Dhanurasana in English means 'floor bow', a name which lends itself to the cliche of yoga being about tying yourself in to knots in the name of exercise. Though of course by now you know that's not true!Dhanurasana marks the end of the spine-stretching and strengthening section o...

On the home straight of the Bikram yoga series of postures, Janushirasana (head to knee pose) allows for a final spine and hamstring stretch, allowing you to maximise all the losening up work done in the previous 90 minutes of the class. Janushirasana: Step by Step1. Sit down wit...

Salabhasana (Sanskrit for Locust) is a short, intense posture, done first lifting one leg, then the other and, finally, both legs together. It's part of the spine-strengthening sequence of a Bikram class, designed to work each part of your spine independently.Salabhasana: Step by...

We don't like to lie to you, dear readers, so bear with us when we say this pose (also known as Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose) is a bit weird. It feels slightly wrong; your breathing is laboured and if you were to try and talk, your voice would sound like one of the mup...

Face on the floor, bum in the air; feeling a bit like a wally... As ungainly as this posture can seem – the English name 'half tortoise' doesn’t do it any favours – it’s actually one of the most relaxing and energising postures of the Bikram series.Ardha Kurmasana stretches the b...

Before we get down to the serious yoga business, let's get something out of the way. Translated into English from Sanskrit, Pavanamuktasana means ‘wind removing’. Cue sniggering, giggling and snorts of laughter from the back row.Whilst it’s indeed designed to remove wind, I’ve ye...

The eleventh pose of the Bikram yoga series, Tadasana or Tree marks the end of the standing series. Yes, you finally get to lie down after this one.Like all Bikram postures, Tadasana is repeated twice. As with Standing Head to Knee pose, the second set can be developed further, b...

As we mentioned in our previous blog, the second set of Tree is actually a different pose altogether, but you pick up the posture where you left off with Tree. Toe Stand (Padangustasana in Sanskrit- you really should be fluent by now) requires patience, concentration and a strong...

Despite its ridiculously long Sanskrit name, this pose will feel relatively simple after the demanding Standing Bow and Balancing Stick.Described by Bikram himself as "kryptonite for sciatica", the pose otherwise known as Standing Separate Leg Stretching is a runner's sweet dream...

If there was ever a pose to focus the mind of a runner, Tuladandasana (or balancing stick pose) is it. With four ten-second bursts of pulse-racing intensity, the pose often feels like 90 per cent mind : 10 per cent matter. Like most yoga postures, this pose requires a strong core...