New Students

Welcome! As a new student of Bikram Yoga Jakarta, you deserve the best possible start. Please read this information on all the typical beginner’s questions to get more of the countless benefits that Bikram Yoga offers.

Bikram Yoga was developed over 30 years ago by Bikram Choudhury. Bikram is an internationally renowned Yoga teacher from India. He took his system to the United States in 1971, at the invitation of the American Medical Association. Under the guidance of his teacher, Bikram worked for three years with doctors and scientists at Tokyo University Hospital and developed his unique Hatha Yoga. It was scientifically designed to address every part of your body through a series of 26 postures over 90 minutes. It was developed for beginners, but is still challenging for advanced students.

We conduct Bikram Yoga classes in a mirrored room that is heated to 38-42°C (body temperature). The heat enables you to work deeper into the posture, giving you quicker access to the benefits of the yoga. It minimizes muscle strain which reduces the chances of injury. The heat also promotes cleansing and detoxification of the body as well as building stamina and endurance. The mirrors will help you to develop body awareness, so that you can refine and deepen your postures.

The poses work synergistically to return the body to a balanced state. Yoga assists to build energy and flexibility. These postures have a tourniquet effect which effectively stretches, squeezes and massages the internal organs, hence flushing out the cardiovascular system. The well-maintained body is self- regulating and self –adjusting.

As we are, our muscles tend to stiffen, creating more pressure on the joints. Regular stretching prevents this gradual stiffening and joint deterioration, which is why yoga has such a rejuvenating effect.

On Arrival
Please fill in a registration form and sign in sheet with your locker’s number. Please let us know about any particular goals you may have, whether you are pregnant, have any injuries or are taking any medication we should be aware of.

The only items you should take into the studio are your mat, your towel(s), and your water. No shoes, no phone, no keys, no jewelry and no belongings. Please use the lockers to keep your valuables.

Clothing
We recommend you wear sleeveless tops, as T-shirt sleeves tend to get in the way. Mid thigh-length bike shorts are probably the best and most comfortable. Yoga Wears are also available fot purchase at Kemang and Senayan Studio.

During Class
All classes are 90 minutes. Please allow for the full 90 minutes, and do not leave the room before the end of the class. If you absolutely must leave your mat, leave and return quietly, between postures. Place your mat so that you can stand and see yourself in the mirror, and spread your towel on top of the mat. Avoid standing directly in front of another student who was here before you. No talking allowed in class and constant wiping.

Water
Generally, no water is taken until after the third posture (Eagle Pose – Garurasana). After this you may drink if necessary. Sip only a small amount, and please only drink between postures to avoid distraction. To avoid becoming dehydrated in class, consume adequate water daily. An adult human requires at least 64 ounces of drinking water a day.

Overwhelmed?
If you feel overwhelmed by the heat or too tired to go on, please pause for a while. Calm your breath and heart rate at first by standing still, and breathing in and out though your nose. Deliberately slow your breathing down. If you really have to sit down, then be careful to rise slowly when you are ready to rejoin the class. Even if the posture has started, rest if you need… we’ve all spent time on the floor at some stage.

Tips for your Yoga Practice
Throughout the class, we do a posture, rest again, and then move on to another posture. Just take it one posture at a time. Every posture is different, and each requires different aspects of strength, flexibility and balance. You will find some postures easier than others, but you will get the benefits by doing the best you can in each posture: listen to the instruction, concentrate on alignment, work to the point of discomfort but never pain.

Do not hurry to push yourself: strength, balance, flexibility and focus come much easier when the mind is relaxed.

Your body doesn’t lie. Don’t judge or criticize. Let your body be your teacher, and learn from it.

Minimize your movement between postures – just breathe and be still. Extra movement wastes energy, and can be distracting for others.

After The Class
Stay in the room in the final relaxation pose (savasana) & leave the room in silence

The Next Few Days
New students usually respond in various ways. You may feel energized, or perhaps feel the need to rest. It is normal to feel a little sore and stiff because of the deep stretching. In each case, the best thing you can do is to get back into the yoga room. We suggest you take at least three classes in your first week – you’ll find that you will adapt quickly to the heated room, and you’ll soon get to know the postures. You’ll start noticing the benefits of the yoga within days.

Over the next 10 days you’ll begin to see changes in your strength and flexibility – and probably your attitude as well. People you know will start to notice and comment on the ‘yoga glow’.

Remember, this is your first class; the heat may feel unbearable, and the postures uncomfortable. Please stick with it. Yoga is a practice … the benefits come from frequency and persistence.

How Often Should I Practice?
Especially in the first year, you will benefit by maximum retraining of all your systems (circulatory, respiratory, digestive, muscular, nervous, metabolic, lymphatic, and skeletal). We recommend that you practice 3 or 4 times a week.

You’ll find that you want to do this practice. It works. You’ll start organizing your schedule to fit it in. Remember that this yoga is powerful and challenging. Pace yourself and don’t force yourself. Don’t expect to be perfect overnight!

It’s our job to encourage you to achieve your best. It is your responsibility to know what enough for your body is on any given day. Respect your limits (without babying yourself), and expect those limit to change. Just do your best.

The harder this yoga is for you, the more you need it and the more you will get out of it!
The secret to success is in the frequency of your practice.

Pay Attention to What You Eat
One reason why people get nauseous and dizzy during the class is not eating, not eating enough or consuming the wrong foods before class. Wrong foods including high-protein and fat foods such as eggs, high-sugar food like pastries and most cereals, and dairy. Eating well will help you to perform better in class, and will also help improve your overall health. It is best to eat a plant-based (but not necessarily vegetarian) diet, with lots of complex carbohydrates for energy.

Eating small meals throughout the day will keep your blood sugar levels even, and assist to keep you from overeating.

Do not come to yoga class hungry, as this will contribute to dizziness, nausea and overall weakness. If you come to a morning yoga class, a healthy breakfast is advisable 1-2 hours before class.

If you are attending an evening class and coming straight from work, a granola bar, an apple with some almonds, a veggie wrap, or a similar choice 30-45 minutes before class is helpful.

Benefits of Bikram Yoga

• Stretching out muscles, which eventually relieves muscle pain
• Realignment of the spine
• Promotion of better circulation
• Improvement in joint function as a result of the heat, stretching and increased movement of fluid into the joint cavities
• Improvement in breathing, which has a calming effect on the body
• Improved sleep
• Reduced stress & anxiety
• Improvement in immune function
• Increased strength & flexibility
• Detoxification
• Improved quality of skin
• Improvement in balance & coordination
• Weight loss and Changes in the body shape

Disciplines to Obtain

Breath Control
It all in the Breath. Get it right and you will remain strong and focused. Apart from the first and last breathing exercises, breathe in and out through the nose. Breathe calmly, smoothly and continually – never holding your breath. Think about the breath at all times, including when you go into and out of the postures and during the rest in between. This sounds easier than it is – especially during your first few classes, when you are learning the basic mechanics of the postures. It takes time to master – in time your breath control will improve enabling a stronger and deeper practice.

Alignment
If you focus purely on how far you can go into a posture, you will most likely lose the proper alignment of the posture. Initially, you will look at others in the room and wish you could achieve the same expression of a posture as them. You have to lose these thoughts. As you focus more on the proper alignment of the posture, you may find you cannot seemingly go into the posture as far as you previously did. Don’t despair. By doing it correctly, the body will open quicker and you will gain the full benefits of the yoga – it is your yoga, not anybody else’s.

Stillness between postures
When coming out of a posture, bring yourself to a total stillness, with a calm and smooth breath. Don’t fidget, move around, or wipe sweat. Fidgeting not only distracts others, it stimulates your sympathetic nervous system, promoting a ‘fight or flight’ response. This is great when on the rugby pitch or sprinting for the finishing line – but not wanted here. Stillness is the key to gaining a calm and focused mind, your ability to listen to your body and your ability to push yourself to your edge.

Stay in the room
A focussed mind is an important part of Bikram Yoga. Though everyone is focused purely on their own yoga, the effect of everyone working together provides an amazing group energy that benefits everyone. Leaving the room is very distracting to others and has a negative effect on this group energy. The more experienced student is better able to be unaffected by such distractions, remaining focused and energised. A less experienced student, who may be having a challenging class, can be easily distracted. For this reason please ensure you visit the toilet prior to class. If you really feel you must leave, then please do so only in between postures. Similarly when you return, please return to your mat in between postures – not during a posture.

Other essential information
Do not come to class on a full stomach. Come to class hydrated – drink about 1.5 litres of water during the day prior to class. You will sweat a lot during class so being hydrated is very important.

If you have any medical conditions or injuries please advise the teacher before class.

Never push yourself into any pain – pain is your body saying ‘ease off’. Bikram Yoga is remarkable at fixing injuries provided you listen to your body.

Classes start promptly at the advertised times. Please arrive early for your chosen class, as latecomers are not allowed into class.

All the teachers at Bikram Yoga Jakarta have been trained and certified by Bikram Choudhury. If you have any questions, teachers will be available in the lobby after class.