synchro.idiotic

Do an online search for ‘bikram yoga retreat’ or even ‘hot yoga retreat’ and you’ll find a ton of options!

One of the top results from my search [ http://www.bikramyogaretreats.com/ ] was for a retreat in Hawaii that sounds exactly like what you’re looking for.

I’m intrigued. I’ve never heard of a heat-absorbing mat, much less one that you never need to clean! 🙂

Hi everyone

I am looking or the post where a member was talking about a fantastic electrolyte/ carb drink. Does anyone remember this. Apparently in health food stores and she posted the link but I can not find it.

Thanks

The Emergen-C flavored supplements DO work wonders – my studio highly recommends them. Also, if you can find smartwater give that a shot too. It’s electrolyte-enhanced, so you’ll get what your body needs during a workout.

Go here and they’ll send you a coupon to try it out.

I keep a spray bottle with part water, part Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap, scrub gently with a washcloth, and let it air dry. I know you can buy mat cleaners, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the extra money. 🙂

I’ve read about people who throw their mat in the washing machine, but I’m not so sure about that. Seems like it would wear the mat out pretty quickly.

My instructors explain it like so:

1] Stand with your toes and heels parallel and 2 fist-widths apart, or about 6 inches

2] Straighten your arms out in front of you, stretching from the shoulder, keeping them relaxed and strong

[Both the above STAY constant. Try to not drop your arms or replant your feet.]

3] Push your hips back, upper body forward, trying to parallel your thighs to your mat. When you think you’re as parallel as you can go, try straightening your torso so you’re sitting up. The image they give us here is like you’re sitting in an imaginary chair.

4] When it’s time to move on to the next part, stand straight up and come to the front of your feet. You want to be balancing on the balls of your feet/toes. You can think of it alternately as trying to balance on your tiptoes OR trying to lift your heels off the ground. Once you’ve got the balance, slowly bend your knees to deepen it. Try to keep your arms and back straight.

5] Finally, you want to come back to standing straight and squeeze your thighs together. You want your knees to touch too, and this naturally makes your shins angle in towards each other. Try to keep your thighs pressed together as you sloooooowly bend your knees and lower to the mat. Once you’re down, if you’re up for a challenge you can keep your butt raised off your heels by an inch or so; otherwise, gently sit on them. When you’ve made it through a few cycles of breath here, you’ll want to sloooooowly come back up, keeping your arms straight and your thighs still pressing together firmly.

That’s it – you’re done! 🙂

The classes at the studio that I go to seem to have fairly structured, albeit optional, water breaks – primarily as a transition between posture sets [standing, balance, floor]. The instructor will typically say, “Have some water if you like, then find your alignment in mountain pose.”

I’ve found that for me personally, there are poses where my body seems to scream out for water in preparation, and others where I know that it wouldn’t be a good idea. When I DO opt to rehydrate, I always do so slowly and deliberately, usually after focusing on my bottle for a few seconds, then moving to my knees as if in vajrasana. The time it takes for me to get into and out of that position prevents me from overindulging.