West Coast Hot Yoga

Will Blunderfield

In Vancouver, we are blessed to have access to countless amazing yoga teachers!  I would like to write about one such teacher, Will!  My friend Tracey took Will’s class a month ago and  ever since she has been telling me that I must take his class.  Finally, I went.  I am left wondering why I haven’t heard of Will sooner?

I see Will before the class and he is wearing a bandana and eyeliner.  I could tell that this was not going to be your “typical” yoga class.  What is a typical yoga class?  That is another story.  Will starts the class as soon as he walks in.  “Inhale, Exhale,” with an audible sigh.  “Let it all go.”  The sighs get louder as we repeat this a few more times.

During the class, Will gets “personal.”  He tells us about his journey into striving to be his authentic self.  You can tell he genuinely likes to teach.  He exudes love and acceptance.  Here are some Will “isms.”  “Shine your light.  If others think your light is too bright, tell them to wear sunglasses.”  “Don’t judge me, but love me.  When you judge others, there is no room to love yourself.”

Will finishes class by singing an amazing rendition of Hallelujah.  Talk about taking Savasana to a whole new level.  I left class feeling detoxed and good about myself.  That might have something to do with having to look into my eyes in the mirror and chant “I am good enough, I am enough, etc?”

If you are looking for a class that is inspirational, uplifting and fun (there was some butt shaking involved).  Try Will’s hot hour at West Coast Hot Yoga in Yaletown.  It’s a judgment free zone that will allow you to express your fabulous self!

The Physical Body

Last weekend I spent Saturday & Sunday afternoon on the floor of Semperviva’s Sea Studio, and sat in on The Physical Body workshop with the lovely Bernie Clark. While the majority of the attendees were taking part in his Yin Teacher Training, they opened up the anatomy & physical body part of the days to anybody who was interested in attending, so being as I’m more of a hands on learner I thought it was the perfect time for a refresher.

The Physical Body ~ http://www.kinesiologist.eu/physical.htm

Yoga Teacher Training programs generally have some information about anatomy & the effects of yoga on our body, but this is something that I have struggled with. I’m not a biologist by any means, and trying to correlate a map of the skeleton and all its pieces to a class and what we are doing & using is not always an easy task. If you have never taken one of Bernie’s classes, I highly recommend it, and knowing this I knew this workshop would really not be the boring mundane put me to sleep talk about bones and muscles, and I was right.

We spent 8 hours looking at the dynamics and bones of the human body & how unfortunately for some of you hardcore yogi’s some poses may be very challenging for you to accomplish just because of the way your bones & body have developed. We learnt the difference between compression, two bones compressing into each other – there is no where for them to go, and tension, tight muscles that are restricting the movement you are trying to accomplish and how to tell the difference between both of them.  Compression is what you feel in the direction of movement and tension is what you feel on the opposite side, ie. raising your arms above your head you would feel compression in your shoulder/humerus & tension in your triceps.

Of course this was just the bare bones of the workshop, no pun intended, and what is happening in your body when you practice yoga and is all dependent on what you are trying to accomplish from the pose, either a stretch or building muscle. It was another well spent weekend at Semperviva and am looking forward to Bernie’s Energy Body workshop taking place this Saturday at the Sea Studio. From the Semperviva website check out this four hour workshops, here’s what you can expect;

“In this workshop we will investigate the various models the Yogis of India, the Yogis of China and the Medical Scientists in the West have developed to explain the workings of the body’s energy and its associated systems. We will explore the world of prana and the energy channels and vortexes of Indian Yoga (called nadis and chakras) and contrast it to the world of Chi (Qi) and its associated network of channels (called meridians) utilized in China. Then we will discover how modern scientific investigations in the West (Energy Medicine) are finding remarkable parallels to these ancient models.”

Top 5 Yoga Studios in Vancouver

Vancouver BC has a plethora of fabulous yoga studios to suit everyone’s needs.  Whether you practice Hot, Hatha, or Ashtanga, you’re sure to find the style and studio you love. Vancouver Yoga Review has narrowed down the studios to our top five favorites. Drum-roll please…

5. West Coast Hot Yoga – A pleasant covered veranda is available to hang out and cool down after your class.  Also, they have amazing smelling soap in the bathrooms! Most importantly, they have really great instructors who make everyone feel comfortable – no matter what level.

whyTeachersSmall

4. Moksha – Who doesn’t love free things? This studio offers free parking out front and free apples after you’ve worked up a sweat! Every Friday night, at 8:15pm, they offer a one hour hot yoga ‘karma class’. Donations are accepted (minimum $5.00) and proceeds go to the charity of the month.

moksha

3. Exhale – Their yoga room is surrounded by windows, so you feel like you’re doing yoga in the trees. This sense of being one with nature adds to the zen experience. They also offer an extensive list of dance classes (hip-hop, burlesque, salsa, belly, jazz, swing, nia, etc.) and complimentary almond tea.

exhale

2. Semperviva – This yoga for ‘every body’ company has 4 locations around Kitsilano. This leads to over 115 yoga classes every week! Kits yogis love the convenience of so many classes being offered in their area, almost any time of day. Bonus: no need to lug your yoga mat around, use their yoga mats free of charge.

semperviva

1. YYoga – Six YYoga locations are offered around the lower mainland.  We’ve chosen the downtown YYoga Flow (corner of Burrard and Smithe) as THE best.  Recently opened, this studio is truly a spa-like experience. Some perks of this location are an infrared sauna, a chic and spacious lounge with free wi-fi, a huge change room facility with ample showers, ‘conscious cardio’ classes called YYRide (spin class + yoga), and ‘happiness tea’ – just to name a few!

photo(16)
Readers of the Georgia Straight agree with us and have ranked YYoga and Semperiva as tied for the #1 spot for Best of Vancouver, 2009.

What is Hot Yoga/Bikram’s Yoga?

Bikram’s Yoga (sometimes referred to as Hot Yoga) is a type of yoga developed by Bikram Choudhury, in California. It is a series of 26 yoga postures practiced in a hot and humid room.  The temperature of the class is normally 40.5°C (105°F) with 40% humidity and classes are usually 90 minutes long.

The 26 Bikram Asanas (Postures)

1 Standing Deep Breathing
2 Half Moon Pose with Hands To Feet Pose
3 Awkward Pose
4 Eagle Pose
5 Standing Head To Knee Pose
6 Standing Bow Pulling Pose
7 Balancing Stick Pose
8 Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose
9 Triangle Pose
10 Standing Separate Leg Head To Knee Pose
11 Tree Pose
12 Toe Stand Pose
13 Dead Body Pose
14 Wind Removing Pose
15 Sit up 16 Cobra Pose
17 Locust Pose
18 Full Locust Pose
19 Bow Pose
20 Fixed Firm Pose
21 Half Tortoise Pose
22 Camel Pose
23 Rabbit Pose
24 Head To Knee Pose with Stretching Pose
25 Spine Twisting Pose
26 Blowing In Firm

bikram-yoga-bow

In Vancouver, companies such a YYoga and West Coast Hot Yoga, and the newly opened Moksha Yoga, have developed their own unique hot yoga classes like “Power Vinyasa” and “Hot Flow” – which are practiced in moderately heated rooms: around 30°C- 32°C (86°F – 89.6°F).

Power Vinyasa integrates the breath with movement and builds strength, flexibility and core stability. Sequences include standing, balancing, seated, twisting and inverted postures that keeps the class fresh and lively.

Hot Flow includes basic sun salutations, standing and balancing postures, yoga-core specific postures, introduction to arm balancing, and hip and spinal awakening postures.

So while Bikram’s Yoga is always hot yoga, not all Hot Yoga is Bikram’s style!

Have you tried hot yoga? What do you think about this intense style of yoga?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...