Bikram Advanced Series - First Classes

In addition to the Bikram beginners series (26 postures repeated twice over 90 mins) there is also a Bikram advanced series.... 84 postures(!!) over 90-120 mins. The class is necessarily much faster paced, most postures are only repeated once and there are fewer savasanas in between. All the 26 beginners postures are included and the additional 58 postures include arm balances, splits, hip openers including a lotus series, headstand, stronger backbends  including full camel and full cobra. Another major difference is that the advanced series is led i.e. the instructor does the postures with you as well as talking you through them. Very helpful given the baffling nature of some of them!

There seems to be quite a bit of mystery surrounding the the 'Bikram Advanced Series'. Typing it into google you find lots of people asking questions about it, what exactly the postures are, how to take a class etc but not too much in the way of concrete info. The advances series is not taught as part of the basic teacher training so not all teachers are able to lead a class. BUT the postures are the original set that was taught to Bikram by his guru Bishnu Ghosh and the list and order of the series can be found at the bottom of this post and lots of information is available via Tony Sanchez website here.

Coming from an ashtanga yoga background I was beginning to miss some of the more advanced postures that are found towards the end of the primary series. I was excited to discover that my studio runs an advanced  bikram class. However it was ‘by invitation only’ and as I had only started just started Bikram I supposed I would be waiting a long while for an invite if I even got one at all. So I was delighted and very surprised when about 6 weeks after joining, the studio owner and one of the other teachers suggested that I might like to give it a go.

I jumped at the chance and was interested if a little nervous to see what it would be like. So here goes:
The class is run the most experienced teacher at the studio and is attended by other teachers and some invited students. It's a small class and much more informal that the regular class with more discussion, corrections and laughter :) (I think there should be more laughter in yoga generally). The postures are followed exactly until the start of the double sided series and the last part of the class is normally more selective and we are allowed to concentrate on particular poses we want to work on.

I was pleased that my first class was not quite as overwhelming as I had feared. Sure I have a REALLY long way to go in some of the posture but I was pleasantly surprised that I could make reasonable attempts at some of the others. Our teacher is particularly good a 'coaxing' people into a poses. She has a real skill for giving seemingly small corrections in exactly the right order and before you know it you are a lot further into a pose than you though possible :)

Unusual things that have become very apparent about my body since I started taking the advanced class:
I am more flexible back bending than forward bending.
My hip flexibility is really unbalanced (probably due to lots of cycling and running). I still have to hold my foot in tree pose (meant to be one of the easy postures) but I can do full pigeon (hard) and I certainly haven't missed lotus pose. The lotus series is long and my right foot starts complaining pretty fast leading to all sorts of comedy uncrossing and shaking between the poses.
All the circus training means my arms strong so I'm quite good at the arm balancing postures and locust.
I tend to feel very relaxed after advanced class even more so than after a beginners class and I always sleep really well that night.

I'm really hoping that going to regularly is going to correct some of these imbalances a little faster and also help with some of the flexibility I need for my circus classes.

So as promised:

Salute to the god and goddess (each done in 4 directions):
1. Salute to the God
2. Salute to the goddess

Salute to the sun
1.This is typical sun salute. However in the hot yoga tradition there is no downward dog or upward dog. I personally add them into my practice

Half moon series
1. Lateral half moon (both sides)
2. Backbend
3 Forward bend
4. Triangle
5. Seperate leg head to knee

Awkward series
1. squat
2. squat on tips toes
3. squat seated on the heel knees together

Eagle series
1. eagle
2. standing head to knee
3. Standing bow
4. Balancing stick
5. Seperate arms balancing stick

Guillitine series
1. Seperate leg stretching
2. guillitine
Tree series
1. Tree
2. Toe stand
3. Short man (dwarf pose)
Transition series
1. Crow
2. Crane
3. Fingerstand

Lotus series
1. Life pose
2. easy pose
3. 2 toes showing
4. Success in meditation
5. gentle pose
6. Good luck pose
7. Half lotus
8. lotus
9. Lifting lotus
10. Bound lotus
11. lotus in l shape
12. pregnancy (embryo) pose
13. Fish in lotus
14. Spider (crocadile)
15. Mountain
16. Cock pose (lotus in arn balance)

Wind removing
1. single leg wind removing
2. double leg wind removing

Cobra series
1. Cobra
2. Half locust
3. Full Locust
4. Floor bow

Fixed firm series
1. Fixed firm
2. Half tortise
3. Camel
4. Rabbit

Stretching series
1. Single leg head to knee stretching
2. Seated forward bend
3. Seated seperate leg stretching
4. Frog
5. upward wind removing
6. upward stretching
7. splits
8. Pidgeon
9. Splits in the Air
10. Dancers pose

Double sided series
1. archers pose
2. 4 angle pose
3. Happy Cow face
4. Spinal twist

Leg breaking
1. Leg breaking
Legs behind the head series
1. Single leg behind the head
2. Double legs behind the head
3. Lifting tortise
4. Full tortise
5. Goodbye pose
6. Om pose

Full series
1. Full Cobra
2. Full floor bow
3. Full Camel
5. Wheel

Peacock series
1. Peacock
2. Peacok in Lotus
3. 1 arm peacock

Plow series
1. Plow
2. Shoulder stand

Inversion series
1. Headstand
2. Tiger (forearm balancing)
3. Scorpion
4. Handstand