Product Review

This popular series is practiced in Hot Yoga Studios throughout the US and the world. It is said to be a complete yoga program in just over two dozen poses. Traditional practice is to hold each pose for a minute on each side with a short rest in between. Each pose is typically done twice before moving on to the next one. When practicing at home with this floor or wall chart, you can vary the duration of the poses based on your own ability. Of course these poses do not have to be done in a hot room. Some traditions, like Tony Sanchez's Yoga Challenge One, specifically advise against practicing a similar series in overheated settings. Bikram Choudhury is perhaps the main proponent of practicing a series like this in a very hot room. There are pros and cons and the choice is yours. I have enjoyed this type of practice in both hot and moderately heated settings. Doing it in a hot room takes more focus and discipline to maintain even breathing and not over-exert. Doing it in a normally heated setting is more relaxing and less likely to lead to over-stretching the muscles. Another variation you can try is doing half the poses one day and the other half the following day. When doing this I recommend doing every other pose rather than doing the first half one day and the second half the next day. This way you get the warming benefit of the standing postures before attempting the floor poses every day! This poster comes 4 different ways. It is available in two sizes; 12" x 18" intended for a floor chart that you can place next to your mat while practicing and 24" x 36" intended as a wall chart and suitable for framing. Each size comes with and without lamination. Choose the lamination to increase the longevity and bring out the colors of the poster. The optically clear thin polyester laminate also makes it possible to clean the chart with a damp cloth. For those who plan on framing the poster, it means you can leave out the glass if you want to.