A reminder to all students that our new Hot Power Flow classes commence on Monday September 13.
Classes will be held daily (including weekends) for one hour from 3-4pm in a warm room (not as hot as our hot yoga classes).

Hot Power Flow is a vigorous and dynamic class designed to challenge the student while receiving all possible advantages of a yoga practice. Students of our 'practice classes' have noticed new muscle fatigue from focusing on strength and strengthening in different positions. The flow of this class, moving quickly in and out of different postures, does not always give the opportunity for viewing the physical body in the mirror, thereby forcing you to focus inward. Attention will be put on breath awareness and posture positioning to help align the body, even as students "flow" between poses.

Unlike Hot Yoga where the posture sequence is the same for each class, in Hot Power Flow each instructor will bring their own unique style to the class. We recommend trying all four of our instructors' classes to better understand the full experience. Hot Power Flow will be taught by HBHY studio manager Allison Horack, HBHY instructors Vivian Nguyen and Jordan Severs, and new to HBHY - Nielen Barnes.

For more information on this class including the instructors who will be teaching please click here to visit the new page on our website - HOT POWER FLOW

WHEN DID YOU FIRST START PRACTICING AT HBHY?
Richard - I started getting serious about 1 year ago, I realized how much I needed to be committed to make it work.
Cathleen - I started about 2 years ago but didn't get committed until a year ago. After being irregular I realized that I needed to be disciplined.  Now when I don't go or miss a class I really feel it.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU PRACTICE?
Both of us practice 4 times a week.

WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY BENEFITS TO YOU?
Richard - yoga makes my back feel much better.  I have a deformed vertebra in my lower lumbar and yoga strengthens the muscles around it and keeps my back from aching and being in pain. Now I am able to surf, snowboard and cycle without pain.
Cathleen - yoga has helped my ankle and knee injuries.  Before I couldn't even walk up the stairs or wear shoes, now I can do anything and everything without pain. Richard and I have a tremendous amount of stress in our lives, and with the practice we are able to cope with daily uphill battles in a calm peaceful process.

HOW HAS YOUR PRACTICE CHANGED YOUR LIFE?
Richard - it has made my life without pain.  It has given me a peace within my self.
Cathleen - yoga has shown me how unbalanced my body is and how hard I have to work to get my body back to a balanced form.  I love how I feel after a class and how strong I feel.  It gives me the feeling that I can conquer anything in my sight without anxiety or uncertainty.  It clams me in a way that I view life looking through a different window, a clear window. We enjoy all the people we have meet along the journey.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE POSTURE?
Richard - awkward, I feel strong in this posture.
Cathleen - since my practice is always changing there is not a favorite, however I feel that I am getting really strong at triangle....and looking forward to taking on the challenge.

Now featuring our Student of the Month on the website homepage - www.huntingtonbeachhotyoga.com

Leg strength is key to balance and stability, and Awkward is perhaps the most important posture to establish fundamental muscular strength in our legs, which then further assists our technique in the balancing series. With proper form and regular practice you will see lean muscle definition and increased ankle stability. The crucial element in building this strength is the speed at which the pose is undertaken - strength is built in the slow entrance and exits of each stage of the posture. Sometimes students appear like jack-n-the-boxes, bouncing in and out of the high and low positions of this pose as muscle fatigue starts to burn. We encourage you to read the posture breakdown below and adopt a slower, more mindful approach to Awkward this month remembering it is the journey - not the destination that is most important...
 
PART 1 - stand with your feet hip distance apart. Take the time to reach down and measure two fists distance between your feet. While you are down there look at your feet - are they exactly level - are they precisely parallel? This posture moves in completely linear planes so your feet, knees, hips, shoulders should be square to the front and side mirrors (from the front you should be square to the mirror, from the side your back should be straight).
 
Inhale and raise your arms to shoulder height (with resistance) whilst keeping your shoulders back and down away from your ears. Now hold your arms extended in front of you with triceps contracted. Focusing on the arms will assist with your balance, increase your heart rate, and build arm strength.
 
Exhale and sit your buttocks back as though you were sitting into a low child's chair. Your knees should not come forward as you do not want to put the weight of this posture onto your knee joints. Instead you want to activate the hamstrings and gluteals by squeezing through your heels up the back of your legs to your buttocks. This slow descent into the imaginary chair should take a full count of 6. Now hold in your lowest position with your abdominals contracted, checking that your knees are not bowing in or out, your shoulders are not creeping up under your ears, your chest and chin should be lifted and your back straight. Wiggle your toes to check weight distribution in your feet is in your heels. Don't forget to breathe! Now SLOWLY (resist the urge to spring up) inhale and rise back to your starting position. Keep your arms lifted and extended at shoulder height, do not cheat by dropping them down!
 
PART 2 - check that your feet, ankles and knees are all still hip distance apart and square to the mirror. Inhale as you lift your heels from the floor. Take a moment in this elevated position to check that your heels are directly behind your feet and not swaying out to the side. The objective is to raise your heels so high and straight that your little toes are effectively standing perpendicular to the ground. Contract every muscle in your leg, lifting your ankle, contracting your calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, abdominals, squeeze and extend your arms and triceps, keeping your shoulders relaxed and down. When you are certain your are as high as it is possible to raise up, then (and only then) you can bend your knees forward and slowly lower your hips towards your heels. Remember that the intention of this posture is to build strength in the small muscles in the feet and ankles, and the best way to do this is to focus on the integrity of your heel lift and heel height. Hold at your deepest contraction for 10 seconds, breathe, and slowly rise back up before resting your heels back on the floor. Keep your arms at shoulder height - remember you are building strength - so extend your fingertips and engage those triceps again.
 
PART 3 - lift your heels just enough to enable you to squeeze your knees together. Take a moment to straighten your spine, lift your chin and chest - be wary of leaning forward - your shoulders should be directly above your hips. Inhale, set your intention by looking directly at your forehead, then exhale to a SLOW count of six as you lower your hips to no less than six inches above your heels. Squeezing your inner thighs together, hold your deepest posture for a full count of 10 seconds. Your lap should slope downwards so nothing is resting - this is still an active posture, with all muscles in your upper and lower body contracted your heart rate should be increasing - but do not be tempted to jump back up! The greatest gains are to be found in this last elevation where your mind can hold you through the burning muscle fatigue so with an inhale, SLOWLY count to 6 as you rise back to your starting position.

Benefits
This is a three part pose that builds concentration and determination while aligning the entire skeletal system and opening the pelvic area. Awkward strengthens inner thighs, quadriceps, calves and deltoids and abdominal muscles. It increases circulation in the knees and ankle joints, improves joint pain, sciatica and arthritis of the knees and relieves rheumatism, arthritis and gout in the legs.
Awkward also aids in digestion, helps combat obesity and corrects immune disorders.