Standing Deep Breathing

Pranayama Series

• Mental relaxation
• Detoxification
• Works the nervous, respiratory and circulatory systems

Half Moon

Ardha-Chandrasana

• Helps lower back pain, constipation, obesity of stomach, bronchi distress, scoliotic, deformities, frozen shoulders
• Works deltoid, trapezius, pectoralis major and hamstings
• Exercise the colon, pancreas and kidney

Backward Bending

• Stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and prepares the body for action
• Helps with sciatic problems
• Helps counteract damage of bad posture
• Relieves back pain, bronchial distress, scoliotic deformities, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder.

Hands to Feet Pose

Pada-Hastasana

• Firms and trims waistline, hips, abdomen, buttocks and thighs
• Good for frozen shoulder
• Relieves lower back pain
• Good for abdominal obesity

Awkward Pose

Utkatasana

• Helps to realign the legs to prevent lower-back pain
• Tones the arms, getting rid fat deposits from under the arms
• Helps to align the meniscus in the knee
• Reduces flat feet, bunions and bowed legs
• Helps with lumbago
• Relieves menstrual cramps
• Reduces fat under buttocks
• Good for arthritic conditions in knees and hips

Eagle Pose

Garurasana

• Strengthens lower extremities, joint mobility for hip girdle and all 12 major joints. By creating pressure in the joints and releasing allows fresh blood supply to flow in.
• Control of sexual energies, improves function of central nervous system

Standing Head to Knee Pose

Dandayamana-Janushirasana

• Improves concentration, avoids sciatica by improving circulation and flexibility, reduces diabetes, strengthens back muscles and nerves
• Works the muscular, skeletal, reproductive and digestive systems

Standing Bow Pulling Pose

Dandayamana-Dhanurasana

• Increases circulation to the heart and lungs
• Improves elasticity of the spine by compressing the spine
• Helps with lower back pain
• Opens diaphram and lungs

Balancing Stick

Tuladandasana

• Increases blood flow all over the body at the same time
• Clears arteries
• Builds strength in lower extremities
• Works the pancreas, kidney and spleen
• Works muscular, reproductive, nervous, and circulatory system

Standing Separate Leg Stretching

Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana

• Helps for constipation, abdominal obesity and hyper-acidity
• Increases circulation to the brain and adrenal glands
• Good for small and large intestines

Triangle Pose

Trikanasana

• Good for kidneys
• Helps chemical imbalances in the system
• Helps colitis constipation, hip and back pain, spondilitis, general mobility and menstrual disorders
• Cardiovascular benefits
• Works circulatory, digestive, immune and reproductive systems

Standing Separated Leg Head to Knee Pose

Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Janushirasana

• Helps abdominal obesity, diabetes, thyroid, blood and sugar balance, pancreas and kidneys
• Works endocrine, reproductive, and digestive systems
• Works obliques, iliosoas, quads and deltoids, trapezius, biceps and triceps

Tree Pose & Toe Stand

Tadasana

• Creates hip and knee mobility
• Releases abdominal tension
• Helps inflammation of the lower back

Savasana

After the body has been stimulated by preforming the standing series, a two minute savasana is preformed to heal the body. Savasana is one of the most important parts of a hatha-yoga practice and it is often said that this is where the "magic" happens in the Bikram Yoga series. That magic is the healing that is created by the stillness of the pose. When the body is still the circulatory system is unobstructed and delivers oxygen, nutrients and white blood-cells to where it is needed. These materials are the building blocks of healing, which creates the therapeutic benefit of this pose.

Wind Removing Pose

Pavanamuktasana

• Helps constipation, flatulence and hyper acidity
• Massages ascending colon, descending and transverse colon

Sit-up

The sit-up serves to invigorate the body in between poses. A quick stretch to the hamstrings, it helps to prepare and open the lower back and legs for the final stretching pose at the end of class. More importantly the double-exhale helps to release toxins from the lungs helping to energize the body in between the poses.

Cobra Pose

Bhujangasana

• Relieves back pain
• Increases spinal strength and flexibility
• Improves the function of the large and small intestines, liver, kidney and spleen
• Improves pigeon chest by opening the rib cage
• Permits maximum expansion of the lungs increasing oxygen intake, therapeutic for asthma
• Improves digestion and elimination

Locust Pose

Salabhasana

• Effective in helping conditions of slipped disc and sciatica
• Firms buttocks and hips
• Increases spinal strength, flexibility and circulation
• Improves flexibility and tone of spinal muscles
• Helps relieve and prevent backache
• Helps cure or relieve lumbago, rheumatism and arthritis

Full-Locust Pose

Poorna-Salabhasana

• Helps with poor posture, relieves and prevents lower-back pain
• Helps relieve lumbago, arthritis, rheumatism, cervical spondylosis
• Helps to massage abdominal organs, aiding with digestive problems (flatulence, constipation, indigestion.)

Bow Pose

Dhanurasana

• Increases circulation to the heart and lungs
• Improves breathing by extending and opening the diaphragm and chest
• Increases circulation to the spine, helping to revitalize the spinal nerves
• Tones the abdomen, improves digestion and relieves constipation
• Helps to regulate the ovaries and prostate gland.

Fixed Firm Pose

Supta-Vajrasana

• Improves circulation to kidneys, liver, pancreas and bowels
• Rebuilds the flexibility of the knees and ankles
• Helps to boost the immune system through stimulation of the spleen
• Helps to stimulate the lymphatic system, particularly the lymph glands of the arm-pit
• Helps with digestion problems including indigestion, gas, constipation
• Good for asthma and respiratory conditions

Half Tortoise Pose

Ardha-Kurmasana

• Provides maximum relaxation
• Cures indigestion, constipation and flatulence
• Stretches lower part of the lungs - good for emphysema and asthma
• Helps diabetes

Camel Pose

Ustrasana

• Strengthens muscles in the back and shoulders
• Produces maximum compression of the spine, stimulating the nervous system
• Improves flexibility of the neck and spine
• Relieves backache
• Helps kypho-scolitic deformities

Rabbit Pose

Sasangasana

• Stretches spine, maximum extension - opposite of Camel
• Helps maintain mobility and elasticity of spine and back muscles
• Nurtures the nervous system, brings blood to the brain, helps cure depression
• Helps diabetes
• Helps with colds, sinus problems, chronic tonsillitis, sore throats and strep throat
• Good for thyroid, parathyroid and larynx

Head to Knee Stretching Pose

Janushirasana with Paschimotthanasana

• Helps to balance blood sugar level, especially good for diabetes
• Good for the immune system, stimulates the thymus
• Improves kidney function
• Increases circulation to the liver and the spleen, pancreas, thyroid, thymus and intestines

Spine Twisting

Ardha-Matsyendrasana

• Only posture that twists the spine from top to bottom at the same time
• Improves flexibility of spine and hip joints
• Helps prevent slip discs
• Increases circulation and nutrition to spinal nerves, veins and tissues
• Helps sciatica
• Improves digestion
• Helps tennis elbow