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Featured Pose
Standing Separate Leg Stretching
Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimotthanasana |
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Helps functioning of the abdominal organs. Brings blood to the brain. Stretches and strengthens the sciatic nerves and tendons of the legs. Increases flexibility of the pelvis, ankles, hip joints, and last five vertebrae of the spine. Improves muscle tone and flexibility of thighs and calves. |
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Food 4 Thought Trans Fats |
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Trans fatty acids are fats produced by heating liquid vegetable oils in the presence of hydrogen. This process is known as hydrogenation. The more hydrogenated an oil is, the harder it will be at room temperature. For example, a spreadable tub margarine is less hydrogenated and so has fewer trans fats than a stick of margarine.
Most of the trans fats in the American diet are found in commercially prepared baked goods, margarine, snack foods, and process foods. Commercially prepared fried foods, like French fries and onion rings, also contain a good deal of trans fat.
Trans fats are even worse for cholesterol levels than saturated fats because they raise bad LDL and lower good HDL. They also fire inflammation, an overactivity of the immune system that has been implicated in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. While you should limit your intake of saturated fats, it's important to eliminate trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils from your diet.
Tips for lowering trans fat intake:
- Choose liquid vegetable oils, or choose a soft tub margarine that contains little or no trans fats
- Reduce intake of deep-fried foods, commercially prepared baked goods, snack foods, and processed foods, including fast food
- When foods containing partially hydrogenated oils can't be avoided, choose products that list the partially hydrogenated oils near the end of the ingredient list.
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Hope you can join the celebration:
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May Class Schedule |
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Student of the Month |
Our May Student of the Month is Dennis MacKenzie!
- When did you start practicing hot yoga?
Before trying hot yoga, Dennis used weights and did aerobics at they gym. He had lower back pain, and wanted to be more flexible. Dennis started practicing hot yoga in May 2004, when his good friend (and HB Hot Yoga teacher!) Stephanie told him about it. After taking classes for a few consecutive days, he was hooked. He quickly realized that hot yoga gave him all the benefits he got from his various gym activities, and more.
- How often do you practice?
Dennis practices hot yoga 2-3 times per week.
- Why do you practice? What are the primary benefits you experience?
"I practice because I like the overall workout: aerobic, cardiovascular, stretching, strengthening my back, and it just makes me feel better!" Dennis continued, "I like the way I feel after class -- good, energized. It just really puts me in a good mood."
- How has your hot yoga practice impacted or changed your life?
Dennis commented, "Hot yoga has made me more calm. I now think about my breathing in stressful situations. I just feel better mentally, physically, emotionally...everything!" |
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Frequently Asked Questions |
In class, there's so much talk about when to inhale, exhale, breath calmly... Why is there so much focus on the breath?
The breath is mentioned repeatedly in the teacher's dialogue, because it is one of the most important elements of your hot yoga practice. The breath is key to the mind-body connection that we seek to reach in your yoga practice. Conscious breathing physically generates more oxygen for the body. Mentally, it creates awareness in the asana practice by drawing your focus into the present moment.
Ultimately, your goal is to keep your breathing normal, and under your control for the entire class. Of course, this is extremely challenging! There are certain postures that are intended to get the heart rate up (i.e. balancing postures), which in turn makes our breathing faster. Postures that are really hard probably make you breathe faster too.
When your mind and body begin to feel fatigued, draw your attention to the breath, which will allow you to recover quickly. Also, use your breathing as an indicator of when to back off, or take postures a little easier. If your breathing gets a lot faster or heavier, you are pushing yourself too hard in a posture.
Pay close attention to your breath throughout class. Work on breathing calmly, deeply, with a closed mouth through each of your postures -- especially those that challenge you most. The sooner you learn to control your breath, the sooner you will advance in your postures, and even be able to stay much calmer in stressful situations outside of class. |
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