The Sohot Approach to Bikram Yoga: A Transformative Practice

The attributes of mobility are the ones needed for an active life without injury or pain.

The Sohot approach to the Bikram series of 26 postures is less rigid, with an emphasis on mobility. It focuses on open-body engagement without tension, making the practice far more restorative and transformative. It establishes a deeper mind-body awareness that strengthens and loosens the body.

The Sohot method takes the traditional Bikram series of 26 postures and infuses it with a unique, less rigid approach that emphasizes open-body engagement without tension. This makes it more restorative and transformative, strengthening and loosening the body.

If you’re recovering from an injury or suffering from stiff, painful joints with limited mobility, or flexibility is not your greatest asset, this approach to yoga is for you. If you are naturally flexible, this changes the game; see it as a training ground so that you can perform better when called upon.

The Magic Key: Tuning Into and Eliminating Tension

Tension is the main culprit that robs us of our inner raw energy and effective body engagement. It's why many students find their progress stagnating and struggle with stiffness and joint pain.

The Sohot method encourages you to engage with a yoga posture instead of merely performing it. By allowing your body to explore outside the rigidity of alignment rules, you can break free from these limitations, allowing greater awareness of the body's true abilities.

Key Aspects of the Sohot Method

• Dynamic Breath Control: Your exhale is where all your power lies. Inhale to refuel without movement, and exhale to engage in movement. This mirrors the natural breath control used in decisive actions like kicking a ball or lifting a weight.

• Mantra RELAX & OPEN: You must focus a significant amount of effort on relaxing your surface muscles to eliminate the resistance of body tension, allowing your core inner strength to shine through opening out the entire body.

• TriEnergy Focus Strategy: Your efforts should balance the feeling of being Powerful, in Control, and Relaxed.

• Core as the Powerhouse: Your core (chest, spine, and hips) is your powerhouse, emanating energy outward.

• Chest Expansion: During exhale movements, expand the chest and drive it away from the relaxed bum, ensuring the spine remains open without over-compression. This expansion also mirrors the natural body engagement used in decisive exhale actions like kicking a ball or lifting a weight.

• Fluidity: Integrating a sense of fluidity offers a yoga practice that's both physically stimulating and mentally and spiritually enriching.

• Setup Matters: The setup is crucial. Even if you only focus on the setup, you will restore and transform. Depth in a posture is irrelevant; what matters is body engagement. A sloppy, unfocused setup leads to sloppy, unfocused movements.

• Focus: Focus on listening to your body engaging in open movement rather than barking orders to the body to achieve theoretical alignment positions. Maintain a sense of playfulness. This fosters a deeper mind-body relationship that restores and transforms.

Embrace the Journey

The Sohot method encourages the body to orchestrate movement without body tension, creating a sense of openness, power, and control. This enhances core stability and balance strength while lubricating joints and the spine.

It's not easy—tuning into and eliminating tension requires targeted effort. However, by focusing on stress-free body engagement, your practice will evolve from a routine into a journey of self-discovery and profound transformation.

Many Bikram students and teachers experience rapid transformation through the Sohot method, achieving results their previous practice could not provide. Embrace the power of this approach and discover a rejuvenated, transformative yoga experience.

If you want to experience a more transformative approach to Bikram yoga, join me for a Sohot Method Hot 26 Online Master Class every Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm (UK Time). New to us? Use the Discount Code "Sohot4" for a FREE 4-class pack. Let's transform together!

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Bill Thwaites

If you have any questions, please email me at bill@sohotyoga.co.uk