The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Member’s Meeting Place › Member Chit Chat › Discussing the Advanced Series? (Bikram)
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Member’s Meeting Place › Member Chit Chat › Discussing the Advanced Series? (Bikram)
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Hi there,
Is there a place to discuss the Advanced Series?? I have some questions about some of those postures..
Thanks
K
Hello K! 😉
As a comprehensive forum(!) I welcome you placing whatever questions you have about any pose.
You know, I practiced the Advanced Bikram series a dozen or so times in the US. It is almost one of those secret cults or exclusive clubs! and practicing is generally limited to those who have a sufficiently advanced practice to make the grade. All Advanced classes tend to be ‘invitation’ only. It is very rare indeed (in fact I have not heard of it done) that someone gets invited along who can’t do all the Beginner series very well.
It certainly is a comprehensive and challenging set of poses, offering something quite different to the Beginners’ series.
Being geographically isolated as I am and my studio is (in a resort town), it has always been difficult to get enough sufficiently advanced students together to practice the advanced series together on a regular basis (besides the fact that I have a young family). So instead of doing that, I focused on being out there in the yoga community practicing other styles when I can and grabbing the opportunity to be taught by others, rather than always being the teacher. Other styles I have learned include: Ashtanga yoga, Hot and Power yoga (Baron and vinyasa flow), Iyengar, Yin, and other more non-descript styles that teachers lump under the heading “Hatha”.
Although I remember poses, I don’t remember their names so hopefully together with folks out there who are Bikram yoga fanatics, we will all enjoy opening up the forum to discuss these great poses. We can keep the discussion to the Chit Chat area and if we get enough interest I will dedicate a separate section to it.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Your insights are interesting to me. At my studio we sporadically offer it when we have a teacher available who can confidently lead it. I love it, and find it incredibly challenging. But I would say that it is probably above me in practicality. I was encouraged to “try it..” and did. I have taken Advanced about five or six times. I have had varying experiences with it ranging from pure love to pure hatred. It’s grueling, and exhausting, but I am so new to it..
I dunno about how exclusive the club is. At my studio every range of student sometimes shows up. There is PLENTY in the series I cannot do and though I try every set up, I do spend a lot of time watching. BUT I find that the weeks that I am able to do it, I find my regular series is so much stronger. I like the speed of the postures in Advanced and I like the ways the body moves that it doesn’t always get to in the regular class. I do believe ultimately that one shouldn’t attempt it until they are very confident in the room in regular class, making it through most classes with ease. The time alone is demanding and I find that I lose MUCH more water in Advanced than in the regular series. But hey, it’s FUN!
Thanks for your response Gabrielle!
What exactly is the set up of the advanced class? They just started offering it at my studio, but i assumed I couldn’t take it as it was said that you should have 6 months of practice under your belt first, and I’ve only been practicing for a month and a half (although I’ve been going 6 days a week and am apparently naturally inclined toward yoga and naturally flexible). Today, however, the teacher that is leading the advanced class said I should come, and I said, “but I’ve only been practicing for a month and a half”. Her eyes bugged out and then she said, “oh, you can come”. I took it as a really great compliment, but I am also worried and a little intimidated about the advanced class. The instructor said that I shouldn’t be too worried as the class is just more advanced moves. I’m wary because I still have trouble getting through class without taking a break sometimes, although I can do most of the postures easily.
Hi Stephanie
Or should I say gummisteph? 😉
When it comes to advanced classes it is really just invite only and/or studio rules apply (and it is usually a fairly loose arrangement)! It helps to exclude people on the basis of experience with an arbitrary time rule for the sake of general information. The moves are more advanced and it really helps to be more flexible. But it also helps to be strong too. So after a regular practice of a certain time students are more likely to have a good balance of strength and flexibility.
Don’t even be concerned about the need to take breaks. The appraisal of that shouldn’t even be in your thoughts!!! Just go with the flow and stop judging yourself.
Congrats on the invitation. Enjoy yourself. It’s fun!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Does anyone know where I could find a list/pictures of the advanced moves? I’ve searched online but haven’t been able to find anything. I’ve heard people say there are posters that show all the advanced moves, but I’ve had no luck finding any!
Hi Stephanie
I do believe that you can find the poster as part of Tony Sanchez’s suite of products. If you can’t find it let me know because I have found it before, I just haven’t bought it!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi, there’s also a video by Esak Garcia on youtube doing the advance series. Quite impressive to look at! There’s also 2 DVDs by Tony Sanchez for the advance series. We started doing the advance series with the videos in the hot room. Only difference, Bikram does it much faster than Tony.
I’ve been practicing the advance series for about a month now, once a week. It’s very demanding but yet, my regular practice has improved a lot. You open up so much faster.
A lot of our teachers just came back from the advance seminar. We have a few leading. But yet it’s on invite only and you need to have a great practice in order to do it.
I also heard that in a reg class you work about 10-15% of your internal organs compared to a lot more doing the advance. Is that true?
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