The Resolution of Evolution, Happy New Year!  This year at Westcoast Hot Yoga we are embracing nature’s most fundamental law of change, growth and development.  On the path of evolution to a full service yoga school we are adding Yin and Flow (Vinyasa) Yoga to our schedule.

Bikram Choudhury's yoga series is a fantastic foundation to any beginner student’s yoga practice.  But within its foundation of a dedicated practice of the same postures comes deficiencies that can only be addressed by adding additional postures to a students practice to help compensate for missing elements within this "traditional hot yoga" series.  These deficiencies are further emphasized due to the fact that many loyal and dedicated “traditional hot yoga” students consistently practice the same set of postures for years never graduating to alternative ranges of motion required for balance within the body.

I have found that Yin Yoga developed by Paul Grilley compliments the “tradition hot yoga” series developed by Bikram Choudhury (Yogi Extraordinaire). The “traditional hot yoga” focuses on the Muscles and Circulation which are Yang tissues and Yin Yoga focuses on connective tissues and joints.  Modern science has confirmed that Yin and Yang tissues do not respond to training in the same way and a student's practice becomes more effective when the difference is recognized and understood.

We have developed a Vinyasa Yoga series based on the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system taught by Pattabhi Jois.  We call this practice Flow Yoga as it is a technique of "connecting postures".  I have found that by adding this series to my practice along with lessons from Bikram Choudhury I have filled in some of the gaps within the "traditional hot yoga" series.  The Beginners Flow Yoga series that we devised includes postures that focus on developing upper body strength in the arms, chest, shoulders and back along with postures specific to strengthening the core abdominal muscles.  The Flow Yoga practice by its nature of connecting postures develops strength and stability as we transition from one posture to the next, an element not recognized in the "traditional hot yoga" series.

Westcoast Hot Yoga is proud to add Yin and Flow yoga in addition to the “traditional hot yoga” series currently being taught at our schools.  I suggest that all our students try complimentary styles of yoga in addition to their “traditional hot yoga” practice and experience the additional sensations and benefits from expanding your practice

Thank you for taking the time to read my posting.  I hope these comments shed more light on our organization's "resolution of evolution" and further demonstrates our ambition to not only embrace the age old tradition of yoga but use its wisdom as a catalyst to further develop the science and technology of yoga systems while helping improve the quality of lives of our students, their families and the communities in which they reside.

Namaste,

Eddison Noel, President & CEO
Westcoast Yoga Group Ltd.
eddison@westcoasthotyoga.com

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