Hot Yoga has taken the world by storm offering a non-traditional form of practicing Yoga poses. In the Hot Yoga practice, elevated room temperature is meant to be beneficial in breaking down tissue blockages more readily and stimulating the release of toxins. But is this elevation in room and body temperature healthy and suitable for everyone?

There is much argument and criticism from the scientific community stating many logical reasons as to why Hot Yoga presents contraindications and health risks:
*inflated body temperature can create a false sense of laxity (joint flexibility) resulting in over stretching and tissue damage
*high body temperatures can generate hyperthermia states resulting in nausea, light headedness, and fainting
*excessive sweating can lead to dehydration that, without proper rehydration, can adversely affect cellular metabolism
*highly elevated body temperature and dehydration can lead to increased heart rate (compensation in delivering adequate blood flow) which can further lead to increased blood pressure - for those already dealing with high blood pressure, one could move into contraindicated states of blood pressure and circulatory issues

All of this is not written to scare off one from doing Hot Yoga. The purpose in presenting this information is for empowerment. As a business, many Hot Yoga studios market their practices as suitable for everyone. This is purely not the case. Any one with a history of musculoskeletal conditions or injuries should seek advice and clearance from a health professional before attempting Hot Yoga. The same is true for anyone who is obese, has high blood pressure, smokes, or has respiratory conditions.

If you are new to Hot Yoga, don’t go and buy a package of classes without trying a class first. Ask for a free pass or discount on the first class. Avoid getting stuck in a package that makes you feel obligated to attend multiple classes. With one class, you can do a TEST!

You should ENJOY the class physically and mentally. You should not experience any negative sensations like shortness of breath, nausea, rapid heart rate, or fatigue. The teaching and social environment should offer supportive, nurturing energy - no sense of competitiveness or “workout” should be emphasized. Ask for the teachers’ credentials: does their teaching philosophy reflect your view on health and wellness? do they offer modifications and encourage beginners to stay at appropriate levels? do they have a sufficient exercise science background that makes them effective, safe and competent in their teaching? When you are in the practice and after the practice, do you feel you have moved into a more positive state physically and mentally? Tap into Satya (truthfulness) when asking this question.

If you are completely new to Yoga. I personally recommend trying a basic Hatha Yoga class to develop your foundation of poses, breathing, and awareness. Learn first what is your limitations in range of motion at regular room temperature and learn modifications to address those limitations. With this knowledge and development of your Inner Teacher, you can then be more receptive and understanding of how your first Hot Yoga experiences should be.

Again, your Hot Yoga class should be enjoyable and foster a connection to the Inner Awareness. Avoid environments that enable the Ego to take hold. Regardless of the style of Yoga, find a Teacher that you can truly connect with and develop a trusting, honest relationship. Hot Yoga is an advanced practice and should be marketed as such. Be wary of Hot Yoga studios that don’t address this. We are all unique and in different stages of life hence we should not all be practicing the same.

New research on vegetables and aging gives mothers another reason to say “I told you so.” It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old. On measures of mental sharpness, older people who ate more than two servings of vegetables daily appeared about five years younger at the end of the six-year study than those who ate few or no vegetables.

The research in almost 2,000 Chicago-area men and women doesn’t prove that vegetables reduce mental decline, but it adds to mounting evidence pointing in that direction. The findings also echo previous research in women only.

Green leafy vegetables including spinach, kale and collards appeared to be the most beneficial. The researchers said that may be because they contain healthy amounts of vitamin E, an antioxidant that is believed to help fight chemicals produced by the body that can damage cells. “

Although the words “Hinduism” and “yoga” are commonly known by Westerners to have an association, few truly understand how yoga and Hinduism fit together. Hindu yoga is a major aspect of the third largest religion in the world. Practiced primarily by ethnic Indians and Asians, Hindu meditation and yoga are paths to achieve the purpose of life, refinement of the soul.

How Does Yoga Influence The Hindu Belief System?

The four types of yoga in Hinduism are Raja, Karma, Jnana, and Bhakti. Each has specific sub-traditions. For instance Samata yoga is a form of Raja passed down in a lineage from teacher to teacher. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a teacher considered by millions of Indians to have been a holy messenger, authored an influential body of work on the four paths.

Raja Yoga

Using psycho-physical techniques of meditation, Raja yoga, seeks to attain control of the mind. The goal is an experience of truth and ultimately of liberation. Also known as Ashtanga yoga, Raja yoga harkens back to the eight limbs of yoga established by the father of the practice, Patanjali, around 200 B.C.E.

Unlike Hatha yoga (the form best known in the West) which begins with control of the body through postures and thought control, Raja yoga begins with meditation. The eight limbs of the practice are self-restraint, commitment to practice, integration of the mind and body through physical activity, regulation of breathing, abstraction of the senses, concentration, meditation, and blissful awareness or super-consciousness.

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual Organization is a major proponent of Raja yoga. The group borrows much of its symbolism and terminology from traditional Hindu belief but goes farther in perceiving the world as a family tree with each branch being a religion in search of God. Among its other beliefs, Brahma Kumaris asserts that each human is an eternal soul living in physical body and that reincarnation occurs when the soul moves from one body to the next.

You would need a book to describe all the existing yoga poses. As yoga is based on old knowledge and traditional yoga postures, and new yoga exercise postures are still invented nowadays, there is a multitude of possible poses that you could learn for your own benefit. There are yoga poses that can be done while standing seated or lying down. In this article the most used poses are described.

Table Svanasana

Begin on the floor on all fours in with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under or slightly behind your hips. The belly has to be drawn in and up towards your spine to avoid straining the back too much.

Dog tilt pose

Used often in classes, this is one of the best known yoga exercise postures.

Starting with the table pose, you inhale and point the tailbone up towards the ceiling. The spine is arched and the belly is dropped down. Spread the fingers wide apart and press the palms into the floor. Drop the shoulders down from the ears and to reach the crown of the head up to the ceiling. Hold this yoga pose for 4 up to 8 breaths as long as it feels comfortable.

Cat tilt pose marjariasana

Kneel on all fours making sure that the legs and arms are parallel and one hip width apart. Breathe in, breathe out, tuck in chin and arch up the spine slowly. Breathe in again and dip

Standing Poses

Standing poses in yoga are usually the best poses to begin with for inexperienced people.

Five pointed star (utthita tadasana)

Draw your feet together and press down on the inside and the outside of the feet. Draw the shoulder blades in close to the spine and extend upwards through your fingertips. Draw your leg muscles up while extending down through the leg bones and throughout the heels. Now extend by lifting the front of the body and the tail bone is tucked down to lengthen the body.

Side plank vasisthasana

Shift your weight onto your right arm as you roll onto the outside of your right foot, keeping the feet flexed you put the left foot on top of the right foot, keeping the legs straight. Bring the left arm up towards the ceiling and gave through the fingertips. Roll back to the center and do the same with the other side of your body.

High lunge ardha mandalasana

Stand with legs straight, feet together, arms by sides, then step back with right foot, bending both knees so left knee aligns with left ankle, right leg extended, heel lifted. Inhale and lift both arms overhead. Yoga poses should gently stretch and relax the body so don’t strain yourself during the exercise.

Supine poses

Knee down twist (sputa matsyendrasana)

Lying on your back you bring your arms to the sides of the body with the palms facing down. Bend the right knee and place the right foot on the left knee. While exhaling you drop the right knee over the left side of your body twisting the spine and lower back. Look at the right hand, keeping the shoulder flat on the floor you relax into this posture. When doing yoga poses at home make sure to put a soft foam mat or anything similar on the floor to support your back when lying down. Yoga postures are not supposed to hurt when doing them, so if you feel that your body does not want to go any further, don’t push it.

Fish matsyansana

Lying on your back with the arms along side your body and the legs a few inches apart, slide the hands palms down under the tops of the thighs, just below the buttocks. With the elbows slightly bent next to the sides of your torso. Pressing into the elbows, the arms lift the chest up, arching the spine, and rolling on to the crown of the head. Do not use the head or neck to support the posture, use the arms, torso, buttocks and legs to continue to lift the chest towards the ceiling. Little or no weight should be resting on the head.

Bridge setu bandhasana

This is one of the basic yoga poses and helps to strengthen your spine.Lying on your back, bend both knees and place the feet flat on the floor hip width apart. Put the arms next to the body with the palms facing down. The fingertips should be touching the heels. Press the feet into the floor, inhale and lift the hips up, rolling the spine off the floor. Squeeze the knees together to keep the knees hip width apart. Press down into the arms and shoulders to lift the chest up.

Prone Poses

Bow dhanurasana

Being one of the most relaxing basic yoga poses, it is important to breathe well during this exercise to maximise relaxation.

Lie on your belly with your chin on the floor and the arms alongside your body. Bend both knees and reach the hands back to hold onto the feet or ankles. Inhale and kick the legs into the arms to lift the legs, head and chest off of the floor. Keep the neck in line with the spine and relax the shoulders down from the spine. Lightly press the knees together.

Cobra bhujangasana

Lying down on your stomach you keep the legs together. Your arms are at your side, close to your body, with your hands by your chest. Inhaling, you slowly raise your head and chest as high as it will go. Keep your buttocks muscles tight to protect your lower back. Keep your head up and chest and heart out. Breathe several times and then come down.

Frog poses bhekasana

Start with the ´table´ pose and open the knees to the sides as far as comfortable. The ankles should be behind the knees with the feet turned out. The elbows and arms are brought to the floor with the palms flat down on the floor. Slowly exhale while pressing the hips towards the back, making a deep stretch in the hips and inner thighs.

Yoga retreats can be found in any part of the world nowadays. Offering classes, and cheap and cheerful or luxury accommodations along with most often organic food, these yoga resorts welcome anyone from the yoga novice to the adept:

The Nurturing Nest in Desert Hot Springs, California is one of these yoga getaways.Located near the Joshua Tree National Park, Nurturing Nest is a small but lovingly tended hot springs retreat and spa. With just seven pretty rooms, this place offers weekend yoga classes as well as treatments including Transformational Breathing, Shirodhara and the “Total Tune-up,” designed to open your energy centers. Visitors can enjoy the silence of the desert, healing mineral waters and Freedom Retreats, which include Yogic breathing, yoga and meditation, colon cleansing, Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique (B.E.S.T.) and nature walks. The location can be rented by people wishing to teach yoga to a select group of students.

Baptiste Power Yoga Institute

Offering yoga residential retreats this institute in Massachusetts, Cambridge offers a retreat or boot camp where the owner of the place, Baron Baptiste offering courses in yoga and transformation. The kind of yoga taught here is practised in hot rooms, heated up to 90 degrees, to enable the body to shed toxins during exercise. There are many different programs available but this may not be for you if you are just starting out with yoga.

Amangani Wyoming

The name of this retreat means “peaceful home”. This stylish and expensive Rocky Mountain address makes it the perfect place perfect for novices and experienced devotees of yoga.

This resort is luxurious and offers all the comforts that one would expect from a well-appointed hotel. The resort offers one-on-one yoga sessions and meditation classes and an extensive list of wellness treats. Yoga sessions are specifically tailored to your needs. After chanting “ohm,” you can withdraw to your suite featuring a king-size platform bed, fireplace, deck with panoramic views of the Teton peaks and, for soothing tired, yoga-toned muscles, a deep soaking tub with a window view. This is one of the most pampering luxurious yoga getaways.