The days are longer, the Sun is stronger, there are inevitable signs of Spring winning her never-ending battle with long, dark Winter.

Springtime is the season to freshen up! Likewise the body has its own way of “cleaning house” during spring, and as a result many people experience allergies or springtime colds during this season. Hot Yoga is a great tool to help the body detox. Through perspiration , drinking fresh and clean water, before, during and after yoga class, we help our cells to replenish and renew, in complete tune with Nature.

Cleaning your yoga mat:

It is recommended cleaning your yoga mat about every other week to keep it sticky (in a good way).
For light cleaning, mix one part water with three parts mild soap in a spray bottle. Spray the mat, and wipe it dry with a soft cloth or towel. Here in the studio we add tee tree oil to this mix because it is the best natural disinfectant. You can do that at home as well. You only need 3-5 drops of the oil into a 200ml spray bottle.
If your mat is heavily soiled, fill the bathtub with cool water and add a drop of mild soap. Scrub with a soft cloth, soak for a half-hour, and scrub again. Rinse thoroughly. Place the mat on a dry towel, and roll them both up, jelly roll–like (so the mat is inside), to squeeze out excess water. Unroll mat, and hang up to dry.

The heart is the engine of our body, the rhythmic beat of our life, the centre of our being. There are many ways of understanding the word: heart. It is an organ, as much as a symbol of love. Let us start by understanding the importance of cardiovascular health, the health of the organ called: heart.

“The heart is a muscular organ found in all vertebrates that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. The term cardiac (as in cardiology) means “related to the heart” and comes from the Greek καρδιά, kardia, for “heart.”” Encyclopedia- Continue reading »

The Holiday Season brings joy, beauty and hopefully offers more time to stay indoors with family. For many of us it also means some discomfort as many bodies react to cold in an unpleasant way. The reasons behind our winter-aches could be an old injury, but most of the time it is the simple contraction of the muscles as soon as the body meets low temperatures. When you step out of the door, notice how your body shrinks into a different position right away. We squeeze at the neck and shoulders, the elbows close on the torso, the posture becomes tense and hinged.

So first of all, make sure you are dressed warmly enough. Especially cover the lower back, override the desire to wear low cut jeans with your belly naked, wear jackets that protect your torso down to the hip at least. As we lose most of our body heat through the skin of the head, cover your head even if you don’t feel cold on the top of your head.

Also, be aware of your bodies reaction to cold and as you step into the cold “send a note” to your muscles from your mind: “I will be back to warm again soon” and consciously relax your muscles. Drop your shoulders, open the elbows and if dressed warm enough your body will be happier to adept to the Holiday Season as well.

“One of the greatest gifts I have experienced by practising Bikram Yoga in the heat, is as my body got used to handle the heat, it became more adaptable to cold as well. Somehow extremities of weather don’t affect my body that much anymore. I guess our inner thermometer can be trained as well!”