidneys
• Liver
• Gall Bladder
• Spleen

Benefits

• Compresses and stretches spine from the bottom to the top
• Improves digestion
• Improves elasticity, flexibility, circulation and nutrition to spinal nerves, vessels and tissues
• Increases synovial fluid of the joints
• Removes adhesions in the joints caused by rheumatism
• Tones the roots of the spinal nerves and sympathetic nervous system
• Detoxifies the spine
• Opens bronchial muscles and rib cage
• Helps prevent slipped disc
• Relieves lower back pain
• Helps sciatica and arthritis of the knee

Student Profile - Kyle

Tell us about your very first Bikram Yoga class … when was it and why did you go?

Hmm, had to think about this for a bit, it was about 4 years ago, my sister asked me to go.  I had no idea what hot yoga was but figure id give it a shot.  It was an experience I don’t like to look back on to be honest!!! I did not drink much water before the class and was in HORRIBLE shape at the time.  I remember struggling through the class, seeing stars everywhere by the end.  I even had 1.5 Liter water with me that lasted about 30 minutes.  I did make it through the class only because the teacher stopped me from leaving! Afterwards on the walk back to the car, let’s just say I got sick! (Guess a liter and a half of water in 30 minutes wasn’t a good idea: /) I figured I would never be back!

How soon did you come back for your second class?

Probably about 2 weeks after my first horrid experience! A friend asked me to go with her and I told her about my first experience, and she said just drink water all day, before we go and you will be fine.  So I did just that and went that night, it was much better; I remember I made it through all the postures (struggling of course!) But I actually enjoyed it! After that I went maybe 10 more times then stopped until this year!

What are some of the benefits you receive from Bikram Yoga?

For me the biggest benefit is working on breathing and just being still and not thinking.  I’m a very outgoing typically LOUD person and my brain is ALWAYS racing.  I feel from just a few months of Bikram I’m way more cool, calm and collected.  Also helps keep me clean, I’ve struggled with substance abuse for which seemed endless years (probably about 7, the last 4 took everything, except family (THANK God for them) and have been clean for nearly a year now (with a few slips, but completely clean in all 2012!! Even quit smoking since I started Bikram! Eating a lot healthier as well! Bikram is a HUGE part of everything as of late, helps keep me focused on my practice and whenever I feel triggered I know I need blow of some steam and stress, nothing clears the mind better than a good old Bikram class!

What keeps you coming back for more?

Girls in yoga pants :) .....…

OK OK OK that’s not all… the benefits I get from Bikram FAR outweigh the little bit of suffering that I often experience in class! I feel great afterwards and my energy levels are through the roof (after most classes, been going 4 times a week for a few months now) my mind is clear and I’m ready to take on the WORLD!

What do you find most challenging about practicing Bikram Yoga?

Honestly for me it’s probably laying in savasana (dead body) just to lie there and just BE and not think about the sweat running into my eyes and mouth. (I am getting a lot better at it mind you, but the first 20 or so classes I was a wreck flopping all over the place, I couldn’t LIE STILL FOR THE LIFE OF ME!!

What’s your favorite posture? Your most dreaded posture?

Favorite would be Toe Stand for some reason I’m very good at this one and often get compliments from the teacher!! (I’ll admit it helps my self-esteem, Common let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a compliment now and then?) If you experience shin splints this is the posture I have found Guilty of that!

Dreaded , wow there are a couple I really don’t look forward too but like I hear time and time again, these are the most important, I’ll say standing head to knee, I’m still working on locking my KNEE whenever I kick my other leg out my standing knee comes unlocked UGHH so frustrating!!!

Any Tips for fellow yogis?

KEEP with it, the first few classes may SUCK like mine (or you may enjoy it right off the bat, who knows?) But don’t give up on Bikram until you try. Let’s say at LEAST 5 Classes; I’m forever grateful I was forced back by a friend after my first experience J.  Drink WATER!!!  (BEFORE CLASS!! NOT TOO MUCH DURING! I’ve learned this the hard way) if you have any questions about going for a first time, send me an email always down to give advice and receive advice!!

Kyle.reinhardt@gmail.com

Head to Knee Pose and Stretching Pose ( Janushirasana and Paschimotthanasana

This combination of poses creates wonderful stretch in the sciatic nerves, which helps prevent and treat that common and painful condition, sciatica. It also improves the flexibility of the last five vertebrae of the spine, as well as the ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. When you stretch out over one extended leg in the first two parts of this Sequence, you will once again find that one side is more flexible than the other. This just proves that you are human!

As a beginner, you may not be able to lock your knees. No problem. Pull on the toes, and try to straighten your legs on the floor, chest up, back flat. If you feel a pull in the backs of your knees and legs, that' s good. That means you are stretching the sciatic nerves, thigh biceps and calf muscles.

Stretches

• Hamstrings
• Trapezius
• Last 5 vertebra of the spine
• Sciatic nerve
• Hip joints

Strengthens

• Biceps
• Deltoids
• Abdomen
• Thighs

Stimulates

• Liver
• Spleen
• Pancreas
• Thymus Gland
• Thyroid
• Parathyroid
• Digestive System
• Immune System

Benefits

• Head to knee pose helps balance blood sugar levels and the metabolism
• Improves flexibility of sciatic nerve and ankle, knee and hip joints
• Enhances kidney function
• Increases circulation to liver, spleen and pancreas
• Stimulates thymus gland, digestion and immune system
• Stimulates and tones the digestive organs, increases peristalsis, relieves constipation and other digestive problems
• Regulates function of the pancreas, assisting those with diabetes or hypoglycaemia
• Mobilizes joints and increases elasticity in the lumbar spine
• Relieves compression of the spine and sciatica
• Improves concentration and mental endurance
• Reverses flow of kundalni energy, distributing it through the spine, improving creativity

Camel pose - Fun Comics

We have some fun comics to share with you from Bikram Yoga very first book that came out!

About Camel!

The first day you will probably not be able to go any farther than gripping both heels. But it' s a good beginning done correctly, so be patient with yourself

One Good thing about triangle of pig iron you will resemble is that you can' t get any worse.

And so.. concentrate on the area from the top of your thighs to your waistline. Push it up and forward with everything you got! Exhale and push harder. That mid-section will eventually begin to seem like an accordion, stretching with each exhalation.

When you have pushed forward as far as you can go that day, then change your focus of attention to the small of the back and try to release those tensed muscles. I say "try" because everyone is so convinced that he or she is going to break, that all the muscles fight the relaxation which must happen in that spot to enable the upper body to arch backward fully.

The day you finally gather your nerve and let the back release, the elation of feeling your body gracefully over will more than compensate for any discomfort.

Once you begin to get a good forward push, take care not to "cheat" by letting your hands creep upward off the heels. Keep your fingers well down into the insteps, grasping the heels fully and firmly.