Hot Yoga App - Win an Android Tablet Giveaway!

 Hi Yoga Peeps!

   You've gotta love a good app! And a great competition. Now if
  that app makes your Hot Yoga practice rock AND lets you practise
  ANYWHERE, AND has KEWL GAMES then that's just about a no-brainer!

   So please read on to find out how YOU can win an Android
  Tablet... and you don't have to buy anything to enter.

   Just 5 days ago Gabrielle Raiz launched her Hot Yoga On The Move APP on
  ANDROID. Up until now it's only been available for Apple
  Devices. It's always been very popular and now it's rocketing
  up the Google Play Store charts as well!

   >> Get the Hot Yoga Doctor app on the Google Play Store here >>

   So, to celebrate the launch she am giving away an Android
  Tablet. Here's the link to the Giveaway:

   >> http://gabrielleraiz.com/giveaways/win-an-asus-memo-pad-hd-7-tablet/

   You may want to just enter the comp just for the tablet.
  That's OK. You don't need to buy the app, but just in case,
  here's why you may want to consider it:

   There really is NO BETTER TIME than ever to buy it right now,
  because to celebrate our grand launch you will receive ...

   >> the App at 50% discount
   >> a bonus 196 page Home Practice ebook which normally sells
      for $19.95  (very informative and practical) (for the first 200)
   >> a 60 minute double-set hot yoga audio class that you won't
      find on the App worth $16.99 (for the first 100)

   That's an amazing $47 value for only $4.99! In fact it's worth
  buying the app just for the Bonuses!

   >> Get the Hot Yoga Doctor app on the Google Play Store here >>

   I love reviews (especially good ones) so ...

   ... if you like the app and you’re willing to leave an honest
  review (hopefully you’ll like it, just like thousands of iPhone
  and iPad users before you have) then send us a link to your
  review and we’ll give you ANOTHER - and DIFFERENT - recorded
  class to add to your collection. (And double your entries to
  win the ASUS Tablet!)

   Namaste
   Gabrielle :)

   PS. The Free Tablet Competition is open to anybody who has an
  address in the US, Australia or Canada.

   >> http://gabrielleraiz.com/giveaways/win-an-asus-memo-pad-hd-7-tablet/

Back to Hot Yoga After a 3 Month Break

Fannie in her new sweater. Cold day in Texas but
 great day for Hot Yoga!
 

Returning to a Bikram practice after a 3 month absence is not easy! My body remembered the postures but holding them was harder to do. Luckily, the instructor for this class knew me and he offered some tips during the poses to get me back on track.

I did try and take it easy. I can't clamp my arms against my head in Half Moon anyway because I take it easy on my shoulder but I didn't push myself. Even so, by Standing Head to Knee pose, I was seeing spots in front of my eyes!

Right now though my body feels tired and its enjoying the good 90 minute stretch it got this morning. My goal is to go to class at least 4 days a week and, mixed with my tai chi practice, I think I will strike a good balance.

I'm especially excited to be returning to class because I've also started on a new Plexus health program to help me lose weight and get into better shape all around. I've already lost 1 and a half inches off my hips and waist just by using Plexus Block and I know that, combined with a good exercise program, I can expect to lose more inches.

Plexus offers several different healthy weight loss products like Slim, Boost and Accelerator but it's about more weight loss too. You can get vitamins, smoothie mixes, cleansing and probiotic products as well for overall good health. Doing the complete program has helped some of my friends lose weight, lower their blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, and improve diabetes and other health issues.

If you'd like to read more about Plexus and see the wonderful things it can offer for your health program, click here.

I know during the holidays probably isn't the best time to start a new health program, but then again, maybe it is. I didn't want to gain weight with all the holiday eating and I'll have my hot yoga practice working on me from the outside and Plexus products to help me from the inside. By January 1, I expect to see a big improvement in my overall health.

Hot Yoga Master Class Package is on Sale!

I don't know if you've looked at Gabrielle Raiz' Hot Yoga Master Class package and wished you could own it, but right now she's having a hot sale on this great program.Using the information in Gabrielle's book, DVD and audio, you can take your hot yoga practice to the next level and enjoy all the benefits practicing is meant to give you.


If you've ever tried Bikram yoga and found it difficult or had trouble with the different postures, this program will help you improve your poses to get the most benefit from them. Sometimes, in trying to do the posture the way the instructor is telling us to, or the way we THINK we're being told to do it, we can actually cause ourselves pain and injury. Many people just give up at that point or try and power through the pain when simple tips and improved techniques could solve their problems.

Think of all the shoulder work in Bikram. I had a shoulder injury last year and nearly quit going to class because the postures seemed to aggravate the injury and increase the pain. I read about variations to the poses to decrease stress on my shoulder and also consulted Gabrielle's hot yoga forum and received a personal response. Within a couple of weeks, I could practice again without shoulder pain.

I also strained my knee one time when doing some of the poses and after reading through Master Class, I realized what I was doing incorrectly to cause this.

For every single hot yoga pose, Master Class explains how to set up the pose and how to get into it. Gabrielle explains then what you should be experiencing during the pose and how to get out of it. Just knowing some easy to follow tips and techniques can make all the difference in your practice.

Besides the 304 page Master Class book with all the beautiful photos and text, you receive an entire class on audio, plus nearly 6 hours on DVD to show you each and every pose and how you should be doing it to get the most benefit. On the DVD there is a pose menu selection too so if you're having trouble with one particular pose, you can easily find the information about it.

In the past, the Master Class package has sold for $199 but right now, Gabrielle is having a special. Get all the material described above for just $99. This is an amazing deal.

Do yourself a favor this holiday season and give yourself a gift that you will use and treasure all the years of your hot yoga practice. Click here for more information on the program, what it can do for you and ordering information for Hot Yoga Master Class

Back to Hot Yoga Class Once Again

Step up Your Practice!

Hot Yoga Again! I can't believe it's been a whole year since my last hot yoga post. I have to admit, being a boomer almost got to me but I know it was because I became inconsistent in my practice. I kept up with my practice all of last year, although I was fizzling out on it, until last September. So what happened?

When I was practicing 3-4 times a week, my stomach was flat, I was wearing a size 6 pants, down from a size 10, and I felt great. My skin felt amazingly soft from the sweating in class. When I started to get tired of the time it was taking to go to class the last couple of months, I was only practicing about twice a week. This wasn't enough to keep my mid-drift from getting bigger and I wasn't feeling the energy and flexibility.

So, in September I just decided to quit and go back to classes at the YMCA. I already go to tai chi classes there. However, after 6 weeks of no hot yoga, I am back to size 10 jeans and a fat stomach.

On December 1, I am going back to hot yoga class. I know when I am consistent with my practice, I feel better about myself, I can keep my weight down without resorting to starvation and I can be back into my skinny jeans in a month.

I realize now, that being a baby boomer, I probably shouldn't be trying to get so deeply into the knee poses and I have a shoulder issue I need to be careful of. Still, for me, I've found the benefits out weight the limitations.

One thing that has helped me a lot with my practice and doing the poses correctly is the book, Hot Yoga MasterClass by Gabrielle Raiz, which is pictured above. Whenever I've had issues with pain in my shoulder or pain in my knees, I found I was not doing the different poses incorrectly. I could read up on the pose in Masterclass and find out the best way to perform it so I could get the most benefit and not hurt myself.

Unfortunately, when you're over 60 and you hurt yourself in any way, it can take months to get back to normal, if you ever do. My advice, if you are younger than 60, is to start practicing and stick with it!

Bikram Yoga - Anecdote to Obamacare

How we spend a cold morning!

Are you one of the thousands who saw their insurance premiums and deductibles go sky high with the advent of Obamacare? I've been thinking that the only real answer here is to be so healthy you don't need a doctor. If you have a $5,000 deductible, spend a fraction of that going to hot yoga classes and, barring accidents, you may never need to spend all that money on healthcare.

The past 20 years or so, my entire health goal has been boost my immune system and be so healthy that I don't need medications as I get older. I was 63 yesterday and I need no cholesterol or blood pressure meds. I don't have diabetes. I'm not overweight. I've never had cancer or any serious health issues. Just a touch of arthritis in the joints and shoulder pain from a partial tear in my rotator cuff.

The current health care crisis really points out that, even with Obamacare, people may have insurance but they might not be able to afford to use it. Can they even afford the premiums? Of course many people will be forced onto Medicare or otherwise subsidized but what about the middle income people who may struggle already to pay bills?

I'm sure many out there would love to get a membership to their nearest Bikram yoga studio but might consider it a luxury. The studio I go to costs $99 a month for a regular membership. However, I can get a military or senior discount so it costs me $69 a month. The military discount is for all retired military and their dependents. Even $69 a month might be a stretch for those on a retirement budget or for students, etc. But what is your health worth to you? By spending that monthly fee, you might save yourself hundreds or thousands in medical costs over the years.

Hot yoga benefits include:

• losing weight, which helps all sorts of health issues including diabetes and blood pressure.
• increasing flexibility which will keep you off the arthritis medications
• improving balance which means you'll never fall and break a hip or anything else
• improves knee and hip health and flexibility so you won't need those parts replaced when you get older
• improves back issues which can be debilitating as you get older
• improves muscle strength, which helps also with balance and general body health
• improves energy
• improves sleep
• helps decrease stress, which is a huge factor in how well you age, as well as being a component in diseases such as cancer.

I could go on and on about the benefits of Bikram yoga. Is it hard? Yes! Do you feel great afterwards? Yes! Do you feel like you've really accomplished something? Definitely!

Of course there are  other components to good health, including diet, but when you're busting your buns in the hot yoga studio, you start feeling healthier and less stressed, this affects your food choices too. Maybe you'll even take up green smoothies or juicing:)You never know where your love of Bikram can take you.

So when you're weighing up those health care costs, consider spending a little more on wellness and saving those big bucks in insurance deductibles. A friend of mine from the studio says she considers hot yoga like medicine. You take it 4-5 times a week for good health. This woman, who is in her late 50's, was recently told she shows no signs of the heart disease she previously had - after 2 years of Bikram.

You'll look great and feel great after just a couple of weeks of visiting the hot yoga studio so if you've tried it and gave up, consider doing yourself a favor and going back. I did.

Why Am I Returning to Bikram Yoga Studio After 2 Months?

Newest member of our family-Abby, the rescued pooch

Can you practice Bikram yoga with a shoulder injury?I guess I'll find out as I head back to the studio.

Ok, I have to admit, I quit Bikram yoga 2 months ago and didn't plan to go back. I went steadily to the studio from last November to June, then I quit for a month because of shoulder pain, then I tried to go again in August but my shoulder hurt again.

Now it's November and I have really missed Bikram. I miss the smooth, soft feel of my skin which came from sweating in the 105 degree heat. I miss my firmer, more toned abs, I miss not worrying so much about what I eat because I know I'll burn calories in the studio. More than anything, I miss the pain free movement of my body.

As I've gotten older, I've had a lot of joint pain and Bikram really improved it. Not just the obvious joints, like hips and knees but my hands and feet really felt better through yoga. After about 2 weeks of practicing, I noticed that when I got up out of bed in the morning, my feet didn't feel stiff and painful when I first landed on them.

I've also noticed other changes after 2 months away from the studio. I just don't feel as balanced and flexible and certainly not as graceful. Practicing Bikram yoga just made my entire body feel better.

Now only $26.95 on Amazon!

I also have really missed that feeling of accomplishment that came from being a 60+ woman who could hang in there with the 20 somethings.

I do still have a painful shoulder but a friend at the studio recommended once certain teacher who gave her husband tips for practicing with his own shoulder pain so I'll get some advice. I also got some good tips from the Hot Yoga Doctor forum as well.

So, I'll keep you posted on my progress. Now that I've come and gone from the studio a few times, I have to remember that I always end up wanting to go back-so I might as well stay and try and get through the times when I want to quit.

For more great information on Bikram poses, visit the Hot Yoga Doctor. There is a very helpful forum if you have questions, as well as articles and photos to help you improve your hot yoga practice.

Boomer Bikram - Still Hanging in With Hot Yoga

I must admit I did have to quit Bikram yoga for about 6 weeks, so I haven't been blogging about hotBikram was aggravating it. I started going to my chiropractor and eventually to an orthopedic doctor to see if the injury was serious.


Bennnie is currently on stray hold at Arlington Animal Services
Arlington, Texas. He will be available for adoption soon.

yoga lately. When I started going to class last November, I had a shoulder problem that became worse over time and I felt that maybe

In June, I decided to quit hot yoga for a while to see if the shoulder pain got better and it did. An MRI showed a small tear inside the tissue, which my chiropractor felt would heal given time. I missed going to class so in July, I decided to go back again but just 3 days a week to start. I also told my instructors that I'd had a shoulder problem and that I was going to go easy on it for a while. They were all very supportive.

Since I have been doing PT on my shoulder and also going easy on the hot yoga classes, my shoulder pain has improved. I think that, over time, Bikram will be a wonderful  aid in healing. I think I needed to realize though that I couldn't power through an injury at my age.

Boomers tend to think they should never slow down or be incapacitated but the fact is, sometimes we get injured and we need to take care of the issue. Once we do, we can go full steam ahead again.

So, I'll be resuming my Boomer Bikram blogging. After a month away, I actually didn't feel like I lost that much of what I'd gained. My core stayed toned and I didn't immediately turn to fat, as I feared I would-lol. I was able to get through the entire class on the first day, even though some of my poses had suffered from not doing them.

We just got back from a week's visit to our daughter in Santa Cruz and instead of worrying and fretting because I had to take a week from my hot yoga, I just rested my shoulder and allowed my body to take a break from working out. Instead, we walked daily along the ocean cliffs and enjoyed the visit.

Have you tried Bikram yoga and then given up? If so, why? Did you ever want to go back? I missed the heat actually. My skin felt so much softer and clearer from the sweating. I missed the workout too. Even though I walk daily and do tai chi, I also feel like I need some aerobic workout and hot yoga gives that to me.