Maria Shumakova has been practicing Bikram yoga for three years and is not afraid of colds and excess weight.
I found my sport. Since childhood, I sat on the twine, bent in all directions, but they didn’t take me to gymnastics, they said: “The girl is flexible, but plump.” So the relationship with sports was not very good. Bikram yoga was brought together by a case, more precisely, the series “Sweet Life”, for the role in which I gained 15 kilograms and with its help I lost weight! My heroine Natasha in the first episode is engaged in the Bikram yoga studio. When we were filming this scene, our screenwriter Ira Arkadieva told me that bikram is a cool thing, it helps a lot to put the figure in order. We finished work on the first season, I returned from Riga, where the shooting was taking place, to Moscow, and I realized that it was time to part with Natasha’s kilos. I immediately remembered Ira’s words, signed up for a trial lesson and fell in love with this sport.
I returned the figure. Bikram is an unusual yoga. Classes are held in a classroom that heats up to 40 ° C, that is, to a temperature as close as possible to the climate of India, from where this practice originates. The first lesson was hard, it seemed that my heart was about to jump out of my chest, and then such a thrill came! The trick of high temperature is not to torture someone, on the contrary. In a heated room, the joints become mobile, the muscles elastic, and easier to stretch. And therefore, after the bikram, the body does not hurt at all. Another plus of this heat is that a lot of water comes out of you, and you lose weight insanely quickly. I practiced every day for three months and lost all 15 gained kilograms during this time. Now I attend the class three or four times a week, if I suddenly get a little fat, I go for five days in a row.
Has ceased to hurt. Some people fear this practice because the heat is bad for the heart. I myself have tachycardia – the pulse rate is 110 beats per minute, when I do it, it drops to 100 or even 92! That is, my heart, on the contrary, calms down. But, of course, for beginners, before running to class, it is better to consult with a doctor and ask the teacher about all the intricacies of the lesson. Personally, I see only positive aspects for myself. During the bikram, the internal organs are massaged, and this has a very great effect on the immune system. Somehow magically, when I practice yoga, I don’t get sick, I don’t catch a cold, even if I leave the class with wet hair in winter.
I listen to myself. Another thing I love about my sport is that it is suitable for any level of training. Yoga is not a competition, who will do better, but a conversation with oneself and the opportunity to hear your body, to understand it better. Nobody says to you: “Get on your head urgently, bend your legs.” Don’t do what you can’t. There are very simple asanas in bikram. Here’s an example, we have Olechka Kavkazskaya in our group, she is 76 years old! She recently traveled to Thailand to study and became a yoga teacher herself. That is, nothing is impossible! When I have a lot of strength, I can turn my asana into perfection. And if, on the contrary, I am tired, then I will calmly carry out the initial stages. You can always sit down or even lie down and rest, no one will scold you.
I’m less nervous. Many people choose this particular yoga because it does not go too deep into spiritual practices. You are not loaded with unnecessary information about chakras and energy. However, when you’re in the classroom with everyone, going through the heat and as if you are reborn at the end of the class, it unites you with the people who are around. I found new friends – we have a very interesting psychologist in our class, an aspiring director, whom we all helped to make the first film. We are all like one family! I not only found friends, but also freed myself from my inner clamps. Physical clamps are always indicative of spiritual ones. I managed to say goodbye to them. When you regularly practice yoga, it leads to spiritual growth even without lectures. After classes, you feel so calm that there is not the slightest desire to raise your voice, to make trouble. You come home and realize that you almost turn into a shrew, loved ones are safe.
Asanas that can be repeated at home – go on!
– Many of us work at the table, in offices, and it turns out that the spine only bends forward. It is believed that when you bend back, you get rid of your own fears. Plus, it strengthens both the spine itself and the back muscles.
We lie down on our stomach, take our hands back. Bend your knees and raise them. We grab our feet with our palms and push our legs as high as possible, while we ourselves stretch upward with our whole body and look at the ceiling. We linger in the asana for 30 seconds.
This asana develops stability and a sense of balance, and it is also calming.
We stand up straight, bend one leg at the knee, with the palm we pull to ourselves, placing the foot on the supporting leg. The raised knee should be pulled back as far as possible, and the hips should go forward. Keep your back straight. You can stand in this position as long as you want.
Strengthens the muscles that flex the hip and back, improves posture and relieves stress.
We kneel so that the distance between them is 20 cm, we put our hands on the lower back, gradually, together with our hands, we lower ourselves back. When we have dropped to the limit, we put our hands on our heels. We hold the pose for 30 seconds. I practice for up to 6-7 minutes.
The asana is aimed at developing balance, strengthening the legs and the nervous system.
We stand up straight, pull the left hand forward, bend the right leg at the knee, take it back. We grab the abducted leg with our right hand on the back of the ankle. We begin to lower the left hand down, and, on the contrary, pull the right hand together with the leg up. Under no circumstances bend the support knee. We stand as much as necessary.
The pose improves concentration and balance, strengthens the back muscles.
This asana is multi-phase, you do not have to complete it, you can stay for 30 seconds in the first or second stage.
Stand straight with your arms at your sides. Bend your left leg and grab the toe of your foot with your left hand. Straighten your leg as you exhale. Grasp your left foot with your right hand, straighten your back. As you exhale, make a bend with your back straight to your left leg.
Helps those with spinal problems, strengthens the muscles of the back, buttocks and legs.
Lie on your stomach, move your arms to the sides, as if preparing to fly. On the count of one – two – three, raise your legs and arms. The legs should be closed as one, and the gaze should be directed upward. Hold the position for as long as you want.
Ideal for strengthening the thighs and legs. I sometimes use it when I brush my teeth at home.
We spread our legs two fists wide. Hands are tense, stomach is pulled in. Imagine sitting down on the simplest low chair. We go down as low as possible and hold the position for 30 seconds. Whoever is capable of more, stands on his fingers like a ballerina, or, as they joke in our studio, on “louboutins”.
Thank you for your help in organizing the shooting of the Bikram yoga studio on Malaya Ordynka, 25.